Rapid Fire Reviews: Autechre, Eartheater, Sewerslvt

 Autechre - Plus

Two months ago if you had told me that Autechre would drop two records of varying intensity I would confidently say I'll take the higher octane of the two, but after putting off the more reserved Plus for a few weeks I found myself even more enamored with it than it's big brother Sign. This record too is over 60 minutes in length but trades out its predecessors shrill synths and jittery percussion for something more sustained and steady. The three tracks on the record that last over 10 minutes each bring not only a unique sonic palette but also a meaningful and ultimately worthwhile progression. While Plus isn't completely devoid of up-tempo moments the mixing aims for a much calmer experience this time around and it pays off big time. Even many of the shorter tracks here let their pulsating percussion patterns unravel around  backing instrumentation designed more to calm than to confuse. With improved sonic cohesion and more effective use of a slightly slimmer tracklist Plus has been one of the bigger surprises of the year for me as it not only surpasses Sign but is increasingly becoming one of the better IDM projects of 2020 in my eyes. 7.5/10

Eartheater - Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin

When I first encountered and enjoyed Eartheater's music it was as electronica focused experimental music project on 2018's Irisiri. But after a few singles it was clear Phoenix was going to be a change of pace and I regret not getting to review the record in full when it first came out. The album is a change of genre from her last outing that sees a stark transition into a more art pop and chamber pop oriented sound with hints of electronica mostly showing up on shorter interlude tracks. The main appeal of the record is Alexandra's bold vocals which often show up alongside stark orchestral instrumentals. The vocals give every song a personal impact that I think makes up for some of the tracks not having a whole lot of flow or momentum. While it isn't an artistic shift I expected I think it works decently well when the instrumentation is simply but purposefully so to take a backseat to the harrowing vocals and personal lyricism. I can't see it appealing to all the same people that Irisiri did but for those that were interested in anything I said in this short review I think the album is well worth checking out. 7/10

Sewerslvt - Draining Love Story

I'll be the first person to admit that when this record came out earlier this year and started making waves in electronica circles I had some unfair preconceived notions about it. From the album cover, to the song titles to the mysterious identity of the artist behind it all I had plenty of assumptions about what Draining Love Story would sound like. As it turns out any guesses I could have made would turn out to be partially wrong because this record has all kinds of different things going for it. Sonically there are fiery drum and bass tracks on here, many house style cuts with no vocals, heavy obscure sampling and even moments of Iglooghost style manipulated vocals. Thematically the album isn't afraid to handle some dark subject matter with some of the samples it laces into these tracks although they are often placed side by side with songs that deliver quite the antithetical peppy energy. While this record is a wild ride and could use some polish here and there it did convince me to start paying attention to Sewerslvt as the things it does right on the record, mainly infusing these electronic songs with emotion and feeling as well as blending together genres seamlessly, it does very well. 7/10