I Care Because You Do / Donkey Rhubarb EP

My FAVORITE RDJ release + a great EP to go with it = a great week of Aphex listening. ICBYD is probably one of the best introductions into Richard's true sound, because it zooms from breakbeat to ambient to hardcore techno to abrasive acid to funkyyyyyy beats to everything else he was pretty much doing at the time! GREAT release, his best imo, SAW85-92 is juuuuuuuuust under it.

Have at it!

that was our biggest thread so far MGF, 60+ responses, I was proud :) I didn't get to review because of time constraints, but I'm definitely tipping my hat in for this one

hmm...true, but this subforum doesn't have as many dedicated posters as the ae one. They get 7 or 8 pages on a possible tour stop lol

i juuuuust might agree with your opinion, mayyyyyyyyyyyybe

I Care Because You do is tied with SOSW for my favourite Album. I love the atmosphere , feels like an Alien philharmonic doing a charity concert. - 10/10

Top 5 - P.S - I love every single minute of this album (Even Ventolin)

Next Heap With

Mookid

Wet Tip Hen Ax

Start as You Mean to Go On

Icct Hedral

Donkey Rhubarb is one of Aphex's finest EPs , a little messy (meaning there is a super playful song at the beginning , then it goes super "serious" in your ass) , but still, i love it. 10/10

From Best To Worst - Meaning every track gets 10/10 , but i like some better than others.

Donkey Rhubarb

Pancake Lizard

Vaz Deferenz

Icct Hedral

never heard of these

You've been following your interests too much LUDD, come back!

Yeah, "I Care Because You Do" is an amazing album, a good mix of amazing & different sounding sounds,

this was my favorite Aphex Twin release for a long time. "Donkey Rhubarb" is a good EP, but to be honest,

I don't like the song "Donkey Rhubarb", I have given it many listens, and I just could never get into it.

I guess Richard James finally created a song so weird & different, even a AFX Fanboy Nerd like me couldn't like it.

ALBERTO BALSALM OMGOMGOMGOMGOGMOMGOMGOMGOMGOMOGOMOGMMGOMOG

lol

All i can think of when i listen to Donkey Rhubarb EP is of care bears raping little children.

Donkey Rhubarb - Harassment , stalking , abducting children.

Vaz Deferenz - The big pedophile orgy

Icct Hedral - Some children are killed , some escaped (this song is from the point of view of the post-rape children)

Pancake Lizard - The Care Bears are caught , they are going to be executed, handcuff they walk to their execution, they show no remorse , Execution by hanging (rainy day).

  On 4/26/2010 at 5:43 PM, chassis said:

ALBERTO BALSALM OMGOMGOMGOMGOGMOMGOMGOMGOMGOMOGOMOGMMGOMOG

 

lol

ALBERTO BALSALM is my least favourite off the album. (still great , 10/10)

  On 4/26/2010 at 5:46 PM, Boxing Day said:

All i can think of when i listen to Donkey Rhubarb EP is of care bears raping little children.

 

Donkey Rhubarb - Harassment , stalking , abducting children.

Vaz Deferenz - The big pedophile orgy

Icct Hedral - Some children are killed , some escaped (this song is from the point of view of the post-rape children)

Pancake Lizard - The Care Bears are caught , they are going to be executed, handcuff they walk to their execution, they show no remorse , Execution by hanging (rainy day).

 

  On 4/26/2010 at 5:43 PM, chassis said:

ALBERTO BALSALM OMGOMGOMGOMGOGMOMGOMGOMGOMGOMOGOMOGMMGOMOG

 

lol

 

ALBERTO BALSALM is my least favourite off the album. (still great , 10/10)

Your opinion on an Aphex track is useless 'cause you're such a smelly fanboy. I can use your opinion on any other artist though because you hate everything else.

ICBYD is a 7/10 for me. Only because half of the tracks I don't like. The other half are superb.

Alberto Basalm and Mookid have a very distant echoing sound to them, lots of sunshine, and uplifting. I like cycling on my bike in sunny weather to these songs.

Next Heap With sounds like ghosts swirling around the eaves of a church or cathedral.

Acrid Avid Jam Shred, I like this tune a lot, it makes me daydream and drift off in my mind. Sometimes the song passes me by as it washes over me.

Start as you Mean to go on. Not usually a fan of this style of abrasive techno but I like this.

Wax the Nip and the Waxen Pith are also cool tunes.

Donkey Rhubarb

Love the title track. Sounds like a Jamacian steel band drowned in liquid LSD and put through a food blender. A cheeky song. 10/10

Pancake Lizard. Top tune too just as good 8/10

Not too keen on the other 2 tracks.

I'd love a version of Ventolin with the tinnitus "EeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEeee" sound removed or toned down. There's a great track there that's almost impossible to enjoy because of the deafness inducing frequency wormed through-out the track. That said, I kinda like the fact that it's very abrasive... I go back on forth on this.

i have never been able to listen to more than 10 seconds of ventolin.

cylobs mix is great though.

ICBYD - 8/10 because it came after the SAWs, which i am just now (past several months) coming to appreciate.

