XI year old Autechre Album Released: Exai (WARP234)

  On 10/16/2013 at 10:23 PM, beerwolf said:

I know i'm wasting my time on here saying this, but never the less I'd thought I'd chime in and say i'm really not feeling the Exai lovefest.

 

I just find it fucking depressing and cheerless, like wading through thick black soup. Just can't wrap my head around it's glumness.

 

Dunno, perhaps the hot English summer wasn't the ideal ambience for it. Maybe as the nights draw in I'll feel it a bit more.

it is quite dark, I agree with that much.

I've always gravitated towards 'dark' music, okay there is some shit I draw the line at but it has to be really pitchblack for me not to like it. Exai just depresses me. I can play 3 tracks then I feel the need to swallow a jar of St Johns Wort. Even the more spacy ambient track Cloudline just leaves me cold, stone cold and Autechre Ambient is usualy something special for me.

I'm not coming on here trying to be a pain, I just find it a bit odd that everyone loves this so much and i'm prepared to say along with Draft its my least favorite. Weird.

Seeing as its Autechre I'll still listen to it probably another thousand times though. I think they're the only artists I can keep replaying albums I hate, which is pretty trippy if you think about it.

Cloudline is the best track on Exai.

  On 10/6/2013 at 2:43 AM, thehauntingsoul said:

After a long time of listening, I've come to the conclusion that 1 1 is may be the deepest, most interesting track on the album. That looming bubbling melody that never fully resolves itself.

 

Not to mention the clean pinch at 2:25. Chills up my spine every time.

Great track. The second section of 1 1 is has started to sound to me like a possible intro to Drane2

  On 10/17/2013 at 9:40 PM, beerwolf said:

I've always gravitated towards 'dark' music, okay there is some shit I draw the line at but it has to be really pitchblack for me not to like it. Exai just depresses me. I can play 3 tracks then I feel the need to swallow a jar of St Johns Wort. Even the more spacy ambient track Cloudline just leaves me cold, stone cold and Autechre Ambient is usualy something special for me.

 

I'm not coming on here trying to be a pain, I just find it a bit odd that everyone loves this so much and i'm prepared to say along with Draft its my least favorite. Weird.

 

Seeing as its Autechre I'll still listen to it probably another thousand times though. I think they're the only artists I can keep replaying albums I hate, which is pretty trippy if you think about it.

Draft was terrible, IMO. But exai delivers in that it's dark but it also seems playful to me. I didn't find it depressing. It felt in a similar vein to some RDJ tracks actually, dark and a little twisted but playful.

Some of the tracks are absolutely jaw dropping, some of the best composition and programming I've ever heard... VekoS and 1 1 Is come to mind immediately. Tomorrow's Harvest was absolutely depressing; Tomorrow's Harvest was a good look at our bleak future. I find that one of the most depressing albums I've ever heard but I don't feel that way when I put on Exai.

  On 10/18/2013 at 2:13 AM, StephenG said:

 

Draft was terrible, IMO.

I cannot even comprehend this!

  On 10/18/2013 at 2:23 AM, modey said:

 

  On 10/18/2013 at 2:13 AM, StephenG said:

 

Draft was terrible, IMO.

I cannot even comprehend this!

 

me neither. I was about to ask why anybody would think this but decided it was best left alone.

There's a very fine line between inaccessibility/complexity and wankery and I think it crosses that line and is far too often lacking musicality. I didn't enjoy it, that's all.

Exai on the other hand straddles that line and does so successfully. In my opinion of course.

Theme of a sudden roundabout is a good track though.

I just didn't like it. No big deal.

I'm not a big fan of draft either. I wouldn't say I hate it, it contains moments if jaw dropping bliss, but as a whole, untilted is my fav and exai is right there.

  On 10/10/2013 at 3:57 AM, lumpenprol said:

funny, I only like the first part of Fleure. The end seems a bit noodly and wanky to me.

