 | Tracklist:
1. Cipater
2. Rettic AC
3. Tewe
4. Chicli
5. Hub
6. Calbruc
7. Recury
8. Pule
9. Nuane
Release Date: 1997 | |
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On 1 Lists
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| Summary: An album of musical opposites. Autechre force the listener to use its love/hate relationship within every track, and for the most part the love takes over. |
5 of 5 thought this review was well written
Autechre have become increasingly difficult to describe these last few years. Their music hasn't stagnated or leaned toward a static composition, instead since Incunabula and if not more evident in Amber they've strived to become ill-mannered in their fashion of electronic. Their latest works sound of a mix-mash of past albums, all the while adding increasingly cold and mundane minimalism within their music. Chiastic Slide is a bit of a crossroads for Autechre. The group's 1997 release hints at the dark, harsh corridors that the new millennium bands would grab hold of.
Nonetheless, it still doesn't sound like a lost cause; the compositions are tightly knit in a heavy bass laden opening track "Cipater" that merges clicks and quick drum pacings exponentially. It drives eloquently - at 4:45 the creaks and clicks are an afterthought once the mood sets in, it's almost compulsive to sit through it and listen to the watery high-toned keyboard that heeds through. Chiastic Slide bellows forward in its low voice and murky movements as shown by "Rettic AC". Its overly noticeable distortion of noise is, like the previous song, an afterthought - instead we focus on the serene backdrop. This evolution of sorts for Autechre is endearing, in the sense that we'll never see them in this type of form. They are molding their future albums off of Chiastic Slide; gone are soft, simple electronic presence within Incunabula or the dense warmth of synths within Amber. This is a different animal and it shows itself to be something of an experimental project for Booth and Brown.
Thus this animal is showcased in a harsh reality of hard break beats with a circus number keyboard in "Cichlii", something exceptionally telling. A pattern develops within the structure of Chiastic Slide....it envelops in the polar opposites of musicality within every track. A insensitive, if not callous, repetitive drum break accompanied by a serene, concentrated, ethereal keyboard or tone(s) that eventually overtakes the entire song whole. It's something to be perceived and to be heard on their fourth release. Once a song lets go as it does in "Cichli" (you know that circus keyboard contrast to the hard repetition of drum breaks) it something that is utterly relaxing, in every sense of the word.
It would be easy to say Autechre have no sense of improving themselves, but album after album since their debut, they've mixed it up, to the point of uncomfortably for themselves. So what does Autechre bring here? A darker, colder overtone from Amber. A super contrasted sound within every song that works in almost every accord. A serene, ethereal, or sometimes eerie backdrop within Chiastic Slide. For something that seems to rub our ears the wrong way in every 6 minutes, there's another audio track of harmony infused within those every 6 minutes we hate.
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You weren't kidding about working on the review were you haha.
Not my fav by these guys, good review though man
Digging: Goth-Trad - New Epoch Digging: Goth-Trad - New Epoch
| | | Album Rating: 4
Awesome, a difficult album to describe but you did a good job.
Working through their discography this was the first album that really grabbed my attention, there is just so much music to digest on each autechre release it is really overwhelming.
| | | Album Rating: 4
Yea Deviant, its just I need to be in a reviewing mood and tonight really hit me lol.
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I know what you mean man. Haven't heard this in awhile, migh have to change that. Heard LP5 again a couple of weeks back, such a good album
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new one's pretty gooooood
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deviant i love how you only like bad electronic
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I love how you care, it brightens my day tenfold
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i love how you cock my *** you sick ****
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I missed that last part, please relay the message in full
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i need to listen to more Autechre still : (
sweet review Marko.
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An interesting take on the album, Massive, but I am not sure if I "get" you on this one. Still a good review, it is not an easy thing to do. It was about time this one got reviewed. I really love this album and sometimes I am tempted to deem it as my favourite of theirs.
| | | Album Rating: 4
Have you listened to this Zettel?
And yea Yeti you totally do. Imma put up Incunabula on our blog site tonight.
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Great review. I've never heard this particular release, but generally these guys are good.
Digging: Alexa Borden - Speck in the Universe
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wooo! Ive actually heard it -- and have their discography hah.
Ive been sitting on Autechre for a while now, but I've got some time coming up so...
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Nice review... I hope nobody will review Quaristice, I'm thinking of writing one about it (i'm struggling a bit with my english, because I live in a foreign country).
Chiastic Slide is IMHO their worst album, which still means that it's great! I just think, it sounds sometimes like an Industrial version of "Tri Repetae" (f.e.: "Cipater" sounds like a noisier mix of "Dael" and "Clipper"). Also, some songs are quite overlong, like "Recury" that continues the beats for over seven minutes long, without putting much variation on the background. As already written, you'll hear on Chiastic Slide the beginnings of their abstractions, but if their mix of noisy beats and bleak melodies had been a bit more refined, it might have been a masterpiece like Confield!
Still, it's an album full of good songs and tracks like the melancholy "Rettic AC", "Calbruc" and "Nuane" are brillant! I also love the ending of "Tewe"...
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Hi, First. It would be great that Quaristice review, I myself was thinking of doing one, but I do not feel like it right now.
You make good points on this album, since I agree this one is not very refined, and perhaps that is why I like it so much. It foresees later work, but at the same time it not so "out there". I like its imperfectness. Good call also on Tri Repetae, since I too feel Chiastic Slide has more in common with it than Amber.
I am glad you mentioned "Recury", because it is probably my favorite song on the album. I had a version that was cut off at like the fourth minute, and that always pissed me off. The original is great as it is.
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Nice review... I hope nobody will review Quaristice, I'm thinking of writing one about it (i'm struggling a bit with my english, because I live in a foreign country).
BAAAKKKKAAAAAA!!!
| | | Album Rating: 4
Thanks, I might eventually, but not anytime soon. Hope to see your review.
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lal I meant that FirstitGiveth wanted to review quaristice and I beat him to it. I should've used quoatation marks
but still
good review
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