DR - first aphex video i ever saw back when i wasn't really into this sort of music. made me lol. good disc, not great.

Probably the album I listen to least, but I still like it, especially the use of string instruments. Ventolin is one of my favourite distortion-heavy RDJ tracks.

I haven't listened to Donkey Rhubarb much, either, probably because I find the title track incredibly repetitive even by pre-computer Aphex standards.

Acrid Avid Jam Shred - One of the best rhythm patterns RDJ has EVER put down. What a way to start an album with that buildup; that's one of my favorite Aphex moments right there. That main synth is just heavenly and totally Aphex. I always gush over his uncanny ability to create layers and layers of rhythms and have it still sound fresh and smooth. the whistling, the slightly offbeat bassline, etc...just wow. Gives me feelings of being in a cave or something, as many songs on this album do. I don't even get bored with the length, I think it should be longer lol. The little bit at the end with the re-done drum pattern just shows how dedicated he is to his music. That didn't need to be put in there, the song would have ended fine without it, but now that it's there, it couldn't have ended any other way. P.S. The man is killer with anagrams

The Waxen Pith - This song is just so deep and melancholy, I can't even describe it. The string samples throughout this album work wonderfully well in creating a dense atmosphere, a little lighter than SAWII, but sometimes that's even more unsettling - just a small amount of light amongst darkness. Anyway, the beats in here are incredible, it seems like it would be contrasting to the melody, but it works wonderfully. The pattern with the second string sample around 1:40 makes me want to cry, it really does. I just get lost in this track, the bit with the higher volume fart is so emotional, gooood god. This was my favorite track for a long, long time, and I still put it in a special place.

Wax The Nip - Lol at the name. You can tell this was done a little earlier than the rest of the tracks, it still shows the "Classics" vibe of RDJ, but still in the same vein as The Waxen Pith almost. Very nice little beat here, one of the weaker tracks of the album but by no means a letdown. That melody is so Richard, it's nuts. Very ambient and full-sounding, this makes me think of a spaceship battle just ending lol. It's interesting that this track sounds much less abrasive when the melody is in, but hardcore when it's gone. The sum of all fears, I guess. This sounds very heightened and busy, gives me a feeling of urgency that I can't seem to shake.

Icct Hedral - Electronic robot orchestra! I play this for any electronic hater that says "Ohhh it's not music". This is pure electro-classical here, executed perfectly by RDJ. I wish all orchestras were like this. This sounds so dense and cryptic; I've always RDJ would be amazing for film scores, maybe he'll do that in his later years lol. It's got the abrasiveness of Classics, but something totally new here, I just can't describe it. This song makes me uncomfortable at night, it's just so darn creepy! But I really love it, one of the best trax on here.

Ventolin (Video version) - Where's the OG version of this? Lol I love this song, but I know a lot of people here don't. The high-pitched squeal can't be turned down, it's what makes the song so good! He's got the ability to create a song based around a hi-freq signal and actually have it be good! Anyway, the beats in here are just mind-melting and maddening, and the way the pitch gets higher and higher as the song progresses is totally lol. The melody here is actually very easygoing, gives the just-uncomfortable-enough-to-be-creepy vibe like many RDJ releases. Total classic

Come On You Slags! - Probably the weakest track on here in my opinion, the oldest too, if I recall. It builds so well in the beginning, that I'm expecting a massive drop in breaks, madness, etc., and it only gives me about half of that. The acid bleeps and lasers are a welcome addition throughout the song, and Fantasia is always a good time, haha. Still a great song, just doesn't live up to the legendary status of the rest of them.

Start as you Mean to go On - ONE THE BEST RDJ RELEASES EVER. This craps all over 73 Yips that used the same samples as this, it's so much more funky and danceable here. The little bass distortion drops make me squeal with excitement. I don't get anything emotional from this track except happiness, it's just such a fun, exciting song. And of course, everyone loves the breakdown bit @ 3:00 with the re-done pattern! The melody is very reminiscent of Wax the Nip, but done so much better here. With this song begins the run of perfect 10/10s until the end of the album. The end of this is just sublime.

Wet Tip Hen Ax - My favorite track on here at the moment. Reminds me so much of The Waxen Pith in an odd sort of way. More much emotional for me than Waxen Pith, which is saying something. Gives me the same feelings of being alone and claustrophobic, but in a way where I'm content about it somehow. That synth just drones on and on into my head, I absolutely adore it. The little synths that sound like they're screaming just make this song all the more unsettling...but when those drums kick in.....pure goodness. Surprisingly, the farts don't make me laugh lol. The 'tsssssss' rhythm is so so good, I recreate it all the time. Even listening to this on bad car speakers, I still get the same feeling as when listening on my computer. Just so beautiful and eerie, especially the ending. I want the vinyl of this record so bad, I can't imagine having it. What an amazing track, in my top 10 RDJ releases, easy.

Mookid - Very Alberto Balsalm-sounding, but it's got its own style to it. Organic percussion all throughout this one and Balsalm, too. Bongos, is it? IDK, who knows. The screams in this one give me feelings of someone being freed from somewhere or someone. It's a very refreshing record, I could run around in the meadow to this, feeling free and happy.

