Unlistenable and pretentious (part 2): Autechre-"Confield"

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I know its got a few fans round here but other IDM fans find it disappointing. I dont know much about Autechre but from what I've heard this is definitely their most difficult album.

― Michael Bourke, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

New lentic parhelic answers!

― Michael Bourke, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i picked this up recently. quite difficult. i tend not to think of the music when i hear "confield" but instead envision weird little scenes full of sound-effect inducing creatures/naturaldisasters/machines/etc. for me its kind of like a bedtime story 2001 IDM style.

― Honda, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the sounds are cool

― chaki, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"pen expers" made me cry. (almost.)

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"but instead envision weird little scenes full of sound-effect inducing creatures/naturaldisasters/machines/etc. for me its kind of like a bedtime story 2001 IDM style"

[!!!] that's funny, because I do that too! Only, not for "Confield" but for Ep7, and I have this entire story line about a robot...

― Emily, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'd like to say this is the new avant-garde classical music, but actually, as avant-garde classical music goes, it's pretty listenable. So, Autechre have made listenable avant-garde classical music, thereby prompting me to grant it status as the greatest album ever made by someone without a 'sky' or 'berg' at the end of his name. Or, it could just be one of the best things I've heard recently.

― dleone, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"the greatest album ever made by someone without a 'sky' or 'berg' at the end of his name"

True - as good as they are, Autechre are still in the shadow of the electronic Master, Andy McClusky.

"Confield" seems a bit leaner and less idea-filled than EP7. Desiccated, even. I do like it though.

― Michael Jones, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Autechre are still in the shadow of the electronic Master, Andy McClusky

Well, yes. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think that in terms of electronica's evolution, it was inevitable -- a very mathematic album that deconstructs rhythms as soon as they begin to establish themselves.

In that sense, it could be seen as not all that creative, since electronica's momentum would eventually bring about such an album. But regardless, I find it to be very beautiful, with all the bass in the background, and I don't find it to be very difficult ... maybe that's a factor of the things I have been listening to in general lately, though.

It's definitely a necessary point for electronic music to reach, though I enjoy a bit more Posthuman's look backwards on The Uncertainty of the Monkey this year.

― Chris, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

did dare just say 'electronica's evolution'?

― ethan, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

And 'mathematic album'!

― Josh, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I like "Confield" because it's the most feral album that's purely electronic I've ever heard. Sure, it could be called masterbatory, but it's such a subtle form of electronic onanism.

(And why the hell is "masterbatory" considered a negative when discussing music anyway?)

― Brian MacDonald, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"(And why the hell is 'masterbatory' considered a negative when discussing music anyway?)"

because masturbation just leads to more of the same, and eventually you reach a rut. look how long it took to dig popular music out of the crusted layers of cockrock stains and guitary wankery in the 80's -- not that the spineless Matchbox-20 clones on U.S. radio these days are anything of a good alternative ..

― Dare, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

-------

for me its kind of like a bedtime story 2001 IDM style.

-------

I was going to skip this thread, good thing that I took a peep otherwise I would have missed another ILM classic album description. Lovely, as good as BoC's "soccer kids, etc."

― Omar, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought 'Confield' was a big let down after EP7 - I have no prob. with breaking down beats and general glitchy chaos, but for me the best AE music retains a hint of melody and yr old glacial beauty, and 'Confield' was lacking in both depts.

― Andrew L, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Have Autechre ever made a non-difficult album?

― stevo, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I haven't heard all their albums, but from what I've heard, I like 'Amber' the best, maybe 'EP7' just as much or only a little less. There's something about 'Amber' that I feel the others lack, but I'll certainly have to listen more to figure out what that is.

― Clarke B., Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Non-difficult = Amber + Incumbala (sp?) too.

― Omar, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Introducing NEW THREAD...

― Brian MacDonald, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Autechre are still in the shadow of the electronic Master, Andy McClusky.

What does it take to get someone to mention Stan Freberg here?

― dleone, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, I'm afraid Autechre have profoundly mis-judged the pop market, again.

― K-reg, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

he hee! yes, i think it is their most difficult album. i also think it is very rewarding. its not my favourite (LP5 still i think) but much of it comes very very close.

