Customer Reviews

Quaristice

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fifteen years is a long time for any musician to stay in the game, but it's especially difficult in electronica. The reason is obvious: Computer programs and modulation technologies advance so rapidly that yesterday's fresh sounds become today's moldy oldies. Ironically, the 15-year-old Autechre (Sean Booth and Rob Brown from Sheffield, England) has remained a fixture not by reinventing itself with changing times, but by adhering rigidly to a single aesthetic as though time didn't exist. With their metalloid beats intersecting the synthetic (and sometimes surprisingly emotive) whines of a computer mainframe, Autechre always reminds me of a word that starts with the same letter: "artificial." This is certainly not a bad thing, and Booth and Brown's revelatory brand of artificiality has turned them into leaders of the Intelligent Dance Music (IDM) subgenre.

After the millennium, Autechre came to be unfortunately and universally associated with another word: "inaccessible." Confield (2001), Draft 7.30 (2003) and Untilted (2005) weren't necessarily the most difficult albums of their time (ever heard Yasunao Tone's Solo for Wounded CD?), but for mainstream electronica they were as stark and unexpressive as it got. They may have worked as endorsements for technology and Booth and Brown's considerable programming skills, but as music? Quaristice is different. Their Untilted tour in 2005 lasted longer than they had anticipated, so the songs on Quaristice were written whenever Booth and Brown felt like opening up their laptops during commutes. Instead of 10 stuffy, extremely labored-over tracks à la Draft 7.30, we get 20 moderately labored-over vignettes that cumulatively feel like an Autechre live set. And because these tracks were created contiguously, Booth and Brown were likely aware of repeating themselves, which explains why Quaristice leaps from idea to idea without ever really looking back.

As diverse as Quaristice is, the most attractive thing about it is that it's tuneful. It's not dominated by melody the way Incunabula (1993) and Amber (1994) were, but after Autechre's previous atonal records, Quaristice can only be described as a relief. In fact, opener "Altibzz" is nothing but melody: A sighing synthesizer reverberates in empty space, soon joined by a second one an octave higher, and the effect can be powerfully nostalgic. It's a time warp to 10 years ago, when IDM was a household term and techno was written for headphone listening, and I love that Autechre sat down to make this retro track as though they were writing the intro to Artificial Intelligence 3. Nothing else approaches "Altibzz" in terms of emotionality, but the rest of Quaristice retains this "classic IDM" sound; "IO" layers a skittering beat, a lopsided melody from a dated electric piano and a distorted, extraterrestrial radio transmission. Oh sure, we've heard this all before, but it's a kick to revisit it on Autechre's perfectionist terms.

"Altibzz" is also a red herring because it's an introduction, and the two beatless closers, "Notwo" and "Outh9X," sound like "Altibzz" turning around and walking away. So if Quaristice has a beginning, a middle and an end, does it tell a story? I've been searching for a while and I haven't found one; it may just be that 20 vignettes need some kind of structure to keep them from becoming an amoeba. Listeners could theoretically approach Quaristice by diving into the middle and choosing a song at random (the track titles, as is Autechre's wont, signify nothing), and if they don't like it, the next one is bound to be better. Besides "Altibzz" and "IO," undergoing this process yielded "Simmm," "bnc Castl" and "chenc9" as my favorites, though all for different reasons. "Simmm" is driven by a percussive ditty seemingly played with silverware; "bnc Castl" is a quirky robot boogie that wouldn't be out of place on an IDM-inspired children's album; and the beats on "chenc9" mirror the coolest ones on Untilted, paired with an ominous melody chiming at the upper register like something you'd hear on Tri Repetae (1995).

