why would they want to?

every time i've seen them live they play what's essentially entirely new tracks that are mere interpretations of what may be on an album. they don't seem interested in recreating an album for a live show. i'm OK w/this.

and. not directed at you but just in general...

i don't know how anyone can listen to recks on, YJY UX, vekoS, bladelores, cloudline, 1 1 is, prac-f... etc.. and say there aren't any interesting moments and they don't "rock out" etc.

are there some noodley bits on this record? sure.. but there is also some amazing sound design and production and just jaw dropping tracks.. for me anyways. [shrug]

this album seems quite divisive. lot's of completely opposite opinions.. but what else is new.. it's usually what an autechre album creates ever since tri repatae.. people cant seem to get passed the past.

i'm glad this album isn't drenched in reverb like the last couple which i also liked but so far i'm finding this one more enjoyable.

EP7 was definitely a watershed in the evolution of their sound.

I was a religious follower during 1993-98, but kind of got lost around 2001 with Confield.

But 100% respect to Ae for walking their own path

everything they do, to my ears, sounds like Autechre. Confield was one i didn't go gaga over when it came out but i liked a lot of things about it. Draft7.30 was a weird first listen. so much intense sound design... but i didn't get it. i put it away then listen to it a year later or so... and i was floored. it made sense all of a sudden. now it's one of those records i put on when i want to listen to a complete album. just so engaging.

anyway - i think the thing to do w/regard to autechre is just not have any expectations and take each album as it comes. it's fun to listen to AE releases in chronological order. there is some kind of overarching trajectory or something .

And they know their way with woman too!

Sean Booth tied the knot with the lovely Chantal Passamonte

Exai sounds amazing on a good pair of monitors. Not much of a headphone release.
My favorite Autechre release is still the Quaristice series, especially the Quadrange EPs with its huge dubby spaces and lovely quirky melodies. Exai sounds more like a random collection of long jams and less successful projects.
I think Autechre's best work is their most conceptual and minimal releases.

Exai is pretty much the "opposite" of Oversteps in every sense. Unmatched production depth as always, but this time it is tempered with pathetically unmemorable, irritating melodies on the rare occasions they could be bothered to include them.

A quick look on Rate Your Music or Metacritic proves that most artists have good and bad albums. This applies equally to Autechre: Exai is not the former.

Those that enjoy it: good for you, but it sounds to me as though Ae have returned to being MAX/MSP-w*nking obsessives that care more about impressing the easily impressible testosterone-fuelled types though hours of extensive drum workouts. Oversteps was enthralling, Exai makes me fall asleep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdd6_ZxX8c





to me it sounds more like hardware and some processing than max/msp. very easily could be elektron octatrack doing the midi sequencing. they are very fond of hardware sequencers.

anyway - i dig this album a lot... but i've listened to it on nice monitors in a treated room where it really shines and is beautiful in my opinion of course.