Pen Expers in particular, so very abrasaive, yet once you get inside, it is very like BOC, but corrosive, decaying. in this way i like to think of it as the MartinParr/Boring Postcard schtick, but fraying badly at the edges and rusting.

― gareth, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

CONFIELD is just a hybrid of you b-boy roots and experimental sound sculpture. If you love Mantronix AND David Tudor, you'll love Confield. I noticed that is has a weird connection to Chiastic Slide. Something reminds me of it.

A lot of people here have hit the nail on the head, as far as Autechre's Modus Operandi.

― Gage-o, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

According to Ethan, his & Josh's comments "did dare just say 'electronica's evolution'?" were inspired by the sense that mine were "so '97." He didn't post that outright, of course, because at ILM "we're more subtle than that."

Assuming he meant "snobbish," I'll just register my amusement that he's speaking from the peanut gallery for the masses. Otherwise I'll continue to talk seriously with ya'll about music, and leave the Beavis impressions for those that have a facility with the obvious. Cheers.

― Dare, Wednesday, 12 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Back in '97 we thought we were going somewhere. Now it's just down the tubes.

― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 12 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

this is ilx. we're about as subtle as a dildoed performance dummy shooting green gism everywhere.

i'd rather see that than listen to a minute of autechre, anyway.

― fold5_wrap4>, Wednesday, 12 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

chill the fuck out dare!

― ethan, Wednesday, 12 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

How can Jess sing the praises of oval while bitterly condemning autechre as "digital stuttering blather" (or something like that)? Bah. not to dismiss the music of mssr. popp, but i'd imagine if yr accustomed to the kind of listening required to take in a disc's worth of bubbling, gurgling microscopic rhythms and textures you could deal with something as relatively straightforwardly pretty as "pir" or "pen expers" (like Gareth sez, once you git inside, it's all "boring" boc pastoralism), couldn't ya? at least without instant prejudice? course ya could.

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Wednesday, 12 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, I'm chill .. smartass quips just invite more in return, you know? The frying pan, the fire, and all that ..

― =D, Wednesday, 12 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...

word pitchforkman. word!

― olly 360, Saturday, 9 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

and for as far as the melody within autechre; if not on top (as in tri repetae) i think it's always somewhere down further. confield is as good an autechre album as the previous work. and as for mastebation, the limeys call it wanking. and the only wanking i sense that is doing music more bad than good is the star- giving canonising of allmusickish minded comparers. if you listen to confield as an album without precedent, it's a good album. and as an autechre record it's a logical step aside from LP5.

― olly 360, Saturday, 9 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

three weeks pass...

I don't like the meanness on this thread.

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 2 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I couldn't find any

― electric sound of jim, Tuesday, 2 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Just the burbling anger between Ethan and Dare - don't hate, congregate. (God I'm such a bleeding hippy.)

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 2 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

nine months pass...

revive!

i can't believe no-one linked to this:

http://www.norfolkwindmills.com/2001gareth.html

when i got this album i listened to it once and then shelved it until i came across gareth's review; quite how i missed "pen expers" (or indeed a lot of the rest of the album) first time round is something of a mystery to me.

― toby (tsg20), Saturday, 1 February 2003 22:25 (twenty-two years ago)

i like this album now!

― jess (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 1 February 2003 23:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Confield is almost like an ae remix album; the fractured melodies of "pen exper" very possibly derive from "vletrmx21", and "eidetic casein" obviously recalls a wobbly "arch carrier".

― Leee (Leee), Sunday, 2 February 2003 02:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Music for the new millenium? Music for the Übermensch? I made up some kind of theory about how this album could be a step forward in the relationship listener-music.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Sunday, 2 February 2003 22:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I have to admit that I am a complete philistine concerning IDM though. The only band from this genre I know besides Autechre from whom I only know Confield is Boards of Canada. But they are much more easy listening ambient.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Sunday, 2 February 2003 22:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I find Pen Expers especially irritating. It just sounds like a horrible vaccuum cleaner sucking up enormous carpet tacks to me and I don't know why so many people like it.
Eidetic Casein makes me feel queasy and I think it sounds like a million broken soundmachine keyrings playing "London Bridge Is Falling Down" at the same time. Yet loads of people have described it as a beautiful epic journey. I know a new Autchre album takes a couple of ear-retunings but I just don't get these tracks at all.

