Country : United Kingdom Label : Warp Genres and styles : Ambient / Electroacoustic / IDM Year : 2020

Sign

· by Alain Brunet

Any connoisseur of electronic music knows that Autechre, an English tandem once associated with the IDM trend, is a must. For three decades, the duo has been offering major works and performances. Here we are at the 14th studio album from Rob Brown and Sean Booth, and… Sign requires several listens before any conclusion can be drawn. We start in electroacoustic abstraction, sensinga beautiful spirit of research, and… the more we advance through the 11 pieces on the program, the more the proposal becomes short of breath. Why this impression? Nobody’s reproached Autechre for over-complicating things for at least a decade now, and many will be delighted by the return of melody, of convivial motifs, of the reduction of textural exploration in favour of more digestible ambient compositions.  On the other hand, others will be chilled by what they consider a return to the past or, worse still, a stroll down easy street. Here we are again in the midst of the enduring conflict between pop culture’s rejection of sustained attention to structure in the listener, and the advocates of fundamental research and historical advances in composition in the digital age. These days, the first trend largely prevails over the other, and it can be assumed that Autechre have taken note of this, hence the return to more consensual forms. The harmonies and melodies presented here are rather banal, strings of motifs repeated on the synthesizer, accompanied by synthetic ornaments serving harmonic progressions no more complex than those of instrumental pop intended for mass audiences. The problem here is not so much the return to melody and consonant harmony as their slightness and triviality. A balance between accessibility and exploration was probably desired, but the predictability of the forms persists. A sign of the times?

Latest 360 Content

A party with post-punk Brooklynites TVOD

A party with post-punk Brooklynites TVOD

FIRE! Orchestra at FIMAV: Power Trio Meets Canadian Community of Avant-Garde Players

FIRE! Orchestra at FIMAV: Power Trio Meets Canadian Community of Avant-Garde Players

Blondshell – If You Asked For a Picture

Blondshell – If You Asked For a Picture

Hitting a Fever Pitch at the Ribbon Skirt LP Launch 

Hitting a Fever Pitch at the Ribbon Skirt LP Launch 

Wu-Tang Clan & Mathematics – Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman.

Wu-Tang Clan & Mathematics – Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman.

Dalit Hadass Warshaw, Boston Modern Orchestra Project / Gil Rose – Sirens

Dalit Hadass Warshaw, Boston Modern Orchestra Project / Gil Rose – Sirens

Howard Shore/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Shore : Anthology

Howard Shore/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Shore : Anthology

Quatuor Diotima – Boulez : Livre pour quatuor

Quatuor Diotima – Boulez : Livre pour quatuor

LMNL – Rainbow

LMNL – Rainbow

Strat Andriotis – Exits

Strat Andriotis – Exits

Richard Reed Parry – The Actor

Richard Reed Parry – The Actor

Tamara Stefanovich – Organised Delirium

Tamara Stefanovich – Organised Delirium

Galan Trio – Embrace

Galan Trio – Embrace

Jack Van Zandt – A Chaos of Light and Motion

Jack Van Zandt – A Chaos of Light and Motion

Tommy Crane – Reality Curated: Live at Ursa

Tommy Crane – Reality Curated: Live at Ursa

Thomas DeLio – Anti-paysage

Thomas DeLio – Anti-paysage

No Hay Banda – Steven Kazuo Takasugi : Il Teatro Rosso

No Hay Banda – Steven Kazuo Takasugi : Il Teatro Rosso

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Hypercube – The Force for Good

Hypercube – The Force for Good

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

Duo AYA – Cycles

Duo AYA – Cycles

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Subscribe to our newsletter