Autechre – SIGN

n Cur- Bonus Track For Japan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kqbu8VSDd4&feature=emb_logo

this album is literally just an NTS sessions bonus disc. MEH.

They made music again. I'm shocked.
Seriously. Melodies, succinct, short tracks (for ae standards), those tasty warm alienbient Oversteps style spaces again, some not over the top glitchy drums, it's like B&B decided to calm their modular shit down a bit and make a coherent album again.
It's still highly experimental stuff, but the blippy drippy melodies on si00 are dreamy. The tiny arps in au14 are actually some of the most playful musical elements I've heard on an ae album in just about ever. The centrepiece is probably sch.mefd 2 with its kinda broken (in a cool way) electro beat over some pulsating squarey synths and roiling lower bass. psin AM is another one of those surprising ae 4/4 tunes with a very subtle beat below some big pads and fm squizzzery, though I wish it developed into something a little ... more?
There are maybe one too many hazy dazy ambient tracks e.g. r cazt, Metaz form8, gr4 BUT I would much rather take these over their last 10 years of output as they are at least pleasant. Take gr4, it's like hovering over a bubbling extra terrestrial liquid river on a far off planet, surveying and scanning. It's evocative without taking ten fecking minutes to actually GO anywhere because it makes its point and ends when it should.
Look, the last 10 years of ae have been a mess as far as I'm concerned. Oversteps and Move Of Ten found them making coherent and interesting melodic musical statements again. Since then it's been too much experimental wankery and far, far too long tracks.
I feel that them putting out just another hour long album on a CD might be "boring" or unexciting for those that masturbated to every second of those bloody too long NTS sessions, but Sign is so much more coherent, says what it wants to say and ends with a satisfying length. And this is Autechre as they should be.

The Designers Republic have done so many great album art. This one is a bit underwhelming.

Great album to my amazement from the live streaming and just as much in my private listen with my own personal copy. With that said, Autechre has mostly been very consistent on their music quality with some variations depending on the listeners taste (my faves being Draft 7.30, Untilted, Tri Rep, and NTS sessions). My only gripe about this album actually has nothing to do with the music, its the horrific and lackluster packaging and art. Designers Republic have declined and declined in quality and substance on alotta Ae albums but this is the absolute worst. There is more to Autechre's sound that can be replicated in visual form than Gatorade orange and magnetic grey ugh!

I am seriously annoyed of the Japan only track CD editions still in 2020
I'm a loyal fan, that owns every CD (albums and EPs) and most of the download only releases
I have bought this new CD from the official store so I don't understand why I should spend a lot of money for an additional track that should be for everyone
These market strategies should be deserved for official store buyers, if any (to be honest I hate any market strategy that deserves additional tracks to selected buyers and not the general public)
So please release the additional track also in the official store. Thank you

Autechre doing a Berlin School tribute album.
. .... ...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/arts/music/autechre-sign-interview.html?referrer=masthead

Booth and Brown interviewed in NY Times, and talking their recording process

3rd time listening to it on vinyl and i am really digging it. Sounds different than other releases & this is good. Does not sound like oversteps at all (great album) & i do not get the comparison some are writing. Autechre are true artists who are way ahead of what i or others think their music should be & they are perfect like that. This is frustrating sometimes (booed them once in a show 🤦 )but rewarding in the end. All i can say is More More More!

SIGN is an initialism - page should be edited.

Great record.