Ah, Tri Repetae. Strange that I haven't mentioned this album until now, since it was, and remains, Autechre's one and only masterpiece. Falling somewhere in between the tune-driven Amber and the utterly tuneless Confield, Tri Repetae was both catchy and challenging, setting its crunchy beats and synthetic melodies in equilibrium. On the one hand, Quaristice can seem like Autechre's move to achieving that balance again. On the other hand, it's unlikely that we'll ever get another "Dael" or "Eutow," and Quaristice's sketch-like nature and rapid-fire sequencing keep it free of classic tracks. The very fact that Quaristice references the Autechre of old, however, may mean that this is where fans who jumped off the boat post-millennium will realize why they fell in love with the duo in the first place. Autechre has always been a universe unto itself, unaffected by fame and trends, but it's especially apparent here, on the group's most backward-looking record. Heard in the context of 2008 electronica, Quaristice sounds stodgy and dated and is all the better for it.

I'll keep this review short. Autechre is my favorite artist in the so called "IDM" genre. I own every album, EP and peel session and I love them all. I love how they progressed their sound through the years and became more and more chaotic. However, I did feel that they reached their limit on pushing the boundary with Untilted. I assumed with the 3 year gap (usually only 1 or 2 years) between albums that they were done.. Getting ready to announce their retirement. I was very happy that I was proved wrong but at the same time I cringed because I didn't want more chaotic madness. Well I got my wish. Quaristice is much more accessible and even ambient compared to anything they've released in years. Anyone who enjoyed their mid nineties sound will appreciate what they've done with their new album. Autechre... Still godly

This latest offering from Booth & Brown is a breath of fresh air to me, personally. Their recent interview in The Wire reveals how the duo got tired of programming the hell out of tracks and decided it was time for a different, more spontaneous, live approach. I've been listening to Ae from the beginning and yes, I'd probably fit into the group of fans who prefer the Ae days of old, to their latest work. Honestly though, great labels like Merck have plenty of excellent releases for folks like me, who dig that kind of stuff (though grab it up quick, being Merck closed it's doors about a year ago now). I respect most of their latest work and just recently really, finally started to get into Confield, after nearly a decade of indecision.

Their latest has a more linear quality to many of the tracks , where they build from a beat and rhythm and evolve from there, not going too far off the path. There is also a respect for space, and the use of space in these tracks, rather than piling on the sounds, which is brilliant at times. Opener Altibzz is a gorgeous slice of ambient tonality and tracks such as Simmm, with its almost Eastern sounding percussion and arrangements is a new classic, up there with some of their best, most memorable moments. Like one reviewer said, this album is more of a patchwork of tracks, working as a whole. Despite the differences from one track to the next, there is an overall mood and feel that holds it all together. I'm hoping that this is the start of a new direction for Autechre and the lads start to delve more into sparcer arrangements and the exploration of space and tone. Honestly, how many more albums can a group, or a genre have that involves layers of clanging beats and effects? Granted, I love the stuff, but if Ae were to release any more albums of that sort, they would go from being the trailblazers they once were to a very predictable and even boring project. This reminds me once again of the parallels between music and art, and I think of how some of the Cubists went on to explore a more looser, even "spiritual" form of abstraction. So, here's to space, a more organic sound, and a more spontaneous, instinctual approach to things.

It's hard to believe that Sean Booth and Rob Brown have been experimenting with sound for over 16 years now, ever since their first release, Incunabula, on Warp Records. It is perhaps their unique programming approach to analog synths, custom Max/MSP patches, micro granular effects, and mathematical rhythms, that pushed the envelope of sound exploration to the common studio techniques of today. Can the UK duo continue and reinvent the sound? I'm on my fifth listen of Quaristice, Autechre's 9th album, and the definitive answer is: yes. The twenty tracks on a digital release which I snatched from bleep (including exclusive artwork for each track!), maintain the indisputably unique Autechre sound. The beats are still chopped, the sound waves decomposed, and the structure erratically twisted. But unlike Autechre's previous LP, Untilted, this 2008 release is warmer, less noisier, and at times even melodic (there are even strings buried deep in one of the tracks). The genre starts to glide closer to abstract and minimal ambient, with an occasional glitchy quality of other worldliness. If by some miracle this is your first Autechre experience, brace yourself for a unique and unforgettable experience, if you can hold on. For the rest of us, it's just a necessity for our complete anthology. Too bad that the special, limited to 1000 copies edition, with an additional CD and a photo-etched steel casing sold out within the first 12 hours of announcement.

