Saturday, 23 August 2014

Aphex Twin - "Selected Ambient Works 85-92" | ALBUM REVIEW

Every now and then an album will come along to change music forever. I think it happens every decade or so. In the 1960s: King Crimson's In The Court Of The Crimson King provided the world with a sound previously unheard. In the 1970s: Black Sabbath created one of the most vibrant genres in the world today - heavy metal. In the 1980s: Napalm Death released Scum and altered pop culture forever.

In the 1990s: A young musician from the UK gifted the world with one of (in my opinion) the greatest albums in history.

Richard D. James' (who tends to go under the pseudonym Aphex Twin) influence on music can't be understated. Not just in dance music, but across the musical spectrum. The way he approaches his music has had a profound effect on artists from Radiohead to Burial. Sometimes the influences are more obvious (Radiohead's 4th studio effort Kid A is awash with SAW-esque synth lines) and occasionally you'll have to dig a little deeper. Never-the-less, there's a little Aphex Twin in every single genre of the last couple of decades.

Recording of this album (some consider it a mixtape, but the majority of music fans will consider it an album) began when Richard was only 14 years old. Amazing to see how prodigious he is as an artist. Some tracks were recorded 7 years later, but oddly the entire album remains cohesive - not an easy accomplishment considering some tracks were written and produced when he was a teenager and some were written at the age of 21.
As soon as you begin listening to this album, it's clear how ahead of his time Richard was. Xtal is a fantastic opener which has washes of synthesizers that still echo on outputs by more recent artists.
Following track Tha is a 9-minute epic which provides a snap-shot in to the style of music he would explore on his next LP SAW Vol II, which would have more ambient soundscapes.
But for me, the final 3 tracks are the highlights of the record, I can't think of a single record (besides perhaps Deftones' White Pony) that has such a monstrous finale.
Other highlights include Ptolemy (which has a superb understanding of time changes) and Ageispolis (a track that really symbolizes what AT does best). But then again, this is an album that has to be listened to all the way through. Sure, you'll find it enjoyable if you listen to a few tracks here and there, but it's true power is only revealed when listened to in it's entirety.

The production on this album couldn't be more suited to the sound. It's incredibly pristine and clear, benefiting the listening experience, making it as chill and relaxing as possible. AT knew how to produce these songs, his vision wouldn't be tampered with.

 Don't be fooled by the label "dance", SAW 85-92 can be analyzed for it's fiercely intelligent nature but also placed as back ground music. While moments of this album can feel "very 80s" for lack of a better term, the album as whole is a total trail-blazer. Aphex has always been ahead of the curb, never one to follow a set trend. I can only hope SYRO is nearly as good as this.

10/10

1 comment:

  1. Great review, especially considering that textual reviewing is not your primary realm. Generally speaking I'm not a fan of electronic music but I do appreciate this album.

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