 Let's start with some praise for Richard Daniel James, otherwise known as
the Aphex Twin. The man is an absolute genius. As a publicity stunt, he
purchased a tank and proceeded to drive it around Cornwall's roads. He shys
away constantly from the public eye. He bullishly releases to do anything as
mainstream as releasing albums and singles. And when he does, they're
accompanied by brilliant but disturbing videos, as evidenced by 'Come To
Daddy' and 'Windowlicker'.
This is his fourth full-length album, out in 2001. This is far from perfect.
It feels hastily compiled, and not the future of music on plastic it was
hailed as on its release. There are some brilliant moments, including the
full-on acid scorcher 'Vordhosbn', creepy yet beautiful piano pieces such as
'Avril 14th' and the all-out mindfuck that is 'St Michel' The sound effects
and sample are also used well, but for AFX fans used to the quality of
singles like 'Windowlicker', it just isn't enough.
It's not a release I would recommend for newbies to Aphex, that title
falling on something like the 'Come To Daddy EP' or '26 Mixes For Cash'. It has
some great moments, but the experimentation didn't quite make the cut. Maybe
next time around.
The aformentioned videos, directed by Chris Cunningham, have all been
collected on the brilliant new Warp Records DVD, also including other
brilliant videos from the label's artists, now boasting acts such as !!!
(ChkChkChk) and Nightmares on Wax.
Ollie Connors |
| Coding: Darren Burrows