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Editorial Reviews
Autechre will see the release of their 10th studio album, ''Oversteps'' this March 23rd. One of the most distinctive and revered electronic groups of all time, they've previously been commissioned to remix the likes of Stereolab, Tortoise and Surgeon, and have notably been feted by Thom Yorke, with the Radiohead frontman stating on his official website that their 2001 album ''Confield'' ''made my head spin'', and citing Booth and Brown's work as an influence on his own Kid A and Amnesiac (of course Autechre themselves admit indifference to this).
Their latest work, still very much an Autechre record, shows an oft-overlooked playfulness and a rarely mentioned musicality that comes to the fore-front, in what could be described as their most accessible work to date. Between the layers of cold digital pings and fuzzed out tones, there are true chord changes and warm soundscapes being built from the ground up. As freelance writer David Abravanel (New York Magazine, Big Shot, Pop Matters..etc.) put it, Autechre's previous release, Quarterstice was ''the cool In A Silent Way to the more aggressively beautiful Bitches Brew of Oversteps. There are tracks here with the kind of ambient techno melodies that have scarce been present on an Autechre album since 1995's Tri Repetae. Where part of the thrill of Quaristice was the unmistakable sound of the duo wrestling with where to fit all the pieces, Oversteps beams with confidence; everything is fleshed out here.''
Their latest work, still very much an Autechre record, shows an oft-overlooked playfulness and a rarely mentioned musicality that comes to the fore-front, in what could be described as their most accessible work to date. Between the layers of cold digital pings and fuzzed out tones, there are true chord changes and warm soundscapes being built from the ground up. As freelance writer David Abravanel (New York Magazine, Big Shot, Pop Matters..etc.) put it, Autechre's previous release, Quarterstice was ''the cool In A Silent Way to the more aggressively beautiful Bitches Brew of Oversteps. There are tracks here with the kind of ambient techno melodies that have scarce been present on an Autechre album since 1995's Tri Repetae. Where part of the thrill of Quaristice was the unmistakable sound of the duo wrestling with where to fit all the pieces, Oversteps beams with confidence; everything is fleshed out here.''
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The pre-release buzz from both fans and critics of Autechre's music on their 10th album, Oversteps, had some comparisons to their earliest work, more specifically their sophomore album Amber. While not totally off-base that comparison is merely a reference point for the direction the band has now embarked upon. Like the aforementioned classic, Oversteps could be heard as a return to form, but that would diminish the great records that the duo has released leading up to this point.
For once the focus is not on Autechre's trademark mind-bending warped beats and percussion, but the melodic notes that have been more often than not pushed back into the mix throughout the band's past discography. Perhaps taking a cue from the positive responses from the minority of ambient tracks that graced 2008's Quaristice, the new album now has these in greater abundance. It's an exciting change of pace. The beats, when they do appear, have greater punch to it. All the tracks (whether with beats or not) are dense, restless and convey a variety of emotion.
I find it difficult to explain Autechre's songs into words, partly because the elements that are referenced ("techno", "hip-hop", etc) are filtered into highly fractured compositions. I can only say that "r ess", "see on see", "treale", "qplay", "d-sho qub", "redfall" and "yuop" made strong favorable impressions on first listen and I'm sure will be joined by many others with repeated spins.
My only criticism of this recording is that some of the percussive elements sound a bit overly compressed (in "ilanders" and "st epreo" particularly, but elsewhere as well). Autechre have always left some of the rougher edges of their sound remain unpolished, but I think the music all around could benefit from more clarity in this regard. A minor complaint that does not detract form the overall quality of this release.
Oversteps is an unexpected surprise, showing a side of Autechre not heard in years, yet seamlessly integrated in the language of the band's music as it has progressed to this point.
Final Rating: 4.5 stars (I'm loving it more and more since my initial rating!)
----------------
A word about other editions of Oversteps currently available:
VINYL EDITION:
The LP version is a double album set. For those wondering about the high price tag than most double-album sets should know that there is a greater standard quality to the packaging. The outer jacket is a sturdy, heavy-set slipcase that holds the three inner sleeves inside. Two of these houses each record and a third that holds a double-sided poster (with the large black dot on the front and the track list on the back). The music itself is pressed on 180 gram vinyl, which is a bit heavier than standard albums and provides a cleaner, warmer sound. I experienced few problems with any excessive pops or clicks of my copy that sometimes accompany LP playback.
JAPAN EDITION:
The Japan imported edition includes a bonus track called "Xektses sql". A little bit of subdued noise thrown in at the end that makes for a nice comedown from the intensity of "Yuop". It reminds me of the second half of "Sublimit" (from Untilted) in that it has a submerged quality to it. It has these bursts of muffled feedback which makes it really interesting, but at only 3 minutes its over fairly quickly. There's no real melody in it to speak of, which makes for one of the weaker tracks overall. This CD edition is not sold through the US Amazon store, but is available at Amazon's Japan store and other import sellers as well.
For once the focus is not on Autechre's trademark mind-bending warped beats and percussion, but the melodic notes that have been more often than not pushed back into the mix throughout the band's past discography. Perhaps taking a cue from the positive responses from the minority of ambient tracks that graced 2008's Quaristice, the new album now has these in greater abundance. It's an exciting change of pace. The beats, when they do appear, have greater punch to it. All the tracks (whether with beats or not) are dense, restless and convey a variety of emotion.
