Aphex Twin
“minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]”
Syro (out 09.19 on Warp)
After 13 years in the woods, Da Gawd Richard D. James is finally ready to grace us with another full-length effort, his sixth. Our first taste of it is this aqueous, surprisingly accessible affair, especially when you consider his last LP, 2001’s challenging Drukqs. James mixes up a buoyant bass-line, heady synth filigree, and a disembodied vocal to form a stunning five-minute opus that cries out for repeat listens. It’s exactly the kind of piece so many hoped for, in that it sounds like James is mining new territory, while staying true to his Aphex Twin-osity. James has never been a singles artist (save, perhaps, the timeless “Come to Daddy”), which fills me with hope that the rest of Syro will live up to this high standard. Bring on the 19th.
