Exai reviews

[Guest Roksen Creek]

I will never understand how reviewers can give music scores/ratings. Music is just too much about personal taste. You might as well start rating fruit.

 

Watermelon: 5.9/10

[joshuatxuk]

I will never understand how reviewers can give music scores/ratings. Music is just too much about personal taste. You might as well start rating fruit.

 

Watermelon: 5.9/10

 

See that pisses me off - they said Autechre's waa2uRm33lin has too many seeds but they gave Oneohtrix Point Never's Pomegranrifts an 8

[Guest trananhhung]

I don't mind the scores but the . scoring system. It's ok on imdb because of the amount of "reviewers", but I don't get how a critic can mathematically come up with score of #.9. # out of 5 stars is ok with me.

[apriorion]

Candiru,

I wondered about the audience point, too: who exactly is pitchfork reaching out to? There are some pretty obvious answers here (I imagine the "h" word might be invoked), but I think there's a very basic economic explanation for all this. Actually, upon reflection, I think the economic explanation is so basic that it would be insulting to say out loud. So I won't do it. And I won't type it, either.

 

I will note, though, that I have a hard time telling who I'm more disappointed with when they "hooked up" a couple years ago: NPR or Pitchfork. I guess I'm a little disappointed in NPR, since I like some of their programming, and I don't really like much (aside from some interviews) that comes from Pitchfork. Then again, NPR always had somewhat embarrassing "youthful" interests in music. They're sometimes like some embarrassing uncle who's trying to impress his 15 year old nephews with his awareness of today's power-chord rock-and-rollers. I would have more respect for their dignity if they just stuck with the boring old people who play violins or cellos in groups or whatever they're called ("quartets", I think).

[Guest Roksen Creek]

I don't mind the scores but the . scoring system. It's ok on imdb because of the amount of "reviewers", but I don't get how a critic can mathematically come up with score of #.9. # out of 5 stars is ok with me.

 

I think they just closed their eyes and bashed two digits on a numpad.

 

It was a clever nod to how autechre came up with their name. Don't underestimate the 'fork.

[Guest trananhhung]

 

I don't mind the scores but the . scoring system. It's ok on imdb because of the amount of "reviewers", but I don't get how a critic can mathematically come up with score of #.9. # out of 5 stars is ok with me.

 

I think they just closed their eyes and bashed two digits on a numpad.

 

It was a clever nod to how autechre came up with their name. Don't underestimate the 'fork.

[Guest trananhhung]

I'm currently listening to Welcome Oblivion and I'm gonna try that two digit bashing.

 

3.8

 

Hey, it works magnificently.

[six]

Pitchfork Gives Music 6.8

[Guest Roksen Creek]

LOL

[syd syside]

Pitchfork smartly established a rating system that creates controversy. And they probably get as many hits from haters as actual p4k fans. Its kind of like the Fox News of music reviews. But lets not play that game by calling them faggots, probably tongue and cheek but still homophobic (which has been a common critique against WATMM; its just kind of self-defeating to throw out insults like that)

[vamos scorcho]

Frankly, I'm a bit shocked by the intolerance of some regarding negative reviews, implying the reviewer doesn't know shit about music. It sounds like those kids on Eurogamer when their favourite Xbox game doesn't get a 10/10. He likes Hecker, though. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17468-chimerization/

 

Ah. So he's a hipster. Or an elitist. Or a rich kid. All three would probably be the best way of putting it. He's more interested in how his taste in obscure and widely disliked avant music will make him look cool to the people around him. AE is too accessible, not avant enough, too popular to be taken seriously. They can be written off with a simple observation of "too long" because their music is "uncool" to other super-hipsters and nobody who reads P4K will notice anyway, because frankly, P4K is pretty fucking uncool now to those very super-hipsters. One has to wonder why the fuck Pitchfork even bothers reviewing a Hecker album at this point in history... I don't think anyone who wants to learn about interesting music is going to Pitchfork anymore. I mean, seriously. Nobody. Zero. Or very close to it. The reviews really are just vaporware at this point. Written nowhere for no one. I can't imagine who it even influences except the most cut off and clueless, and when I say most clueless, I mean most. That middle ground between mainstream clueless and "the in crowd" who has long since completely stopped giving a fuck about anything Pitchfork says. It's like people reading SPIN in 2008 and thinking Hot Hot Heat or The Von Bondies were the new Nirvana. Or something. Obviously 100X worse than that.

 

 

If you like Hecker there is essentially zero reason for you not to like Exai. I've heard both. Hecker is more high falutin but in the end I am strongly suspicious of people like that who are keyed in to popularity and this and that and it just seems so fucking obvious to me that these people write off AE because it doesn't give them the image of themselves that they want. They can't be arsed to actually listen to or enjoy the music or creations therein. There's some process of intellectualization, testing the music against the image of themselves, and discarding accordingly. Pathetic. It would be funny if it wasn't so tied in with the problems of today's mainstream culture, the one that matters.

 

There is literally no other kind of music listener I find more disgusting than the "elitist" who flagrantly writes off "pop experimental" music (while of course hyping 1 or 2 token pop records, always ironically or for some bullshit reason only they know). You have to inevitably forgive them however because it is their soft and weak temperament which causes them to retreat into the fantasy of being smarter than everyone around them, I am familiar with this. IT's all just up and up and up and up.

[kaini]

The rhythms "fart" their way into existence? What is with that expression?

 

This FACT mag review brought to you by a thirteen year-old boy.

 

Is this the vocabulary and expressive power we should now expect from professional journalists?

to be fair ae do use farty noises quite a bit... there's a bit in xylin room that always makes me crack up laughing.

[sidewinder]

...and many slingshot between various sounds and schemes, meaning that the transitions within the album and the songs themselves are weak, if not

nonexistent. Pieces shift into bridges that lead nowhere ("T ess xi"), suddenly mix their metaphors and mechanics (the end of "recks on") and wallow in aesthetic indecision (tone-setting opener "FLeure").

 

Lol, I think the reviewer was reviewing Quaristice here.

 

And also the comment about it being insufferably exhausting...holy hell Exai is the least exhausting double-CD I've ever listened to.

 

This was also pretty laughable:

 

If you hear an interesting sound or idea from Autechre, you're bound to hear it again and again before a track's end. Despite their creative

restlessness, Brown and Booth have never been very good at moving on their music itself.

[joshuatxuk]

For what's it worth they listed Exai first of the 5 reviews posted today.

 

[coax]

vamos I love your long posts. Keep it up.

 

Also, pitchfork generated quite a bit of debate. Maybe it's time to just ignore them to keep with what we all feel & say.

 

That exai review has got to be the worst and least informative autechre review they've done yet (last words from me)

[fizzkinz]

I was expecting to be displeased with the pitchfork review, but this is just awful

[Guest pixelives]

Welp. That's the first time in years I've looked at Pitchfork. Let's say three or four ? SO. Thanks?

[Guest theSun]

theSun's exai review

 

 

fleure - this is proper ae intro track. assaulting beats edited in the kind of way that only ae can do. the song stutters apart and reconstructs itself all throughout. really an ace track and the direction i'd hoped they would go from oversteps, though i'd like a little more from that bass synth line.

irlite (get 0) - this is another proper ae track but in a different way. the synth stabs give this song more life than they really should. i love the chiastic/cichli bits around 3min. this track seems like it would end at ~4:30 if this were quaristice, but again, very happy with the direction of this song/album. the synth doodles with the pseudo-triplet bass hits that start after 8min are very reminiscent of quaristice/oversteps live stuff. this is a big, evolving song that will continue to reveal parts of itself with each listen. this might be my favorite.