  On 10/12/2013 at 5:48 AM, lumpenprol said:

no I just find the end a little directionless (to me). But I love the choppy melody bit at the start, it makes me want to punch god

Lump, I'm wondering where these bad connotations for "wank" come from. To me "wank" is definitely not directionless. It has plenty direction and lots of good vibes and happy feelings. Is everything OK with you?

you're right...i'll sit down, take a stress pill...and think things over...

  On 10/18/2013 at 2:58 AM, StephenG said:

I just didn't like it. No big deal.

But feel the funky grooves of 6.1cr and v-proc and the head boppin booty shakin robot nature of these tracks. It's pretty swell.

  On 10/18/2013 at 5:14 AM, jules said:

I'm not a big fan of draft either. I wouldn't say I hate it, it contains moments if jaw dropping bliss

Also not a big fan of Draft BUT! it has Surripere. Also Reniform Pulse. Sublimit is a massive standout.

BTW.

Standout track of Quaristice (whatever edition): -

Decent tracks of Quaristice: -

rm -rf quaristice*

yeah if you think quaristice sucks your an idiot

  On 10/20/2013 at 2:58 PM, Wurstwasser said:

Standout track of Quaristice (whatever edition): -

90101, clearly

  On 10/20/2013 at 3:06 PM, Ivan Ooze said:

yeah if you think quaristice sucks your an idiot

My favorite autechre album's dick is bigger than your favorite autechre album's dick!

I can totally see actively disliking Draft, by the way, but I can't see thinking it's terrible. Too much effort and care involved to be terrible.

I think it's amazing but it's the one ae album I have to be in a certain headspace to enjoy. And even then it's prickly and confrontational.

Baseless speculation but I have to imagine whatever place the 'chre were in when they made it is probably not a place they want to dwell in too frequently.

Yeah, Draft is deep like you or I don't even know.

Still my fave, even though I don't listen to it much right now.

There's just something going on that album that ain't right. In a good way.

  On 10/20/2013 at 11:46 PM, baph said:

I can totally see actively disliking Draft, by the way, but I can't see thinking it's terrible. Too much effort and care involved to be terrible.

 

I think it's amazing but it's the one ae album I have to be in a certain headspace to enjoy. And even then it's prickly and confrontational.

 

Baseless speculation but I have to imagine whatever place the 'chre were in when they made it is probably not a place they want to dwell in too frequently.

Maybe terrible was a bit strong of a word. I think it just colours my opinion that so many people hold it in such incredibly high regard when I found it to be an average electronic album as far as that era goes (with Drukqs, Ultravisitor, and Go plastic having come out within a few years of it), and sub-par when it comes to Autechre. I far prefer EP7, Exai, and even Amber.

I found it crossed over the line that separates experimentation/wankery and musicality, into the wankery zone a bit too much... Where Exai is music first, technicality second, I found Draft to be the reverse... IE experimentation took precedence over musicality...

Those are just my tastes though. I'm going to get raked over the goals for what I said above.. lol

Edit: I LOVE "theme of a sudden roundabout" though. Incredible track, my favorite off the album.

  On 10/20/2013 at 10:33 PM, baph said:

My favorite autechre album's dick is bigger than your favorite autechre album's dick!

So true. But Quaristice is a vagina. A black pure knob twiddling music absorbing hole.

  On 10/20/2013 at 3:06 PM, Ivan Ooze said:

yeah if you think quaristice sucks your an idiot

If one thinks Quaristice is alright he's an iVan Boopse.

keyosc is dreamy. autechre smiling starlight twinkly lullaby!

ANNOUNCEMENT:

cloudline is the best track on Exai. It's just so funky, lush and super super cool. Best part is maybe starting a minute before snares clock in at somewhere 6:00... The use of gaps and out-of-order beats as in 7:19 is just masterfully. <eom></thread>

^ probably my most listened to Exai track along with prac-4 and recks on