Autechre – Oversteps review

Artist: Autechre
Title: Oversteps
Label: Warp
Genre: Leftfield
Format: Digital
Buy From: Juno Download

Warp Records stalwarts Autechre return with their tenth, count ‘em tenth, album. Rob Brown and Sean Booth welcome the new decade with the complex and intriguing “Oversteps” – a melodic and strangely emotive album that emits far different sonic vibrations than the duo’s last few full-lengths.

There’s no conscious way one can fully understand the compositional mind of Autechre, you just put them on and know that patience will reward. But with this new album the duo’s vibe will immediately pull you in and have you convinced machines must feel love before opening track “R ess” is done. Their signature clings, clangs, and syncopated rhythms are in full effect here, and with repeated listens they become infectious, full of darkened corners strobed with light. Yet, one wouldn’t call this a beat heavy album at all, the tempo is more composed and subdued, which reveals a definite maturation of their sound and synthesis. All this to say for non-fans: this is Autechre’s most accessible album in over a decade, and for non-non fans: their most solid release since “LP5”.

Tracks “See on See’ and “O=0” are the most heartfelt electronic songs heard in quite some time. They hit hard and true, featuring brief moments of light amidst darker and more heady tracks like “Ilanders”, “Known(1)”, and the fantastic “Treale”. Strongly recommended for all fans of more challenging electronic music. There ain’t no 4/4 here… in some tracks it’s unsure if there’s even any time signature at all, but “Oversteps” is definitely one to check out.

Review: Matt Leslie