Untilted

''Untilted'' is the eighth studio album by the British electronic music duo Autechre. It was released by Warp Records on 18 April 2005 in Europe and 19 April 2005 in North America, and by Beat Records on 9 April 2005 in Japan. The album charted at 199 in the UK.

According to critics, ''Untilted'' maintained a greater focus on consistent beats and rhythm compared to Brown and Booth's other works like '' Gantz Graf'' and ''Draft 7.30''. The album received mixed reviews from critics, with some enjoying the melodies and ideas presented, and others thinking the music was unenjoyable and alienating.

Music

''Untilted'' has been described as abstract, electronic, IDM and experimental. Repetition was noted by critics as a large focus point of the album. In comparison to the duo's other works, such as ''Draft 7.30'' and ''Gantz Graf'', ''Untilted'' has a greater focus on rhythm and consistent beats. Collin Buttimer described the album as being "very much fascinated with rhythm and metamorphosis". Tracks throughout the album often evolve into something different than how they opened.

Opening track "LCC" begins with a fast tempo and a forward-driving structure, before the tempo later slows down with the focus shifting to the melodics of the track. "Ipacial Section" establishes a "frantic" rhythm, with different elements being introduced over time, until the track " oundsmuch different than it did to begin with". "Pro Radii" begins with industrial sounds, which a ''Pitchfork'' review compared to "stomping through a foggy alley using meter-thick blocks of iron as shoe souls ". The track also features contrasting "booming bass tones" and "smaller, staccato click-beats".

"Augmatic Disport" uses rhythmic patterns and "jittery drum'n'bass stutters" to create an effect that is "simultaneously nightmarish and exhilarating". "Iera" makes use of ambient electronics, which are "tinged with a schizophrenic twist". "Fermium" progresses from fast-paced and energetic sections to slower, more subdued passages with synthesised sounds. "The Trees" borrows elements from rave music, and begins with frantic percussion, eventually evolving to "dizzyingly complex heights" before "dissolving in static". Closer "Sublimit" was originally one of Booth and Brown's longest works. It contains "beats wrapping furious trails around each other faster than the mind could follow".

Reception

''Untilted'' received mixed reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which aggregates scores from mainstream critics, ''Untilted'' has an average score of 69 based on 20 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews.

Writing for the ''Austin American-Statesman'', Jeff Salamon noted the "wealth of sonic detail" after the "roadblocks" and "obstacles" throughout the album. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, John Bush noted how Autechre "certainly eren'tlaunching any new styles", but the album " epresentedthe duo returning to the green fields of their youth". Joshua Klein of ''Billboard'' noted how the duo had found a middle ground between science and art. Writing for ''Exclaim!'', Heidi Chapson wrote there is "something unsettling and disturbing about the erratic heart-palpitating beats of Untilted that makes it too intriguing to just ignore". T'cha Dunlevy of '' The Gazette'' noted that the album was "music for electronica sleuths ready to work for their epiphanies" and that the duo were not "concerned with your comfort zone". In a review for ''The Guardian'', John Burgess said Autechre were "sounding too much like themselves".

Writing for ''The Independent'', Andy Gill called the album "the electronic equivalent of Tourette's". Through the use of a skit, Dominique Leone of ''Pitchfork'' said ''Untilted'' was both moving and had a "pretty messy, lazy form". Tim O'Neil of ''PopMatters'' said the album didn't have "a lot to grab on to" for casual listeners, but more dedicated fans would be "significantly changed by the experience". Writing for ''Stylus'', Scott McKeating said the duo may have succeeded in blending human feeling and machine-like precision in their music, which wassomething that many electronic musicians often fail to achieve. Darryl Sterdan of ''The Winnipeg Sun'' noted there was "occasionally the sensation of a human hand, head and heart behind the machinery".

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes.

* Rob Brown – production
* Sean Booth – production
* Noel Summerville – mastering
* Alex Rutterford – design

References

External links

''Untilted''
at the official Warp discography (features audio clips).

{{Authority control

Autechre albums
2005 albums
Warp Records albums