Autechre- Oversteps Review
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- čas přidán 30. 03. 2010
- Listen: bit.ly/bm19kG / bit.ly/bKau3d
www.theneedledrop.com
Autechre's 10th album, much like their nine previous efforts, brings challenges, experiments, and bewilderment. The duo is as abstract as they've ever been, heading in a softer, more ambient approach for this release. The gentler direction resembles that of their 1994 album Amber, but with a wider sonic vocabulary. Oversteps doesn't offer much in terms of clear song structures, too. It's an album that would much rather explore than plan out a route.
To be honest, I found their last album to be a lot more thrilling, but what works for me might not work for you. If you're looking for something that quietly cuts its way through the digital jungle. Oversteps should be your destination.
5/10 - Hudba
this album is as close to a 10 as anything can be for me.
OyVeey agreed
Actually, it's "Aw-teck-ur"
Imo Oversteps deserves a 9 or a light 10 ! One of my favorite Autechre album.
Amber is one of my favorite albums of all time. I love that Oversteps harks back to that sound.
Amber had more beautiful melodies and minimalism going for it than Oversteps. And Oversteps doesn't set that much of an established mood in the way that Amber does. So I kinda have to agree with Anthony on this one. Aside from that, I can't decide on whether Amber or Tri Repetae or Exai is my fav Autechre album. :|
Neel 2000 I agree, I prefer Amber. I do see similarities between Oversteps and it, even though it doesn't set quite the same mood. I can't decide on a favorite between Amber and Tri Repetae.
Tyler Bowles I mean, now that I think about it, Tri and Amber are so different, in that you cant really compare the 2. I guess it just boils down 2 personal enjoyment. But still, I adore them both. Ugh! Choices, man. Choices.
@Vihrea OK, lulz. About 5 different people have told me how to pronounce their name "correctly," but each "correct" pronunciation is different than the next. What's a music reviewing bro to do? Guess everyone's an expert. :-p
yuop sounds like something from 200 years into the future
This was my introduction to Autechre. I remember suffering from insomnia and was looking for something ambient, light, spacey, and trippy to help mellow me out. I instantly loved this record! EXAI however took a few attempts to get into, oddly enough driving to and from work while listening finally got me sold on EXAI.
i wasn't a big fan of this record when it came out. just recently i started listening to it again and was blown away by it. Osveix3 is God's favourite track to chill out to.
Oversteps is really good. Listen to it loud, on a good speaker setup. It's so well produced, the dynamics and reverb etc goes crazy when loud and on a good setup. Many new Autechre albums tend to do that, they tend to sound better on re-listens after breaks, or on different speaker setups (and listening environments). When Exai first came out I didn't overly like it. Now I listen to it and some passages in the album, parts I overlooked before, are extremely well done.
@macleodponeage Tri Repetae is pretty good, and their last album is representational of their overall sound, too. That last album is a little more improvisation, based, but it's certainly more busy than this LP.
Autechre worst to best!
based???? in 2010???? based
It took about four years for this album to grow on me. But now, I wouldn't say it's my favorite, but it is definitely an Autechre album and very much worth listening to.
Aw man, I loved this album. I give it like an 8
You know, I'm probably going to sound like a pretentious fuck for this, but some of Autechre's music really does remind me of Bach. Especially Iris Was A Pupil, (Although it's not on Oversteps) just that main theme from the beginning, the way it develops, and that key change around the middle is so well done.
Gotta agree oversteps isn't all hits, but goddamn if some of the songs don't hit me fr... known(1) is a stunner and YUOP that has to be one of their best it feels like the end of the fucking world brohhh
Or let me put it this way. If someone said, "Hey, this Autechre stuff sounds pretty cool, what other artists do the same sort of music?" Sure, you could name all the artists that sound like Autechre, but it is much easier to tell the person "Just search IDM in Google". If you said "Just search electronica or techno i Google" then they would quite possibly never find anything in the same vein as Autechre. :)
STOP DISLIKING THINGS I LIKE.
to me, autechre simply made another album so you don't always have to listen to their old ones, there's no need to 'reinvent the genre', its just experimenting with sounds and this is what came out. i like it cus the tracks have individual atmospheres, they arent just a 'sudoku puzzle' because there not only 'logical' sounds but also free variations of the tempo and casual patterns. so it sounds natural and not mathematic to me
I think Amber is 1995... I agree about the background feel... I think just listening to it casually is the way to go with this kinda stuff... like a david lynch film or something... just experience it for what it is.
Excellent review man! You've helped me see this album in a new light!
I don't like the term IDM myself to be fair, but you can't just put it under electronica or techno. Both of those are way too general in their meaning. IDM is more of a 'subgenre' of electronica or techno, not something all by itself. I mean, if someone came and asked you what sort of music this was, would you then just say electronica?
Argh-Tech-Rargh?
They say to pronounce their name how ever you see fit, chill.
Plaid , Jimmy Edgar , SND , Telefon Tel Aviv , Slicker , Brothamstates , LFO , Atom , Access to Arasaka , just to name a few are known as IDM by americans and none resemble
if anything IDM has confused the issues even more.