prac-f - pretty fun track, really like the sound palate on this. leads into next track well but there isn't really 4 minutes worth of stuff in prac-f imo. maybe i will hear more in this track in subsequent listens but my attention drifts a little until i'm brought back by....

jatavee C - initially, i really really did not like this track. hated the timing of the drums, the way it is typical ae-glitch and goes into straight timing for a measure or so. since then the beat has grown on me and i'm able to focus on more parts of the track. the triplet synth also irked me initially, but it seems to fit well now. i like how they fuck with the pads. overall, i don't really like the individual parts of this track but somehow enjoy the whole thing. those kicks with the fuzz sound are A+ though

T ess xi - also a track i didn't like initially. i still don't like it. i hate the snare heavy beat, hate that pseudo-triplet synth, hate the straight synths that come in at ~3:55. i do like the beat at 3:55 but by that point it's not enough to salvage the song for me. the chords in the intro and the beat later on are the only things i like. i try to avoid skipping ae tracks, but there are always 2-4 per album that i either don't like or that i would only listen to occasionally. this is one...

vekoS - ae does such a great job of editing beats uniquely. the progression that is suggested at 2min was my first ae-jizz-on-initial-listen since untilted. liking the textures that dominate as the song fades away as well.

Flep - interesting palate, i don't really have strong feelings about this, as with prac-f i don't think there is enough in this song for it to be longer than 3 minutes. the fm synth-edits are fun but not enough to keep my attention. i'll need to give a hard listen to this later as now it just isn't really clicking.

tuinorizn - i love the snare (slamming door) hit. the hihats are literally painful to my ears though at loud volumes. i haven't listened to this so much for that reason.

bladelores - hated this initially. since then it's grown quite a bit. again, i don't really like the snare-heavy beat. i suppose it goes ok with the song. the progression is very drane-like and i would love to hear more AE songs (i'm sure there are plenty of unreleased) in the constraints of the build-up, collapse, build it up again. i will use "lush" to describe one thing on the album, and that thing is the bladelores pads. i just want to curl up and jerk off in these pads. the repeated triplet/eights/sixteenths was pretty cheesy on the first listen but it grew on me quickly. same with the repeating chord stabs that come in around 2:15. i really like this song, but i have the feeling it could be a lot better.

1 1 is - this is very oversteps-y. the progression is really crazy. i'd have to look at the actual notes but it sounds like they keep "sort of" changing keys to the minor7, or hinting at the change. (not talking about the change to major [i think] around 3:15) this is the shit i love theory-wise. they seem to change keys for a few seconds, sometimes longer, but the lack of predictability is fun. the beat is cool but the whole reason this is fun is that crazy progression. at 4:24 this is a new song. i like the deconstruction of the drums but it's nothing amazing. the octave synth thing at the end reminds me of a silly doodle song i wrote a while ago but can't find it. i'm pretty sure i used an asian sounding stringed instrument too, cannot remember what it might be called though....

nodezsh - this track just sounds like ae. maybe it's because there is nothing else i have heard that is like this.... either way, the beat is interesting but obviously could stand a little more groove. maybe i'm not getting the timing in my head right yet. i do really like the edits of the beat, the whole thing together isn't so coherent though. once it gets into its groove at the end, it reminds me strongly of quaristice, especially with the noodling after the beat ends.

runrepik - fun that they would do a 5/4 track. this track suffers even more than nodezsh from lack of groove imo. i do like the breakdown of the beat, but it's not something i'm going to crave listening to.

spl9 - thank you autechre. this track is just banging. the way the beat IS the progression is something that sounds great in idea but rarely works in a tasteful way. the end is cool too. i don't really have a lot to say other than LISTEN TO THIS TRACK

cloudline - the pads on this track are just annoying. i don't know why ae would use those pads, it's like when you find some useless preset and try to tweak it to make it better, but it just gets worse. it really ruins the whole song for me. i do like some of the stuff that happens later but it's simply not worth it to listen that long.

deco Loc - this is in the vein of prac-f and Flep imo, nice palate but there isn't enough to keep my attention

recks on - surprising beat. ae would only do this beat dressed up in some fm synth bits these days, but the track is still pretty fun. it feels a little out of place. the 2nd half of the song is much more exai-sounding, and i like it quite a bit. the minor2 progression never seems to get old. the beat at 6:35 is very nice, would like to hear some more chaotic edits but that's pretty picky.