Alberto Balsalm - And here we have the famous track. I'm not too sure what to say about this one that hasn't already been said. A wonderful, beautiful composition, one that I think all Aphex fans agree on as one of his best. I think this and Mookid were made in the same vein, or even the same session. They sound alike, but at the same time, they don't. I personally love the breakdown near the end, gives the track a little oomph to it lol. He really stepped up his game on this one. Hearing people's different emotions to this, some sad, some relaxing, some downright evil, is a testament to how wide-reaching his music is for people, and how well this song was constructed. I've been notoriously depressed to this, and some days I've been refreshed by it. It's a fantastic track, and never gets old.

Cow Cud is a Twin - FUNKKKKKKKYYYY!!!! Probably the funkiest track RDJ has ever released to date, barring a couple other good examples. The first half of this is my favorite, the melody here is very nice, but I dunno, I'm left wanting more. Maybe it's cause we're almost at the end of the album. The drums here sound so live, and the little open hi-hat "tss tss" offbeat is so groovy, I could dance to this all day. A very happy song, a great way to begin the ending. P.S. True Aphex fans know when the door closes/gun goes off/whatever hahahahahahahahaha

Next Heap With - Probably the best outro for an RDJ album since SAW85-92, and I don't think any albums have put up a good outro fight since this. Soooo perfect, the strings just ride and stretch your ears out. He really could have been a great classical composer with tracks like this and Icct Hedral. The horns do get a bit distorted at times, but I like the small distortions and inconsistencies in Richard's music, makes it very human. I used to play this like 8 or 9 times in a row, easy, it's just that great. An amazing way to end a legendary album.

I feel so sad that it ends...I don't think I've ever heard a release this good from anyone, this is definitely in my top 3 of all time, for any artist. The emotions that are packed in this record are just mind-blowing, it'll take me years to fully discover them. And I know if I asked Richard he'd be like 'eh...just a sort of tracks and all', which makes them even more amazing. What a release.

Overall 9.9999999/10, as near-perfect as Richard has ever gotten, and my favorite album :swoon:

^^ Excellent review, posting mine in a sec'

thanks, a little tl;dr, but I can't help it with this one

I'll do Donkey Rhubarb later tonight

Acrid Avid Jam Shred - Amazing track. This was, by the way, my first aphex album, and this track blew my fucking mind. I remember hearing that awesome melody for the first time and being completely floored by it. Listening to it this time around, that melody is still really sweet, but it really doesn't elicit the same kind of intense reaction. In fact I think my favorite part this time around (apart from the great drumbeat) is the bass in the second half.

The Waxen Pith - I remember falling asleep to this when i first listened to the album. Well, it was more like falling into a trance and it lasted until Start As You Mean To Go On, I think. Cool track, not really memorable, just a cool track.

Wax the Nip - At this point I went on to do schoolwork. Totally zoned out for this one.

Icct Hedral - Cool track.

Ventolin - Really intense, one of my favorites. The high pitched noises don't really bother me.

Come on You Slags - Kind of boring, I will agree that this is the weakest track on the album.

Start As You Mean To Go On - Probably the best on the album. Maaaan I love it so much.

Wet Tip Hen Ax - I like it. Better than The Waxen Pith or Wax the Nip, imo.

Mookid - Haha love this one, it's up there with SAYMTGO in my mind.

Alberto Balsalm - Very overrated. Sorry but I don't see the appeal, and the fact that this track beat Mt. Saint Michel to win Best Aphex Track is absolutely retarded. On a positive note, it is a nice chill out piece and I love the part where the reverb gets turned up full notch.

Cow Cud is a Twin - So much personality in this track. Not to say the others don't have personality, but is really a track that I can only imagine Richard making.

Next Heap With - Good closer, has that epic feel to it and is similar to Icct Hedral in a few ways.

Overall: 9/10

..................perhaps

  On 4/26/2010 at 11:57 PM, bubbhasdance said:

Next Heap With - Probably the best outro for an RDJ album since SAW85-92, and I don't think any albums have put up a good outro fight since this. Soooo perfect, the strings just ride and stretch your ears out. He really could have been a great classical composer with tracks like this and Icct Hedral. The horns do get a bit distorted at times, but I like the small distortions and inconsistencies in Richard's music, makes it very human. I used to play this like 8 or 9 times in a row, easy, it's just that great. An amazing way to end a legendary album.

 

this is a very robust tune

Slags is probably top 3 in my book

Pancake Lizard <3

^^ Love that one.

  On 4/27/2010 at 2:29 AM, Capsaicin said:

Pancake Lizard <3

somehow the name makes perfect sense

Next Heap With is such a weird track haha, I don't even know if I like it but it has this ridiculous atmosphere like I think of some extremely impossibly complicated scene where somebody is called in to meet the king of someplace and there's a fanfare and the doors open and then another and another infinite series of doors and there's a duke and duchess and the duke has like 27 moustaches and the duchess has extremely impractical dress that is the size of several football stadiums

that

is awesome