Autechre - SIGN 16.10.20

yeah, I play the nostradamus card, raising the bar of the conspiracy: if the "e" is warm, contemplative and maliconically conciliatory, the "a" will be blue or purple, it will seize us and throw us on a pack plate. The silhouette of a pod of killer whales below us.

But the artwork has both a and e on it..

  On 10/14/2020 at 2:57 PM, modey said:

But the artwork has both a and e on it..

WTF, it's true 

Is that th red a at the bottom layer of the artwork?

maybe there’ll be a th blue e on the next one?

M4 Lema at 6:43 has an iPhone new mail ‘Ding‘ sample by the sound of it.

dummy casual pt2 had a similar iPhone text notification effect at 3:13

I wish one of these interviewers would ask Sean what his favorite kind of walnuts are.

  On 10/14/2020 at 4:42 PM, cebec said:

I wish one of these interviewers would ask Sean what his favorite kind of walnuts are.

Wet

SIGN LP is already sold out in the AE STORE... wow.

Luckily my preorder already shipped.

au14 is something off Zoolook to me

  On 10/14/2020 at 8:31 AM, naawRaybarn said:

Hey, wait, what?? What is Sean doing here in Norway? Hiking in the mountains? Fishing? Rock climbing? Scouting after new venues for holding gigs in? Guess we'll never find out 

I heard he was going to guest host New Scandinavian Cooking.  He's probably out collecting cloud berries.

  On 10/9/2020 at 11:54 PM, dingformung said:

It's not a "sad album".

And it has nothing to do with "the state of global affairs ATM".

Ahem! 

"SEAN BOOTH It’s strangely jarring. It’s sort of too real. All this Covid stuff has put me in a really different place from where I was when we were just compiling it. Back then we were saying, “This is totally right.” But now I’m wondering if it’s too right. And I’m really feeling a bit self-conscious if I’m being totally honest. It’s difficult to listen to because it’s too emotionally resonant."

Even Sean admits >his own perception of his own album is influenced by the current state of affairs<.  

SIGN = Stuff It Git Nut

  On 10/14/2020 at 11:58 AM, Wurstwasser said:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR!

_{I've made my decision: It is not Ae - SIGN}

Needs more cowbell.

So, first listen is behind me. My copy is kinda fucked up. Sides A to C suffer from a LOT of surface noise (complete with surface noise, amirite? nah, disappoint). I don't see any scratches tho. I'll try to clean it later. Hope it's just my copy and you're all alright guys (let me know). Music-wise I can't comment much. Didn't feel as easy listening as some of you say. I would say on the contrary in my case. This was the hardest Autechre related listen to me yet. I need more time with the album.

  On 10/14/2020 at 6:58 PM, eclipsis said:

So, first listen is behind me. My copy is kinda fucked up. Sides A to C suffer from a LOT of surface noise (complete with surface noise, amirite? nah, disappoint). I don't see any scratches tho. I'll try to clean it later. Hope it's just my copy and you're all alright guys (let me know). Music-wise I can't comment much. Didn't feel as easy listening as some of you say. I would say on the contrary in my case. This was the hardest Autechre related listen to me yet. I need more time with the album.

another quality pressing from Werp...

^i still can’t believe people produce/buy vinyls and expect audio quality. nothing against you eclipsis, just in general...it’s such a silly, inconsistent, long outdated format. i’ve bought hundred of CDs and they all still sound immaculate. 

  On 10/14/2020 at 6:30 PM, tailings said:

Even Sean admits >his own perception of his own album is influenced by the current state of affairs<.  

Sean (and assumed Rob as well) actually accept the reality of COVID unlike certain other IDM producers. 

  On 10/14/2020 at 9:35 AM, kieselguhr kid said:

more reviews incoming: stereogum

A very good review overall, though there are those obligatory comments about the inhuman qualities to ae music.  A chocolate sundae to any reviewer who can do justice to ae without such comments.  Personally, I have never felt ae to be inhuman, alien or otherworldly, though I have always considered ae advanced and ahead of its time.  And that Lopatin comment; is the reviewer not familiar with ae early work?

  On 10/14/2020 at 7:41 PM, auxien said:

^i still can’t believe people produce/buy vinyls and expect audio quality. nothing against you eclipsis, just in general...it’s such a silly, inconsistent, long outdated format. i’ve bought hundred of CDs and they all still sound immaculate.

 

I expect clicks and pops here and there as all the records I've bought last 10 years (and prior AE records for some reason sound the best of them all), not a full on noise barrage.

  On 10/14/2020 at 7:41 PM, auxien said:

^i still can’t believe people produce/buy vinyls and expect audio quality. nothing against you eclipsis, just in general...it’s such a silly, inconsistent, long outdated format. i’ve bought hundred of CDs and they all still sound immaculate. 

I was going to make a comment about the 'joy of vinyl' or some such but ultimately we are all liable to our chosen myths.

  On 10/14/2020 at 7:41 PM, auxien said:

Sean (and assumed Rob as well) actually accept the reality of COVID unlike certain other IDM producers. 

Not that it's super important, but you do realize my comment was in reference to a specific critique of my earlier perception of the album and >not< a statement about COVID denial.

  On 10/14/2020 at 7:59 PM, tailings said:

I was going to make a comment about the 'joy of vinyl' or some such but ultimately we are all liable to our chosen myths.

idk what you're talking about, sorry, i've never said anything about vinyl providing superior quality or any other "myth" you're hinting at, that's not the reason i collect them at all

  On 10/14/2020 at 8:06 PM, eclipsis said:

that's not the reason i collect them at all

Why do you collect them ? very neutral, non-polemical question from a curious guy who bought SIGN LP without having a turntable

  On 10/14/2020 at 8:06 PM, eclipsis said:

idk what you're talking about, sorry, i've never said anything about vinyl providing superior quality or any other "myth" you're hinting at, that's not the reason i collect them at all

Nor did I suggest anything 'superior'.  Note I chose the term 'joy' and left it at that.  Yes, many do suggest vinyl is superior but even among those who don't there remain many who perceive the surface noise as somehow a compliment to the 'joy' of the listening experience.  To that end I do consider the 'complete with surface noise' to be a myth, at least for my needs.  I happily gave up purchasing vinyl a LONG time ago, (early '90's).

So, we are in agreement that neither of us have spoken to the supposed superiority of vinyl.  

"initialization: the preparation of a computer or similar device for operation, in which diagnostic tests are run and the operating system is loaded" so a sign of things to come, rob just doesnt want to tell what is coming...

  On 10/14/2020 at 8:10 PM, Sub0 said:

Why do you collect them ? very neutral, non-polemical question from a curious guy who bought SIGN LP without having a turntable

to me it's an artefact, a physical representation of the music, i enjoy the ritual of sitting back and putting the needle on the record and listen, (to me) it's a very different experience than mp3/flac/whatever due to those reasons... still, i do listen to digital maybe 95 % of the time because of the convenience

then there's a collector mentality, as i music nerd, i just like to have them and look at them i guess

from sonical point of view i expect it to be listenable, i don't expect perfection, my copy of SIGN suffers too much from the accompanying noise to the point it's very distracting... i never had the same problem with any AE record before

Unfortunately tinnitus also provides “surface noise” for all listening...but usually not if the soft-vinyl variety!