My favourite one is Uviol but no-one ever mentions that one. Bine is the scariest track ever next to Aphex's SAWII CD2 Track6.

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 3 February 2003 00:22 (twenty-two years ago)

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 3 February 2003 00:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Ack! Every time someone mentions this album, I am forced to put it on just in case, just in case this time I "get it". This has never happened to me before. Normally if I've had an album for over a month and don't really enjoy listening to it then I'll sell it or put it in a box somewhere. But I DO enjoy listening to Confield. I reckon half the enjoyment is the excruciating frustration of trying to get my head around it. Is this a strange statement? Should I be wasting my time when I could be listening to something I KNOW I enjoy? I know I enjoy almost everything Autechre released prior to this album and then blam! It was like hitting a glass ceiling where my ears could retune no further along the bandwidth.

The Mochi Manifesto posted earlier is fucking inspired actually and is helping me make sense of this a great deal.

The previously overlooked Parhelic Triangle reminds me of the room of mirrors in Bruce Lee's "Enter The Dragon". It may be becoming my favourite track on there.

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 3 February 2003 00:50 (twenty-two years ago)

five years pass...

I just got this from the MVE. It is my introduction to Autechre. It had better be as challenging as those upthread intimate.

― 100 tons of hardrofl beyond zings (Just got offed), Friday, 24 October 2008 17:53 (sixteen years ago)

Are you going to liveblog your initial listen?

― I am using your worlds, Friday, 24 October 2008 18:01 (sixteen years ago)

So far, speedy-uppy slowy-downy metallic bouncy-ball noises. Pretty groovy. One and a half minutes in.

― 100 tons of hardrofl beyond zings (Just got offed), Friday, 24 October 2008 18:55 (sixteen years ago)

Oh yeah, the ambienty opening.

― Treblekicker, Friday, 24 October 2008 18:56 (sixteen years ago)

I'm not actually gonna liveblog. More occasionally update when something extraordinary happens. Four minutes in, elegiac plinking overlays the shifting rhythmic coggery. Which is slowly getting more and more aggro.

― 100 tons of hardrofl beyond zings (Just got offed), Friday, 24 October 2008 18:58 (sixteen years ago)

omg this second track is incredible

― 100 tons of hardrofl beyond zings (Just got offed), Friday, 24 October 2008 19:03 (sixteen years ago)

as is 3

i must remember to listen to this on headphones

― 100 tons of hardrofl beyond zings (Just got offed), Friday, 24 October 2008 19:09 (sixteen years ago)

You must be getting near the acoustic accordeon part about now, I think.

― StanM, Friday, 24 October 2008 19:24 (sixteen years ago)

Eidetic Casein is like, uh, absolutely unreal. Sounds like computer-game party music played by elves.

― 100 tons of hardrofl beyond zings (Just got offed), Friday, 24 October 2008 19:35 (sixteen years ago)

In a really good way.

― 100 tons of hardrofl beyond zings (Just got offed), Friday, 24 October 2008 19:36 (sixteen years ago)

update when something extraordinary happens

should have been a thread killa

― El Tomboto, Friday, 24 October 2008 19:37 (sixteen years ago)

I fucking hate post-TR autechre.

― El Tomboto, Friday, 24 October 2008 19:37 (sixteen years ago)

i've got no interest in listening to anything after chiastic slide (but CS is great)

― Jordan, Friday, 24 October 2008 19:39 (sixteen years ago)

ok as the final track collapses into laughably brilliant near-chaos, i have to respectfully disagree (altho i haven't, i stress, heard any other autechre)

― 100 tons of hardrofl beyond zings (Just got offed), Friday, 24 October 2008 19:53 (sixteen years ago)

Gantz Graf (the single afterwards) was the last thing I could abide. Seemed like they repeated themselves from there on in...

― Treblekicker, Friday, 24 October 2008 20:13 (sixteen years ago)

i can confirm, btw, that charles hazlewood would not have survived that

― 100 tons of hardrofl beyond zings (Just got offed), Friday, 24 October 2008 20:47 (sixteen years ago)

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