I would tell someone that likes Ae to google Music similar to Autechre
i loved oversteps precisely because it reminds me of their old stuff, amber, incunabula and tri-repetae.
@swineinfluziest I've heard it both, and didn't know what direction to go in. *shrugs* Not exactly a go-to site to tell you the pronunciation of every band/album/musician. I wish thee was, though
nice review man, good work
yo dawg
you should review µ-ziq's xtlp. i know it came out a few months ago now but i'd love to hear other people's opinions :)
I agree, figuring out Autechre's music through repeat listens is like figuring out a math problem as you say, great analogy. I will disagree that it underwhelms. I dislike when folks tend to think every artistic venture is an attempt to re-invent the wheel then hold it against a work as a con when subjectively it doesn't; sometimes art is simply what it is, take it or leave it. I, for one, look forward to eveything Autechre releases and never have pre-conceived expectations; it's more exciting!
i needed no more then 1 time to listen to their album :P
still loving them!
Nice review. Can't argue with any of this - I especially like the Rubiks Cube/Sudoku analogy :P
@Setherian very true about needing to know about electronic production. it is through learning to make music that I have so much respect for autechre.
@Kryykk Never thought of it that way. Thanks for convincing me.
I really love this album. There is so many different emotions inside and it gets better every listening.
Quote: "' abstract electronica ' is more appropriate."
You got you answer right there my friend. ;)
@oODOVETAILOo They wrote the word on a tape as a track name and decided it sounded good enough for their name. They've said in interviews it has no meaning.
Yes I would say Electronica or techno
alot of the music that artists like Ae pushed out was very non danceable but very genre pushing and experimental ' intelligent dance music ' isnt quite fitting
' abstract electronica ' is more appropriate. IDM only came about as people couldnt pigeon hole it. SND also get called IDM and they and Ae bare little resemblance
I thought Oversteps was just beautiful. Especially qplay and os veix3.
Nice review. Autechre's albums really do take multiple listens but always satisfying once you... kind of start to get it? It's amazing how different the first time you hear a song from them to the 10th time you hear it.
How did I not know he reviewed this lol
This album deserves a 9 or 10. :(
bummed you cant do sound clips anymore! those were a really good reference. great reviews none the less!
my favorite album
In my opinion Autechre is far ahead when it comes to technical music. (Incunabula started me as a musician and their work still inspires me or even blows my mind sometimes) They are masters of the deeper meaning of listening to music. Like you got the state of joy or excitement (like an action movie or thriller).
Off course you can't always agree with their irritating sounds in music but, so what...
We get more in return... (true AE fan)
I've always loved Autechre's earlier stuff. The later stuff not so much. Although I did find this album interesting after repeated auditory spelunkings. What really redeemed the album from a meh to a hmmm for me was See on See and Os veix3. Such lovely tunes.
i want to know what you think of aphex twin cuz in my opinion he IS the god of all techno nobody compares to him
"Relegated to the shadows": Pure poetry, Anthony. I'm giving it a listen after the vid for the first time.
@theneedledrop allright, thanks. I'll probably check this one out entually as well.
I have to say I'm a fan of IDM. Not hardcore, but a fan anyway. I've only a listened to a couple of tracks of here, but to me this seemed like an album the band needed to make, to find it;s limits in this direction. It's probably not gonna make any new fans, but I doubt that was the band's aim with this album. So fair enough, let them do what they want, it sounds like they've earned some slack...
not bashing or anything but the quality of audio and video back then. wow.
I highly recommend doing the exact opposite of what you say is best for this album, I actually think this is their best album now that I've played through it and paid close attention.
What style would you then coin them under? It is hard to make up new styles/genres for every artist that sounds different than the one before, and they still fit into the same category as the rest of the "idm" artists.
By the way, could I put forward a slightly unusual suggestion? Could you review the first two songs off Bonobo's newest release and review them in context of each other? If you've heard them before you'll know why I ask, if not I can send you info and links if you want...
My brain dances everytime i listen to this
+1 for aw-tech-er. its in some interview on youtube, brown and booth actually say it that way. nice review, i agree with a whole lot of what you said. I definetly think d-sho-qub has that immediate engaging appeal that the other songs are lacking- at least until it changes into the chant at the end.
Thumbs up if you're watching this in 2018 like 'damn, Melon'!!
Damn 2018 was 5 years ago
I love this record! good work Autechre! one of their best!
"Treale" would sound great in a movie or even a show like "24"; would sound even better with Anthony rapping over it.
Instant "needledrop"! This album makes me wish for a new Aphex Twin album!
its a lovely ambient album
I just bought "Chiastic Slide" last weekend. I thought it was pretty good, but I hear it's not their best.
Autechre makes good IDM music. i only have heard though "Incunabula" and "Quaristice" so maybe i'll give "Oversteps" a try.
