Autechre - SIGN 16.10.20

On second listen now. 
This really is very good. Too early to say where I place it in their overall work. 

While the '16/'18 live stuff did certainly suggest a move away from insane beat-fuckery, there were still quite a few massive hard as hell beat-gauntlet tracks on NTS, so this still did come as a surprise turn to me. 

I'd be interested to know how those who didn't care for oversteps feel about this one. 
I'm not saying Oversteps and Sign are cut from the same cloth, and I definitely see them very differently. 
But still, I'd like to know what someone like Sweepstakes thinks of this one. (forgive me if this has already been shared) 

T-9 mins until blastoff folks. 

Wish me well. Will this be a voyager or challenger space mission? Only time will tell 

I'm going to burn myself out listening to this album and there's nothing you can do about it.  Very impressed.

  On 10/10/2020 at 5:33 AM, Hugh Mughnus said:

T-9 mins until blastoff folks. 

Wish me well. Will this be a voyager or challenger space mission? Only time will tell 

howditgo

  On 10/10/2020 at 6:45 AM, nikisoko said:

howditgo

Welp I’m just about touching down now. Quite nice, lol.

I don’t want to be reactionary but it’s certainly “up there” with my fav albums

Praying for an extensive interview. Also, if it's a two parts affair, I'm REALLY curious to hear what the second one sounds like...

THX Sean and Rob 

it's quite a chill listen

psin AM :

I keep hearing this chord, cannot unhear:

An interesting comparison is that this month is the 20th anniversary of Kid A, which itself had a sister sessions album follow 8 months later. Those were both a new era departure for RH, and in the context of ae it was a key shout-out which nurtured a new audience. Kid A & SIGN both with the 4 letters.

  On 10/10/2020 at 9:08 AM, Roo said:

An interesting comparison is that this month is the 20th anniversary of Kid A, which itself had a sister sessions album follow 8 months later. Those were both a new era departure for RH, and in the context of ae it was a key shout-out which nurtured a new audience. Kid A & SIGN both with the 4 letters.

Drunk reply... So, sorry - but OK computer is the best RD. 

  On 10/10/2020 at 9:08 AM, Roo said:

An interesting comparison is that this month is the 20th anniversary of Kid A, which itself had a sister sessions album follow 8 months later. Those were both a new era departure for RH, and in the context of ae it was a key shout-out which nurtured a new audience. Kid A & SIGN both with the 4 letters.

Kid A brings back memories. The anticipation of where they were gonna go after Ok Computer and the sobering suprise that was Kid A. Such an autumny album, warm yet distant and subdued. SIGN also seems to have that wistful autumny feel to it. 

It's also ten years since Oversteps, which was similarly a relatively short release with more focus on chill than bangers. 

gr4 is gr8.

Has the 2 album thing had any more confirmation? Hope its true but everyone keeps talking like its defo happening but what ive heard so far sounds bit tenuous

On the 2 album theory of them being "solo" albums was thinking in the  context of Ae this could just mean it was curated by one of them on their own. So like album with a tracks picked all by Sian and another with tracks picked all by reeb? sorry just adding to the pointless rumour mill there, but just occurred to me as a pissabolity!

  On 10/10/2020 at 8:44 AM, yekker said:

psin AM :

 

I keep hearing this chord, cannot unhear:

 

 

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to me it sounds like "behind the wheel" from depeche mode. it's not the same key, but i bet if you'd transpose it'd fit quite perfectly.

this is my favorite autechre album right now its not even a competition

Personally, although they were good, I almost NEVER returned to either elseq or NTS because they were just too long and noodly for me. This album takes the sound design of those projects and the live sets and makes a beautiful, emotional, compact album of imo some of the best AE material I have heard since Untilted. I didn't think they were up to making hour long albums anymore but I am glad they proved me wrong because that is how I like my AE the best. 

I sat and listened through it for the first time on my big hi-fi today. There is enormous bass on some tracks that just holds. I mean frequencies start up and they barely stop or ebb, and the whole room has pressure.

Initial reaction is that I'm lukewarm overall because the tracks seem really static to me. They begin, and sometimes there's not even a section B they change to before the end. They're often doing largely the same thing after seven minutes, then they just stop. I know Autechre are all about repetition, but I guess if I compare this to either the middle period that some describe as the most composed, or the more recent sprawling/generative NTS mode, it's got the sound design and circling of the latter delivered in the presentation of the former (discrete tracks) but without the trajectory power or direction of the former. So maybe in the context of Autechre, I file it as a new mode.

Obviously a lot here love the lush synth sound, but that doesn't interest me much overall without more melodic development. I agree with the chap who said that when Autechre foreground this kind of thing, I don't think it's their strong point. My comment about wanting more development is why I don't think it's their strong point.

It's impossible to say I'm disappointed because I had no idea what was coming. Maybe I secretly hoped for a move towards the 'composed mode', given we're back to the what-fits-on-a-CD format. The inundation of hours and hours and hours of material that Autechre have kindly given us inbetween Sign and the last album of this size has probably hurt the element of surprise when Sign sounds as similar to the sound design in those hours. I mean my brain's always saying 'Oh yeah, I remember this little way of making a spray of beeps from this bit of NTS' etc.

Anyway, it's obviously great to have a new album and I look forward to this one wandering around in the pantheon over time. However, I would be very surprised if this one ever became my favourite. (And I will admit if it does!)

anyone else hear a voice sample really heavily distorted in the back of sch.mefd 2 in the last half?  reminds me of gescom key nell voices.  hope im not hearing shit from the weed

  On 10/10/2020 at 12:56 PM, djimbe said:

I sat and listened through it for the first time on my big hi-fi today. There is enormous bass on some tracks that just holds. I mean frequencies start up and they barely stop or ebb, and the whole room has pressure.