I find it difficult to explain Autechre's songs into words, partly because the elements that are referenced ("techno", "hip-hop", etc) are filtered into highly fractured compositions. I can only say that "r ess", "see on see", "treale", "qplay", "d-sho qub", "redfall" and "yuop" made strong favorable impressions on first listen and I'm sure will be joined by many others with repeated spins.
My only criticism of this recording is that some of the percussive elements sound a bit overly compressed (in "ilanders" and "st epreo" particularly, but elsewhere as well). Autechre have always left some of the rougher edges of their sound remain unpolished, but I think the music all around could benefit from more clarity in this regard. A minor complaint that does not detract form the overall quality of this release.
Oversteps is an unexpected surprise, showing a side of Autechre not heard in years, yet seamlessly integrated in the language of the band's music as it has progressed to this point.
Final Rating: 4.5 stars (I'm loving it more and more since my initial rating!)
----------------
A word about other editions of Oversteps currently available:
VINYL EDITION:
The LP version is a double album set. For those wondering about the high price tag than most double-album sets should know that there is a greater standard quality to the packaging. The outer jacket is a sturdy, heavy-set slipcase that holds the three inner sleeves inside. Two of these houses each record and a third that holds a double-sided poster (with the large black dot on the front and the track list on the back). The music itself is pressed on 180 gram vinyl, which is a bit heavier than standard albums and provides a cleaner, warmer sound. I experienced few problems with any excessive pops or clicks of my copy that sometimes accompany LP playback.
JAPAN EDITION:
The Japan imported edition includes a bonus track called "Xektses sql". A little bit of subdued noise thrown in at the end that makes for a nice comedown from the intensity of "Yuop". It reminds me of the second half of "Sublimit" (from Untilted) in that it has a submerged quality to it. It has these bursts of muffled feedback which makes it really interesting, but at only 3 minutes its over fairly quickly. There's no real melody in it to speak of, which makes for one of the weaker tracks overall. This CD edition is not sold through the US Amazon store, but is available at Amazon's Japan store and other import sellers as well.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download|Amazon Verified Purchase
Like many others, I had given Ae's last couple of releases a miss. I shelved Untilted after only a listen or two, and never even bothered picking up Quaristice. But then I saw the buzz around Oversteps and started listening to previews...and that's when the majestic, sweeping, rolling pads of "ilanders" hit me. And suddenly I was listening to "Rettic AC" from Chiastic Slide all over again, which is nothing short of amazing. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I like "known(1)" yet, but otherwise this album is definitely the best thing they've made since ep7, and certainly one of their strongest albums overall. If you're a fan of their mid-career work then you owe it to yourself to pick up Oversteps post-haste.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I had been getting pretty sick of autechre over the years, more and more thinking that they might have run their course, and then this album comes along which was a completely unexpected and most welcome surprise. It's still autechre, for sure, and some of the patterns and loops are familiar, but for some reason it rings fresh and really hits the spot.
If I had to describe this album in a nutshell I might say "a more groovy update of the Terminator soundtrack". There are some great, melodic and dare-I-say borderline "emotional" musical sequences on here that help everything to resonate more than their other recent efforts. But it also still has that beautifully cold and calculated menace to it, like only these guys can do. It's a fine line, but they walk it better here than at any time in recent memory.
If I had to describe this album in a nutshell I might say "a more groovy update of the Terminator soundtrack". There are some great, melodic and dare-I-say borderline "emotional" musical sequences on here that help everything to resonate more than their other recent efforts. But it also still has that beautifully cold and calculated menace to it, like only these guys can do. It's a fine line, but they walk it better here than at any time in recent memory.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Classic IDM sound; creative and original tracks.
Honestly, I never liked Autechre before. I know I'm uncultured, but I always thought they were: cold, without the emotional delicacy of early Aphex Twin; mechanical, with... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Angry Mofo
A revised history of hooks and methods.
Autechre have lead me many places as a listener and musician. They have lead me into exploring algorithmic and generative technique, they have shown me that you can be ambient... Read more
Published 21 months ago by C. A. Todd
Skip this step and move onto Moves of Ten
Just not interesting nor shares the complexity Draft 7.30 or fun Untilted had. Oversteps to me should have been titled Missteps in my honest opinion, where Quaristice left us with... Read more
Published 22 months ago by cor3y
They Haven't Been This Atmospheric In a Decade
There is no reason not to give this 5 stars. They haven't been this good since Tri Repeatae. I love their later stuff, but definitely missed the atmospheres in their music. Read more
Published 23 months ago by a
Sounds like Gescom revisited
Autechre has certainly went a different direction on this CD. It sounds like Sean Booth and Rob Brown are trying to do music that simulates the music they did under their... Read more
Published on May 15, 2010 by Rykre
IDM goes to summer school
OS smartly steps back from all the cerebral programming to present an accessible overview of their many accomplished production traits, making for a fun if still slightly... Read more
Published on April 20, 2010 by IRate
Almost A Gothic Start
Autechre (Oversteps) is a definite departure for Autechre. Having read some reviews prior to purchase, I would have bought it no matter what anyway. Read more
Published on April 19, 2010 by C. Johnson
Kept me guessing
Autechre is an English electronic music duo formed in 1987 in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, UK by Rob Brown and Sean Booth. Read more
Published on April 18, 2010 by J. Holden
Very Special
This album struck me like a bolt of iron when I was informed by a friend that Autechre had just released another album. Read more
Published on April 12, 2010 by Human_Patch_Office
Very Special
This album struck me like a bolt of iron when I was informed by a friend that Autechre had just released another album. Read more
Published on April 12, 2010 by Human_Patch_Office
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