Review Summary: An uncharacteristically boring album from Autechre
Releasing their sixth full-length studio album in only eight years, Autechre slowly became one of the most critically acclaimed “IDM” duo’s during the mid 90's. Known for their strange rhythmic patters and constantly changing dynamics, Autechre’s music incorporated styles of glitch, ambient, and electronica branching out to umpteen fans of electronic music. With the release of
Confield Autechre seemed to evolve their sound yet again producing their most dark, grimy album yet.
Confield is the duo’s most abstract and alien-esque sounding album, showcasing many warped, twisted beats matched with gloomy, pensive keyboard melodies. The bright, uplifting keyboard inflections found on
Amber are now replaced with transcendental synthesizers and abstract sound effects. In result,
Confield is an extremely somber listen. Tracks like “Cfern” and “Uviol” contain pulsing, dominant beats over grimy electronics that float effortlessly by in the background. Unlike other Autechre albums,
Confield feels too inhuman and robotic. The keyboard melodies take a back seat to prevalent beats giving the album a very cold and lifeless sound.
Unfortunately nothing really stands out either. “Pen Expers” sounds like an Aphex Twin b-side, sporting a despotic array of hard hitting beats with little emphasis on melody. “Bine” is another track which contains erratic beats, but no synthesizer beauty that was such an essential part of Autechre’s earlier sound. Instead of balancing beautiful soundscapes with organic beats Autchre have put way to much emphasis on the drum sound. Clocking in at just over an hour
Confield requires to much effort from the listener without giving enough back. Focusing more on spastic beats and dissonant synths, Autechre have created a unique yet startlingly boring release.
For the first time in their eight year career Autchre have released a lackluster album. While
Confield isn’t a horrendous album by any means it’s just to challenging and lengthy to sit threw. Experimenting with dizzying synthesized beats and grimy electronic sounds Autechre have created a truly sleep-inducing piece of work. It’s not that
Confield is an unoriginal album, it’s just way to bleak, dreary, and abstract for its own good.