Initial reaction is that I'm lukewarm overall because the tracks seem really static to me. They begin, and sometimes there's not even a section B they change to before the end. They're often doing largely the same thing after seven minutes, then they just stop. I know Autechre are all about repetition, but I guess if I compare this to either the middle period that some describe as the most composed, or the more recent sprawling/generative NTS mode, it's got the sound design and circling of the latter delivered in the presentation of the former (discrete tracks) but without the trajectory power or direction of the former. So maybe in the context of Autechre, I file it as a new mode.

Obviously a lot here love the lush synth sound, but that doesn't interest me much overall without more melodic development. I agree with the chap who said that when Autechre foreground this kind of thing, I don't think it's their strong point. My comment about wanting more development is why I don't think it's their strong point.

It's impossible to say I'm disappointed because I had no idea what was coming. Maybe I secretly hoped for a move towards the 'composed mode', given we're back to the what-fits-on-a-CD format. The inundation of hours and hours and hours of material that Autechre have kindly given us inbetween Sign and the last album of this size has probably hurt the element of surprise when Sign sounds as similar to the sound design in those hours. I mean my brain's always saying 'Oh yeah, I remember this little way of making a spray of beeps from this bit of NTS' etc.

Anyway, it's obviously great to have a new album and I look forward to this one wandering around in the pantheon over time. However, I would be very surprised if this one ever became my favourite. (And I will admit if it does!)

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I feel like it's the most melodically progressive album and it gets moreso the more I listen

  On 10/10/2020 at 11:46 AM, kirm said:

Has the 2 album thing had any more confirmation? Hope its true but everyone keeps talking like its defo happening but what ive heard so far sounds bit tenuous

On the 2 album theory of them being "solo" albums was thinking in the  context of Ae this could just mean it was curated by one of them on their own. So like album with a tracks picked all by Sian and another with tracks picked all by reeb? sorry just adding to the pointless rumour mill there, but just occurred to me as a pissabolity!

   

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Two albums have been ready since the beginning of the year, was mentioned by them in one of the early twitch or mixlr streams. I think it's mainly COVID-19 that slowed everything down a bit.

It's the part about there being a "green one" that's unconfirmed as far as I know.

  On 10/10/2020 at 12:56 PM, djimbe said:

I sat and listened through it for the first time on my big hi-fi today. There is enormous bass on some tracks that just holds. I mean frequencies start up and they barely stop or ebb, and the whole room has pressure.

Initial reaction is that I'm lukewarm overall because the tracks seem really static to me. They begin, and sometimes there's not even a section B they change to before the end. They're often doing largely the same thing after seven minutes, then they just stop. I know Autechre are all about repetition, but I guess if I compare this to either the middle period that some describe as the most composed, or the more recent sprawling/generative NTS mode, it's got the sound design and circling of the latter delivered in the presentation of the former (discrete tracks) but without the trajectory power or direction of the former. So maybe in the context of Autechre, I file it as a new mode.

Obviously a lot here love the lush synth sound, but that doesn't interest me much overall without more melodic development. I agree with the chap who said that when Autechre foreground this kind of thing, I don't think it's their strong point. My comment about wanting more development is why I don't think it's their strong point.

It's impossible to say I'm disappointed because I had no idea what was coming. Maybe I secretly hoped for a move towards the 'composed mode', given we're back to the what-fits-on-a-CD format. The inundation of hours and hours and hours of material that Autechre have kindly given us inbetween Sign and the last album of this size has probably hurt the element of surprise when Sign sounds as similar to the sound design in those hours. I mean my brain's always saying 'Oh yeah, I remember this little way of making a spray of beeps from this bit of NTS' etc.

Anyway, it's obviously great to have a new album and I look forward to this one wandering around in the pantheon over time. However, I would be very surprised if this one ever became my favourite. (And I will admit if it does!)

Expand  

sums up pretty well how i'm feeling about the album right now. M4 Lema feels like a bit off an "odd one out" compared with the rest of the tracks (in that it has a more dynamic composition, with a very off the cuff beginning, then pads coming in, then rhythm coming in etc.). i'm also curious to see how the LP develops/reveals itself in the future.

For some reason the 80s style bass heavy synth chords really annoy me. I’ve been puzzled by new ae albums before, exasperated, even, but never annoyed.

Anyone else feel this way?

  On 10/10/2020 at 12:13 PM, jaderpansen said:

to me it sounds like "behind the wheel" from depeche mode. it's not the same key, but i bet if you'd transpose it'd fit quite perfectly.

  On 10/10/2020 at 2:19 PM, rhmilo said:

For some reason the 80s style bass heavy synth chords really annoy me. I’ve been puzzled by new ae albums before, exasperated, even, but never annoyed.

Anyone else feel this way?

nah.

F7 is the only one that annoys me a bit with the very discordant synths. It's a little too over the top, like similar thing from known(1). Otherwise I think the album is maybe even a bit too pleasant to listen to?

My synesthesia is also going all reds, oranges and yellows on this album. While it may sound a bit like Oversteps at points it doesn't feel like it. Oversteps was more bright colors on a dark and white backgrounds. This is all like red and orange just plastered all over, even a bit claustrophobic. And visceral? idk

This morning I was listening to Sign while walking past this building and it just fit somehow perfectly with the autumn color trees added also which are still green in this picture:

  On 10/10/2020 at 11:46 AM, kirm said:

Has the 2 album thing had any more confirmation?

papa rex hinted at nov 13th... probably announcement or release date. hopefully the latter.