Aphex Twin - Syro

sevenELIXIR · Post by **sevenELIXIR** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 1:49 am

I have to say... this is my favorite aphex album by far. like others, his earlier works were never as easy to digest. either too monotonous to the point of boredom or (on the opposite end) disjointed and grating. syro is excellent, one of the best albums of the year for me and it really caught me off guard. some of the synth lines on produck29 are just.... well, I haven't heard anything quite like it.

lankydoom · Post by **lankydoom** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 3:26 am

Well i have listened to Syro many times now, and the more i listen the more i have uncontrollable fits of pleasure.

Honestly I am blown away by Syro. He nailed it. To me it's one of those situations where everything just comes together and becomes one homogenous entity. I feel it will become quite timeless as he progresses with his music more in years to come.

Not to compare it too much to previous releases under any moniker RDJ has but I am at a point where it's becoming my fave.

MARCHROMT30A edit 2b 96 [104.98] has become my fave track of the year if not my fave aphex track full stop.

It's like Hall and Oates got a spaceship and went off into the far reaches of the universe. When they got back and were asked by science what they saw and did they just hand over a vinyl and say "Here you go, this pretty much sums it all up".

Negamuse · Post by **Negamuse** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 7:02 am

I'm loving this album so far. He sort of lost me after ...I Care a bit, there's only so much manic drill and bass I can get my head round. This one though I don't know if its the slower pace or that he just seems to be wringing every last drop of use out of his gear. It reminds me of the parallel path I'd been wishing he'd taken after "On". (One of the later tracks on the album sounds like it nods to the Reload remix of On I'm pretty sure).

Helios · Post by **Helios** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 2:08 pm

I agree with others in that Aphex Twin historically has been very hit or miss for me. Some of his stuff is just way too grating (like Autechre..heh) but Syro is pretty awesome all around. CIRCLONT6A, Produk 29, aisatsana, and 180db are my favorite tracks. Produk very much sounds like it could be a BoC track.

polar sky · Post by **polar sky** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 4:51 pm

For people who bought this LP from a record store and not Bleep, does it come with a digital download of the album as well? Thanks!

re-phaelam-ed · Post by **re-phaelam-ed** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:17 pm

polar sky wrote:For people who bought this LP from a record store and not Bleep, does it come with a digital download of the album as well? Thanks!

usually tucked in the sleeve somewhere

IanRedpoint · Post by **IanRedpoint** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:30 pm

polar sky wrote:For people who bought this LP from a record store and not Bleep, does it come with a digital download of the album as well? Thanks!

Yes, it does. Mine was bought from a shop and had a card tucked in the sleeve.

el Cerebro · Post by **el Cerebro** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:30 pm

I'm already certain that personally speaking, "XMAS_EVET10" could be the most breathtaking, enchanting bit of Aphex I've ever heard--especially the slow burn of the middle stretch. When that vocal sample hits at 6:20--my god!

I feel like the track (and the album) as a whole really encompasses some of the quintessential elements of RDJ's catalogue--the shimmering ambient strokes of SAW2, the linear, almost motorik drive of SAW1, the rolly, labyrinthine bass grooves of his later Aphex Twin records, the trademark vocal stylings, the ever-present sense of unpredictability, the compositional virtuosity, etc... but all put together in entirely new ways, ways I couldn't possibly have imagined or expected to hear. An artifact like I Care Because You Do (which I surely do enjoy) sounds utterly prehistoric in spots compared to Syro (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).

In all honesty I've loved pretty much everything RDJ has released, but this latest offering is simply mind-blowing each and every step of the way, in a way quite unlike his other albums--already I think it's his best album (I can hardly believe it myself!), and it's fast becoming my favorite.

Man what a thoroughly unexpected treat!

warphead · Post by **warphead** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 7:28 pm

When I play XMAS EVe I get goosebumps, it has that vibe I got from his older records. Deep magic.

Headphase · Post by **Headphase** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 7:38 pm

MY favourite bit of XMASEVE is that bit where you hear richard singing around 7:26

el Cerebro · Post by **el Cerebro** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 9:28 pm

Headphase wrote:MY favourite bit of XMASEVE is that bit where you hear richard singing around 7:26

Oh man I love that bit too, a subtle little segue--the album is just rife with them!

Between Exai, Syro, and Tomorrow's Harvest it's been just awesome hearing some of my very first electronic music loves re-assert their unparalleled mastery these past couple years, especially in this present era of corporate "EDM" superstar-DJ frat-step rubbish.

"Deep magic" indeed, friends... we're a blessed bunch of music enthusiasts right meow!

rolypablo · Post by **rolypablo** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 11:14 pm

XMAS EVE is amazing, the only thing I keep wondering is how it would have sounded to me if I hadn't already played it many, many times on the live at Metz video that appeared a few years ago. I mean I didn't think I'd ever hear it on a record of his. I am am over the moon that it has finally come out, it's an incredible track. But I wish I heard it for the first time on Sunday when my vinyl arrived rather than some grainy Youtube vid.

It's that similar feeling that I get when I think, i wonder what it would be like to listen to Dark Side of the Moon for the first time again? Or Geogaddi or any other song/album I've listened to a million times.

North by North · Post by **North by North** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 1:24 am

Can't wait to get my hands and ears on this. Have just heard some samples, the Japanese bonus track and minipops. Trying to buy local, so hoping to get it soon, but man, this sounds A++. I LOVE so much of RDJ, but am also in the category of give and take on the harsher stuff. This seems to be all take. Call me super excited.

OverTheHorizonRadar · Post by **OverTheHorizonRadar** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:49 am

1. This album kicks ass.

2. I wanna hear Richard's kid's music.

Cupz · Post by **Cupz** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:55 am

OverTheHorizonRadar wrote:I wanna hear Richard's kid's music.

I second.

Negamuse · Post by **Negamuse** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 10:15 am

That sounds like one of those stories he tells from time to time...

Headphase · Post by **Headphase** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:20 pm

I went into 5 record stores in London today and all of them were going nuts over the new aphex album. It was awesome.

re-phaelam-ed · Post by **re-phaelam-ed** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:40 pm

untitled wrote:
d e n wrote:I remember reading RDJ say he wanted it to be but Warp couldn't swing it so they compromised.
Why on earth would somebody prefer digipak to jewel case?

cuz jewel cases eat balls. plastic = bad, plastic scratches up and gets cloudy, jewel cases are cheap and the little fucking tabs always break, as do the the little teeth that hold the cd in place.

TaoTapeTao · Post by **TaoTapeTao** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 7:53 pm

This stuff is so so good. I haven't always been a fan of Aphex, tho he has grown on me a lot in the past year. I always liked the ambient stuff then got into his other albums, but I have to say, Syro seems to be his most professional, mature release I've heard from him as of yet. Though his clever bastardiness is still hidden in there, it's less in your face and pranksterish, and seems more about making a very coherent final result and therefore is really beautiful. Also all the music has a very similar constant, sprawling, amorphous feel to it which I really like.

untitled · Post by **untitled** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 9:19 pm

Pizza guy (Anthony Fantano) gave it a review:

Seems that for peeps who think that musicians are slaves and everything should be about the listener, it's worth a 6.