Scary Cover, Gorgeous Tunes (Richard D. James - Aphex Twin)

Member Name: number63

Product:	Richard D. James - Aphex Twin
Date:	17/01/01 (69 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Flawless

Disadvantages: See above

It was this album that started my passionate love affair with Aphex Twin, and it still holds a special place in my heart for me. Maybe that's also because it's probably his gentlest album to date: it's certainly not anything as frantic or aggressive as its predecessor, "I Care Because You Do". Although it could be argued that his early Selected Ambient Works collections are just as, if not more, easy on the ear, there's something maybe a bit clinical about them, something cold and intelligent, rather than warm and exuberant, which is how I read the Richard D. James Album.

I don't really have the vocabulary to describe what it is Aphex Twin does in his work (you should read the other opinions and comments for that), but his trademark dissonances and skipped beats and all the rest are certainly on display here. Unusually, though, they're often to be found almosty jostling for attention with some delicately beautiful melodies, such as in Girl/Boy song. This is something altogether different from previous works, and stands apart from the more jokey singles that followed, 'Come to Daddy' and 'Windowlicker'.

There's something altogether joyous about this album, I think. There's energy and humour without the stark irony that he's renowned for. You can tell this straight away on the opening track, 4, which almost skips along as if it can't bear to be held back. Similarly, 'Cornmouth' starts off in the same vein, only to be caught up with by backing effects that fuse with the original beat to form an altogether explosive crescendo of furious drumbeats and urgent alarm sounds. Abruptly cut off, however, it relaxes into the slower buildup of 'To Cure a Weakling Child', a gentler track that in a lot of ways addresses the one that has come before, almost replaying it to fit the spirit of the album.

The glorious 'Girl/Boy song', which was released as an EP, is my c
urrent track of choice from the album, however, a simple melody played on strings, which is progressively overlaid with slightly more abrupt beats and rhythms, but is never overpowered by them, making this a peculiarly poignant track, one which shows Aphex Twin's complete mastery of the musical form he works in.

This album remains, even with the enormous amount of listening I've given it, a breath of fresh air and pure joy with each listen. Certainly the most accessible Aphex Twin album you're likely to find, and, in my mind, probably his best. An unfortunate 37 minutes long, it leaves me begging for more every time, but there is absoltley no qquestion, there is no better value for money.

Summary: