AFX (Aphex Twin)
Analord 5
Rephlex

This one has only 2 songs, one for each side: "Reunion 2", and "Cilonen". "Reunion 2" opens with more out of tune bizarreness that so far has been a key to Analord. Richard D. James uses 2 different tempos at the same time here, making it that much rummier. The MIDI-drummachine beat that drops after the out-of-key-and-time intro is awesome and grounding. Here D. James ups the ante on the tempos. Out is the mid-tempo so prevailent in Lords 1-4 The fucked-up 16ths are still here though, in full form. The bassline in this song is actually quite melodic, and grounds with drums.

The B side begins with another melodic rhythm-bass and a strait 2-and-4 snare. The thick synthesized harmony is beautiful in "Cilonen". An incredible hi-hat comes in strong at 1:32 as other drums subtly enter the mix with the 2 step snare. This song is great mixtape material; it oozes a character archetypical to AFX.

Analord 5, through its 2 songs, moves the adventure of the Analord series in a direction unpredictable: one that is leading to the core of AFX.

Post Script: Here's an other good little review of this record: click!

Copyright © 2005 Burnis Hensley