On of the best work on electronic since Aphex Twin ! James Holden have no label, his inspiration comes from his depp soul. Free to talk and collaborate with strong musicians.

anyone else has the side D sticker on both C & D sides?

That 10101!!!! Brillant track : electronica, dub and minimal melodic at their best, creative and not boring. Timeless compared to so many others.
Effects, stereophonic depth, so simple and complex at the same time. A Masterpiece!!

When i listened to this album for the first time i was expecting musics like" bloodlock" "i have put out the lights", "kaern turned", "solstice" and "nothing", instead i hear a new side of James holden, it was a deception at a first listening, but after listening to this album a few more times i end up enjoying this dark album, i don´t know how some people find its musics weird, honestly i think the musics are quite acessible and simple to assimilate,its dark melodies are usual in Electronic music, so there´s nothing awkward about it. Its a pity that this album is short and includes a blank track ""intentionally left blank" wich i think it occupies unnecessary disk space, besides it turns to be a uncomfortable silence of two minutes, it feels like wasted money on this pseudo-modern art track. I find this album very satisfying untill the track 8, the final tracks i find them more ordinary lacking melody, dynamic or any consistency in its expression. My favourite tracks are "Lump", "Flute" and "Lumpette". The only reason why i don´t give the max rating to this album is because i find it short and with some track that are not enough satisfying, i hope James Holden is working on a new Album whether is dark or progressive house. James is one the best artists when it comes to do remixes such as "Fine day, "The sky was pink", "the darkest star", "inner laugh" and many other remixes wich i find amazing placing James as one of the top remixers. I hope James Holden is producing a new album, and i hope it will be a more varied album, more extended and more satisfying than this one.

I remember listening to this in a record store the first time back in the days, I didn't bought it because I didn't understand it, nevertheless a few weeks later I bought it, thankfully, and then I listened more intently to it... and it really opened doors in my way of understanding electronic music.
I hope that someday I can give him a big hug for what he gave to me with this record.

6/5

When a track like the densely textured "Lump" kicks off an album, you know you're in for a treat. And that's exactly what James Holden's THE IDIOTS ARE WINNING is. "10101" is spartan at the start, but once the synths come in, it becomes like an electric ocean, with waves of crackle and synth ripples. "Corduroy," on the other hand, starts ticking away into acid-like wobbles, while the ambient, atonal "Flute" accumulates layers of noise and feedback. "Idiot" takes its steady thump through several tonal variations, while its sister track, "Idiot Clapsolo" is a slightly stripped-down version. "Quiet Drumming" ends the album with a heavily-filtered rhythm track, almost a counterpoint to the tracks elsewhere. The album as a whole: a musical smörgåsbord.

One of the best electronic albums yet. It breaks boundaries and creates something truly unique. A master piece, a true musical composition. I think Holden deserves praise for this album...Consequently I find it strange that its being criticized by people for being too experimental and what not. Is this not what electronic music is originally about?

The only ways for things to improve is by testing the limits. This album does just that and the result is some of the best melodies I have heard yet.

A must have.