Really strange to see a comment section for a Fantano video that contains actual dialogue :P
So which autechre album would you reccomend to a new fan?
easy to ignore because it’s more melodic then their usual stuff, you expect it to click immediately, but that’s not the case.
It’s still autechre, it demands many relistens. also fantastic album.
Did you review Move Of Ten?. Personally i loved Oversteps
I couldn't disagree more, I found Quarstice to be an utter bore and Oversteps more immediate and engaging. Just goes to show how differently this type of music can be interpreted. Another major disagreement with me is Allmusic.com's review of Confield, which is my favourite album. Your thoughts on that album?
AWE-TECK-ER. for sure. Good review though. Personally I found Oversteps to be more accessible than Quaristice. Definitely more ambient vibe, calming - yes. Totally pissed that they are not touring stateside this time around. I decided to start my youtube channel after returning from an AE gig with a memory card full of blacked out videos and fractured, warbling beats back in April 08.
It's Aww-Tech-Er, they've said so in an interview. Just type in Autechre Radio, and find the video with a picture of a CD. Radio Mix CD.
It is indeed an album i rearly go back to and if i do go back it is only for r ess. Just adore that track.
PUT DOWN THE KNIFE FANTANO! I SAID PUT IT DOWN BOI!
I though it was an alright record, not my personal favorite, but still worth a listen. I gave it a 7.5.
See on See is such a good track
You should play a sample of the first track from the album you are reviewing at the beginning and end with the last track sampled. Interesting review. Not sure it's really necessary.
Came back to see if young Melon could pronounce Autechre's name wrong. Was not disappointed.
"Aw-tek-reh". I'm adding that to my list of Autechre pronounciations. :P Great review. I'm a big Autechre fan, but I agree with a lot of things you said. This was a hard album to really get into... still glad I bought the CD though. Some tracks were almost on the verge of annoying (known(1) and redfall are good examples), while some I liked pretty immediately (d-sho qub and pt2ph8).
@theneedledrop Haha, I think it varies by region... that would be my explanation.
Also, I still can't quite get into Autechre 100% of the time... it depends on mood. I like Clark as a suitable alternative... more digestable but still staying true to the IDM form. At least I think so.
every album is better than the last one... imo
You should review an Aphex Twin album just for the hell of it.
and for my own pleasure.
I'm a fan of them. but id give that one a strong 7. I think Amber is my favorite.
I liked it a lot better than quarstice but didn't like it as much as chiastic slide or cichlisuite ep or ep7. Overall I like oversteps but I feel the sounds are lacking the feeling of being ahead of their time/pushing the envelope in synthesis/processing. quarstice disappointed me a lot, oversteps to me is "what quarstice should have been".
@Schism54 : Richard James said he calls it braindance.
@MAXIMUSMISCHIEF They've actually said you can say it any way you want. :P
@Setherian BUT, if you are deep into experimental electronic music, I believe you will enjoy this album, specially after a few auditions, seriously, it might get into u after perhaps 5 or 6 album auditions only , still, this is absolutely not their most inspired album and most certainly not a ground breaking release within the genre of "braindance"...
@zumobster yes they are. and yes, they do understand the deeper meaning of listening to music.
Electronica - or good old Techno
IDM is very much an American Phrase.
I thought this was a huge letdown, but I kind of went in expecting alot. Good review
I must say, this album had to be #2 on my top programming music albums. #1 background music for developing is probably Blue Shift Emissions by Christ.
yeah seeing bullshit like this makes me glad that fantano doesn't really review a lot of electronic
@anthonyaranda
my words exactly--
im not euro either,
but the american point of view with electronic is really stupid, and the term IDM is on the top of that list
AUral TECHnical REsearch...... this like ant AE album deserves repeated listens... fantastic piece of work...much better than anything theyve done since maybe "untitled" or "draft 7.30".... one of the very few acts that constantly stick out from the crowd. for the record...i like the cheese!
i love autechre
why the hell do you have a steak knife in the begginging of the video. lol at 2:28. the more BEAT. guys, when someone does something that is, well, fail, they are beat. You must call them beat and point at them with your hand moving it up and down at the wrist or elbow. like if anthony tripped and fell whilst walking, he is beat
Instant "needle drop". This is my first comment! This album makes me wish for a new Aphex Twin album!!!
@CammieSpectrum
it is pronounced awteker as that is their dialect but they have also said pronounce it as you find yourself saying it
Nice review.
Interesting review, but Oversteps is not really one of their denser albums.
Oh, yeah, and if it matters THAT much of a difference to folks, go to the source. Autechre call themselves "AWE-TEK-ER," but say there's not"right" way to say it. In an interview from SounOnSound, Sean Booth explains it.
i found it easy to listen personally
Those are easily their worst, least interesting albums. Tri-repetae is better than Incunabula in every possible way.
@Vihrea its 'or -tecker' listen to an interview with them thats how they pronounce it
I couldn't disagree more, I found Quarstice to be an utter bore and Oversteps more immediate and engaging. Just goes to show how differently this type of music can be interpreted. Another major disagreement with me is Allmusic.com's review of Confield, which is my favourite album.