Well, as usual, I think I'm going to come at an album from a different angle than 95% of you. I have heard bits n pices of Autechre's work, here and there over the years..always classified it as "cool", but really didn't get into it that much, so I never purchased any full length cd's. Don't know why but gave this new one a shot and I like it quite a bit...so I bought it and I've really been enjoying it. For my money, Autechre has completely left the arena of "techno" or whatever they used to be...they sound like a modern-day, digital glitch driven zoviet france to my ears. Folks that criticize seem to want more melody or more beats...I like it just like this...soundscapes. I'm not sure, but i would think that these guys probably don't even refer to their work as "music' anymore...it's not really. More in the sound art realm, which I'm quite fond of. Since these guys have now collaborated with both zoviet france and The Hafler Trio, i think they are trying to create a modern version of that sound and on this album they succeed remarkably well.

I've probably listened to this 20 times since it came out, and I believe it is undoubtedly the most listenable Autechre release to me, and I like it more every time I listen. It takes all the best elements of their earlier work and compresses them into bite-size pieces that are easier to take (and frequently more enjoyable) than the longer, sprawling pieces of their other works (which I love as well). A lot of reviews I've read complain of a "scattered" quality of the album, but I think the entire album flows incredibly well... I see it as one long piece with 20 movements, not 20 individual tracks meant to be listened to separately. (And if you can find the 2nd cd from the limited edition release of this, it takes several short tracks and stretches them out into longer, more drawn out 5- 11 minute pieces to great effect - anyone who likes this I would strongly recommend searching it out) The sequencing is very important as pieces merge into one another and create flowing emotional arcs. It's great that there is a group who can still manage to push themselves and create something completely fresh from the aesthetic palette they've been using for the last 10 years.

Throughout their musical history Autechre has produced some of the most exciting (and perplexing) electronic music outside of the mainstream. I highly anticipated each Autechre release to see how far Sean Booth and Rob Brown could play with melody and beats while staying true to their roots.

With Quaristice, this trajectory is set in reverse.

The root problem with the new direction is not the quantity (20) or the lengths of each track (shorter than before), it's the absence of the intricate details that defined Autechre's music and demanded repeated listens. What remains on Quaristice are what sounds like sketches for bigger ideas, but almost none approach the craftsmanship of before. The new music is quite simple (by Autechre standards) and lost with it is a sense of discovery I used to feel with repeated listens of each prior album. I've only listened to the new album a half dozen times, and already I feel bored with it.*

Also lacking in Quaristice is a sense of flow, a grand sweeping suite that could carry it from start to finish. It exists in pairs of tracks scattered throughout, but not in the way that has defined some of their stronger releases. Although there's much variety of styles and moods on display here, the album as a whole sounds more like a collection of miscellaneous tracks than a cohesive whole album.

I don't want to be entirely negative here. Autechre is still my favorite electronic act, and even if Quaristice seems below par, there are still many elements to enjoy. The most intriguing tracks I found, ironically enough, are the ones without beats at all, of which there are four. These tracks were such an unexpected and pleasant surprise because it's been a long time since Booth and Brown has pushed melody so up front and center. These tracks work because they are so sparse and ghostly.

So I'm going to have to settle for 3 stars right now. Some Autechre albums have a strange way with me in that all of a sudden the music finally clicks in to place, and past albums that I once thought of as weak are now among my favorites (Amber and Confield being good examples). Despite my review here I very much want Autechre to continue making music. (Someone on a music forum pointed out that Quaristice is an anagram for "Ae Cries Quit".) I'm always interested in what they do.

Favorite Tracks: "Perlence", "Simmm", "Altbzz", "Notwo"

*I have also heard the extended versions on the limited edition of Quaristice, but I found the tracks no more engaging even with the extended track length of this music.

