Davism wrote:I know this is a tiny bit off topic, but considering how things have been quiet.....
I totally don't understand how everyone is going bonkers for OPN's new album. I'd like to think I'm pretty open, but my first impression is that it lacked that crunch. I also haven't been feeling the other recent Warp releases that much either.
I'll give the OPN a few more listens incase I just need more time to access it, but......
I will be honest, as a first time listener to OPN, I was not impressed. A lot of his music doesn't go anywhere on this album. It's very avantgarde and random sounding. Sometimes the album takes weird left-turns into mainstream territory with hip-hop (The Whether Channel) or pop balladtry (No Nightmares) and I'm not feeling those either.
On the upside, I really liked Long Road Home and wish that the album was more in that dark post-rock vein. That track makes sense to me. A lot of the other ones don't.
Autechre's Sign is actually a step away from glitchy noise into a very melancholic ambient feel. It feels very reflective of 2020 and might be their most emotional release in a long time.
I'd also like to mention that Squarepusher's Be Up A Hello was very consistent for a Jenkinson production and a welcome return after a five year absence on Warp. I felt nearly every track served a purpose.
My other favorite this year is Bibio's Sleep On A Wing. There's a very majestic eastern-y instrumental called "The Milky Way Over..." and it invokes the feeling of gazing out into a starlit sky from a forest. Might be the closest we get to "space music" this year.
I think for veterans who are getting into their late forties early fifties like Squarepusher and Autechre, these are good albums. Sadly compared to their 90s legacy, they will always pale. That's how I feel about Aphex Twin's Syro and BOC's Tomorrow's Harvest compared to their heyday.
Warning: This numerology post is not to be taken 2 seriously.