seven

"peel sessions 2" was a pleasant surprise from autechre. previous "ep7" was a little too tame for my taste, and at the same time I was cautious to see how "the masters" could come up with something comparable with the abundance of idm releases out there.

this four-track vinyl has tracks that are melodic(!) and at the same time take through the usual rigorous "mind gymnastics" autechre has been always famous for. opening "gelk" shimmers with simple minimal keys (that actually give this track *emotion*) that soon enough get surrounded by a usual bleepy, cut-up splintery sounds. deep bass humming adds a nice depth to the music, while broken techno rhythms overlaid by atonal shifting, fading chaotic elements build a strange surreal yet very dynamic atmosphere. "gelk" goes through quite a few changes, mutating and switching tempos and moods. this track is actually "fun" - something you would not always say about autechre.

"blifil" starts out with rather aggressive minimal rhythmic workout. hyperkinetic punchy percussion is sprinkled with sparse chaotic bleeps and clicks. this rack is definitely the most dynamic and aggressive one on this record. following "gaekwad" is mysterious broken jukebox fun with bouncing sliding percussion, plenty of bizarre noises and softer keys and humming percussion that adds overall structure to this track. at times it is almost strangely melodic featuring fading strings and gentle keys. closing "19 headaches" is familiar atonal disjointed mass of sonic elements piled on top of each other that make this track more of an "intellectual" fun than anything else.

overall I am very pleased with this record; it is never overly dry or mechanized, at the same time carrying a lot of "intellectual" value for the eclectic listener. I appreciate the composition talent of autechre that is able to bring together into one mix all those seemingly disarranged elements and create a track with a distinct feel and atmosphere.