There is nothing terribly wrong with Quaristice per se, in fact producing some of the least self-consciously slithering electronica the duo have attempted in years. More as a whole though, the thing just feels half-invested, hollow, and more frighteningly, a reoccurring signpost to how the once potent sting of IDM has subsided so quickly.

For any fan of Ae's first 8 albums, it's easy to take shots at "Quaristice". The songs are much more simplistic in nearly every way; there are fewer layers, the production feels much less complete, aurally and texturally. Song structures are much less calculated and organized feeling, adopting instead, as other reviewers mentioned, a free-form, possibly improvisational, chaotic style, as if the dense, syncopated chaos usually found on Ae's records was left in its original raw form.

Out of the 20 tracks on "Quaristice", oddly enough it's the shortest tracks that feel the most complete, fitting easily into the same category as previous Ae interludes such as "Rettic AC" and "Caliper Remote". The longer tracks (in this case, that means only about 3 - 4 minutes) nearly all feel like they would have done better with Ae's more typical 6 - 9 minute track length. As the title of my review indicates, when listening to the album as a whole, it feels like one is being treated to mere samples or 'radio edits' of the songs, which sometimes haphazardly bleed into each with awkward fade-outs, further indicating that there was more that could have been included.

Now, for the good news: Very few of Quaristice's 20 songs could be called filler, and there is remarkable diversity here. Rather than cutting tracks and releasing a single disk of longer versions of the remaining songs, I believe they should have extended this album to double album length, giving all of the tracks more space to evolve. The more free-form approach used here does have its advantages, as Ae indisputably covers new ground here, with a variety of beatless ambient songs, including beautiful opener "Altibzz", as well as experments such as the deeply strange "Steels" and "Fol3", which border on arrhythmic sound collage.

Of the songs that stray closer to what one might expect from Ae at this point, "Perlence" and "Simmm" stand out as two of their most beautiful songs ever. Perlence's marvelous groove resonates in what could only be described as Ae's biggest echo chamber ever, while Simmm's beautiful melody breaks down into soft, warm synth washes before fading back into clarity in a sort of musical epiphany at the end, accompanied by a simple 4/4 rhythm. "Simmm" is also one of the album's longest tracks at 5 minutes, and does indeed feel complete.

Unfortunately, the second half of the album is generally much less memorable, and contains much less diversity as well. Pieces like "Rale" and "Fwze" run together, sounding much like past Ae efforts with several layers removed, including the subtle melodies that have always pushed their songs into the category of "brilliant". On past albums, I wouldn't have trusted that any track that at first seemed weak would still seem that way after a couple more listens, as the intense subtlety of previous releases quite often rewarded repeated listening. With these songs, however, I doubt my mind will readily change, as it is precisely the lack of such subtlety that I am objecting to here. These songs most of all could have benefited from extension.

The second half of the album still contains gems such as the gorgeously alien "WNSN" and the 7 minute ambient closer "Outh9x".

Really, there's no question any Autechre fan should pick up "Quaristice". There's really a lot of great stuff on it, and it's quite listenable, especially in the first half, but one definitely gets the feeling that the album could have been a masterwork comparable to past works if the songs had been fleshed out a little more. The alternate versions found on the bonus disk of the special edition and on the digital download only "Quadrange" EPs partially remedy this problem, and are worth checking out, although they didn't do alternate versions of many tracks which I felt needed it most.

I think this would be a bad album to introduce someone to Autechre with, because: A) It's very different from any other Ae album and B) It's quite difficult music, featuring quite a few tracks with no melody what-so-ever (which has been true on other Ae albums as well) and also quite a few tracks with little discernable structure / chaotic structure (which, in my opinion, has not been true on any other Ae release).

Recommended for Autechre fans. 4 stars.

...then this album will disappoint. For me it was around LP5 that things started going downhill. I loved the album, but it was too far removed from my old favorites. Of course I kept buying up everything they did hoping for the old days, but they never did return. Maybe the problem is my inability to evolve, but nonetheless I truly miss the old stuff.

With that being said, Quaristice is much more listenable than their recent works and is definitely best enjoyed with a nice expensive set of headphones.