After the first acquaintance with Quaristice I had thoughts of such kind: 'Well, again...' or 'What can I say about music which doesn't need any comments?'. But two days later my attitude to this music changed. Maybe the saying 'first impression is the most faithful one' is true to fact but it doesn't concern this duet.I think, it's senseless to repeat banal phrase: 'Quaristice is a very ambiguous album', do you know any 'unambiguous' release of AE?
On the 29th of January Warp made the digital release of the new album in mp3 and flac formats. It includes 20 tracks - rather odd and suspicious fact as the norm of Autechre's studio work always were 8-12 rather voluminous compositions. That's why Quaristice makes the impression of introductory beta-version, hope that it's really so, as in March we wait for new bonus-disc with 11 compositions. But even in this form the album is worth attention, talks about justified or unjustified hopes are irrelevant. As usually, Autechre creates surprising, abnormal, sane and complicated music at the same time. Autechre always makes our dreams come true.
Quaristice's sounding is innovative and retrospective, therefore extremely interesting. At once, listening to "Altibzz" we fall into sad but light ambient- nostalgia, earlier we have been charmed by this sounding on Tri Repetae. Longing for the irrevocable times, we procede going deep into this music - psychedelic "The Plc", discordant "Io" and "PlyPhon" with interrogative intonations. Music of such kind could be heard earlier on EP7 but now it sounds much more freely (because of reverb). In general, listening to the album we hear new spacious, indistinct acoustic caves - pleasant innovations.
"Simmm" is some kind of surprise, so no comments until you listen to it on your own. Wonderful theme on that very place it must be in the album.
"Paralel Suns" and "Steels" - rare architectural patterns, imaginary travel through 'The hall of lost souls'; "Tankakern" sends us to Icelandic duet Einoma (the sound of which, of no doubt, comes from Autechre). Worth mentioning that rhythmical measure 4/4 is rarely used by Ae (personally I don't remeber them to use such 'straight drums line'). Middle of the album falls into resonant technical underground of dark-ambient. Clambering through unstable acoustic piles of "Fol3" we get to the previous level - elastic break-bit mass of "Fwze" and mutant "90101-5l-l", made of bimetal fusion, rather hostile creature, however safe for us.
Repetitive-chaotic "Bnc Castl" can hardly surprise 'experienced' ears, "Theswere" sounds like a reprise for a disc-track, perhaps it is really so. Slowly moving "WNSN" casts associations with EP7 and something hardly understandable but already heard. At last, "Chenc9" - one more G-spot of the album. Wonderful track in every respect - from the first second and up to the last (it's a pity that it's rather short), pleasant 'reference' sounding of Autechre inaccessible for their imitators. In style it's close to Chiastic Slide and Cichli Suite EP (to my mind, it's the most interesting period in the project's life).
"Notwo", "Outh9x" - two ambient-tracks in succession. Autechre hardly ever pampered us with ambient, that's why Quaristice is really something special. The last track is fairly superb, some kind of conclusion: this excursion through the world of 'impossible architecture' is over, we are left in empty draughty corridor. Where are we going now?
- Warp