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Music CD - Autechre: Untilted
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Music CD: Untilted
Artist: Autechre
List Price: $17.98
Our Price: $11.80
Your Save: $ 6.18 ( 34% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Warp Records
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Tracks:
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1. LCC
2. Ipacial Section
3. Pro Radii
4. Augmatic Disport
5. Iera
6. Fermium
7. The Trees
8. Sublimit
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0801061018023
Label: Warp Records
Manufacturer: Warp Records
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Warp Records
Release Date: 2005-04-19
Studio: Warp Records
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Darker and even less obvious
Comment: Untilted is Ae's 8th full length, and stylistically, the album is different from past efforts mainly in that the melody in the music is hidden even further in the background than usual. The soft, shifting washes of synth that form the sonic backdrop of "Untilted" usually create strange dissonant chords in non-repeating patterns. There are very few coherent or repeating melodies. Ae has distilled away the notes and we are left with only the pure feeling.
As a result, "Untilted" is a black, inhuman sounding creation. It reminds me mostly of gigantic, vertigo inducing dark spaces. Bits of warm sentimentality were present even on the spastic "Gantz Graf" EP, in tracks like "Cap.IV". The only place you're likely to find any of that here is in the opener "LCC" and a little in "Ipacial Section".
The rhythms here are a step back from the aforementioned "Gantz Graf" and "Confield" in that they sound like real beats again, rather than floods of extremely short glitches arranged in patterns (with a couple exceptions, like "Augmatic Disport" and "Iera").
Ae also abandons their traditional method of composition, creating songs with multiple distinct sections rather than focusing on a single theme which subtley evolves.
This album has quite a few memorable tracks. "LCC" begins with a few minutes of deceptively minimalist repetition before breaking into a Venetian Snares-esque segment of rhythms so mutilated that measure divisions can't even be distinguished. The last third of the track shifts into a hip hop beat with some beautiful impressionistic synth work over it. It's one of the few moments of obvious melody on the album.
"Ipacial Section" is a much more difficult piece. The first half of it is a disjointed rhythm punctuated by high pitched clicked in varying patterns. A syncopated melody unexpectedly joins in halfway through, completely changing the feel of the song. The second half is dominated by what sounds like sampled machinery used in quasi-melodic fashion.
"Pro Radii" sounds like a bunch of marbles rolling around in a wooden box until it changes completely in the second half, which sounds simultaneously cluttered and airy. There's a noise in there that reminds me of the sound a water hose spraying against pavement makes.
"Augmatic Disport" is a throw back to Gantz Graf and Confield, meaning it sounds incredibly glitchy. The rhythm becomes increasingly understandable until the end, when a bassy hip hop beat fades in and loops. There's a melancholic melody mixed incredibly quietly into the second half of the track.
"Iera" is one of the darkest, strangest tracks. Kick and snare noises are sparse. Most of the track is dominated by awkward, analog synth squelches which create a decidedly strange and alien feel. The rhythms increase in speed and become more militant towards the end. This track is a great example of the way Ae's rhythms sound ALMOST conventional... each sound is moved slightly off the logical beat, giving it a drunk, clumsy feel.
"Fermium" is a track that to me captures a sense of uneasy anticipation. The main theme of the track is carried by a metallic noise that at first seems to simple percussion, but creates a minimal melody. The rhythms build on the main theme until the track ends with some strange, vague, rumbling ambience.
"The Trees" At this point the album goes into a more minimalist direction, and the songs are closer to the style used on LP5, where the tracks evolved in very subtle ways. Trebley, warbling synth notes accent certain pieces of a beat which can only be described as circular. Probably the most difficult piece on the album for me. Took a long time to catch my attention.
"Sublimit" is an oddity in the Ae catelogue... it's 15 minutes long and cycles through several seemingly unrelated minimalist segments in which different beats change slowly. I'm still not sure I totally grasp what the intent was here.
"Untilted" is definitely one of Ae's most difficult releases, but I think that anyone who finds the overall feel appealing will end up finding a lot to enjoy. It's far from boring despite the melodic elements being mostly hidden. I also believe "LCC" is in fact one of their most accessible songs as far as their later period is concerned. The latter half of it impressed me instantly, anyway. "Untilted" could be my favorite Autechre album, but picking a favorite is hard since pretty much everything they release is excellent. Recommended for those willing to put in the effort, and to those who are heavily into rhythm.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Different
Comment: If anyone had heard this in 2003, they would have said, no way that is autechre. Ae have gone in a completely different direction in the way they compose. Whereas the past four albums and ep's or so were almost exclusively with computers, this album is exclusively hardware. And it is bangin. It isnt as good as their live performances from this era, but still great and gets us ready for the next album which is likely to be made with similar techniques but more experience. The opener LCC is the highlight for me. The only miss is Fermium, which starts interesting but never really goes anywhere.
Customer Rating:
Summary: disappointed
Comment: After gantz graf and the the Magnificent Draft 7:30 this just came across as the Electro Wizards taking advantage of a well earned worldwide fan base.
Customer Rating:
Summary: My favorite, very demanding
Comment: I admit that I bought this album, listened to it once and chucked it.
I gave it another go recently and found an entire hidden world.
It doesn't work as ambient, it demands your involvement and very close listening. It's quite incredible when you're ready for it.
On further listening, I find parallels with Spring Heel Jack's Busy Curious Thirsty from 1997, esp. in the opening and closing tracks.
Customer Rating:
Summary: the epitome of experimentation
Comment: What you will find here is absolutely nothing like you've ever heard before. Autechre is probably as far away from mainstream as any form of 'music' (if thats even a proper way to describe this) can be.
There is no melody, and absolutely no structure to this at all. If you thought that Converge's 'Jane Doe' was chaotic, check this out! Autechre have completely destroyed all forms of conventional music. To most people, this is probably the most horrible sounding album ever to be released, but to me, this is very captivating and interesting. With drum rythyms that are far more complex and mathmatical than any on a Meshuggah album, and melody being nonexistant, this album leaves plenty to be discovered even after twenty listens.
This album is far more than any random noise. It is a very atmospheric, and truly frightening piece of work. If you are looking for 'music' in any form or conventional fashion, look elsewere. If you are looking for an immensly challanging and bizzare listen, click the purchase button now.
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Editorial Reviews:
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The eighth album by these OG glitch kingpins is a curious thing. While none of the album's sounds are particularly different (Autechre is working with pretty much the same palette started with), it's not like they've gone laptop folk or added favela beats. The band's relentless experimentation continues unabated. Each of these songs here has more parts than an entire Rush album; every succeeding Autechre album has gotten more complex, as if there were Oulipo-style rules system guides the entire practice. But, while some patterns change rapidly--the complex and jagged try dancing to this rhythms rarely repeat for very long--sine tones and drones underneath it all change very slowly. So, while the music may be composed in a postmodern way, then, it's staunchly modernist in its sharp, subtle honing of minimalist compositional techniques. The contrast between the jagged sounds and the surface and the moaning bass tones will either thrill or bore. There is no middle ground. --Mike McGonigal
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