YJY UX - basically another bladelores/drane progression. i do like the idea behind the main arpeg/synth and the way it breaks down around that line. the thing that is really annoying is that the higher frequencies are disproportionately loud and painful to my ears. for this reason, i can't listen to this track loud. and that really sucks, this is a quality track. the beat is so crisp.

the thing that struck me initially was the number of high frequency sounds that are literally painful to me. i am wondering if my hearing is messed up (i have tinnitus), because these things seem to bother me much more than other people. even some of the fills in fleure are a little rough, but they are quick so not too bad. at this point, i can only really listen to T ess xi, tuinorizn or YJY UX at low volume, which makes me assume i'm missing tons of ae that is only revealed when loud.

overall, i want to thank autechre for being interesting, unpredictable, unique and unforgiving. would listen again

[beerwolf]

Who cares if Pitchfork give Autechre a low score. Fuck 'em.

[Guest huds0n]

preaching to the choir and all that. pitchfork doesn't accept any kind of commentary or feedback on their site, but you can let em have it on the their facebook page, doncha know.

 

here's the post linking to the exai review: https://www.facebook.com/pitchforkmedia/posts/357349031046931

[awepittance]

thanks for that

[Candiru]

Remember, they aren't really reviewing music as much as they are building a brand. And it's a very recognizable, predictable brand where you know what fits in on the site and you know what doesn't.

[Guest Aserinsky]

I just put up the fake Dominique Leone review on their Facebook page. I hope they like it

[lumpenprol]

didn't that fake review have almost the correct score?

 

Re: the "exhausting" comment, that's how I felt when I first listened to the album, it seemed too dense so I flitted around from track to track. Took a few days for it to settle in, after which point I totally agree with usagi, it feels like a very "quick" double album to me now.

Guess the reviewer only listened to it once or twice, didn't let it sink in.

[Guest pixelives]

Here's a nice comment/reply on the Fact Mag review:

 

"First of all, this is not a double LP, it's a quadruple LP. Secondly, who says you have to listen to the whole thing in one go? If you were to review a big box of fine chocolate, you wouldn't just eat the whole thing at once and say it wasn't any good because it made you feel sick towards the end, now would you?

I'm an old fart who's been a fan of Ae since they released Basscad back in the days and I've had my ups and downs with what they have released over the last ten years, with Quaristice and all its complementary spin-offs being a definite low in my book.

Naturally, I was a bit concerned about where they were heading when they announced Exai as the monster-voluminous work that it really is and I never really believed that they could pull this thing off without going deeply into the sonic indifference of all those Quadrange variations. So to me the biggest surprise is that they have put my concern to shame and made an album so vital that it almost degrades the entire post-Confield discography to being mere theoretical sketches for the masterpiece that is Exai.

It is indeed valid to argue that Ae have not done anything we haven't heard before on this album but in my view that is sort of missing the point. Rather, they have taken all the best and most complex ideas, tricks and skills that they have come up with, stumbled upon by accident or just thrown out there for the hell of it since the days of Confield and developed and refined them and the way they utilize them, to the point of (Ae) perfection.

Exai is a diamond. A BIG one, that to me feels like a continuation of EP7.1 and EP7.2, which are two of my absolute favorite Autechre releases. In this perspective, Exai is worthy of being subtitled EP7.3 to EP7.6.

Exai is a great achievement by a highly revitalized band and it's a shame if that fails to be recognized because of the impatience of modern music consumerism."