Review Summary: Cold, bleak, desolate... and that's just the cover art.
Since their inception, Autechre have stretched the confines of conventional electronic music while adding their glitchy Midas touch. The duo of Rob Brown and Sean Booth have often been dubbed the pioneers of IDM, releasing albums comprising of incredibly enticing yet peculiar music. Their fourth LP,
Chiastic Slide, shows them extending their sonic palette to craft a stellar yet dreary, uninviting beast of a record.
Often considered to be the black sheep in Autechre's discography, the album sees them embark on a musical transition from their early techno and house style. Gone is the ambient warmth and charisma of
Incunabula and
Amber, as well as the rewarding diversity of
Tri Repetae.
Chiastic Slide features a much darker and more glitchy aura than its predecessors, its sounds delving in mechanical debauchery and alien production. It cares little about what the listener wants, featuring trace elements of melody or amiability, which is oft submerged by the harsh, schizophrenic beat patterns. However, there is much to be lauded in the record's enormous run of 70 minutes.
Chiastic Slide is a punishing beauty, featuring industrial beats, rumbles, white noise, screeches and shimmering synths all interspersed into a sonic tapestry. It's the aural equivalent of being stuck on a cataclysmic mechanical world while on acid, watching everything disintegrate and explode into nothingness. Opener
Cipater starts with a stream of static before marauding the listener's ears with an extremely erratic yet funky beat interspersed with an ominous bassline and synth backdrop, before breaking down into a completely different groove of machinelike transcendence. It's a stellar track that sets the album off on a great start, despite sounding incredibly different from Autechre's previous albums. Elsewhere,
Rettic AC, the album's shortest offering, keeps the momentum going. It features a much harsher beat, sounding like a broken car's engine, which envelops a soft synth pattern. The claustrophobic, melancholy
Tewe and the frightening loops of
Hub further reinforce an atmosphere of isolation and darkness.
However, there still are moments of beauty and warmth on the record, despite being wistful and somber. The sheer respite of
Pule, the album's only beatless number, is incredibly satisfying; a relaxing melody that delves in various time signatures, it is a worthy penultimate track that recalls even
Amber's brightest moments.
Recury is a breath of fresh air; an ocean of reverb and waterlogged melodies accompanying a harmonious beat of mechanical forklifts and factory tools. Meanwhile, the nostalgic, throbbing
Calbruc further utilizes the the factory sounding beats, whereas
Cichli, the album's most evocative track, boasts a circus tune over twisting, shape-shifting percussion and bass undertones.
While the record may seem to lack ideas or be too harsh for some listeners, it's nevertheless an engrossing work of art. Be it the organic beauty of
Pule or the angry, grimy charm of closer
Nuane, there's something in the album for every type of electronic music fan. A placid yet effective ambience permeates each track, resulting in an astounding album. As cold, bleak and desolate as it may be, I'd be lying if I said it isn't a thoroughly enjoyable effort.
Recommended Tracks:
Pule
Recury
Cipater
