Exai (studio album) by Autechre

If you don't rate this a 9 or a 10 then listen again, and again and again.. One day you will get it.

"Exai" feels like the ultimate amalgamation of Autechre's previous discography whilst still pushing forward and inhabiting its own world. Yes, it's 2 hours long, but it more than justifies its running time. I'm glad they pursued a more aggressive glitchy sound whilst building on their work from the mid to late 90s, rather than retreating to middling ambient like the previous 2 records. In short, it's a complete success and their best work since 2003's "Draft 7.30"

After finishing this album, I have to say this was a fun and crazy album. An album that is so blobby and detailed but still gets in your head.Not only do the glitch portions remind me of albums I need to get like Mysteries of Funk and Velocity:Design:Comfort it also give me an alien vibe like Metroid Prime 2 and something completely abstract but tangible. Something that Cosmogramma wishes it had. Need to continue my journey with Autechre's music.

A very mature record with a lot of depth. Some may find its length off putting, but with the variation and nuance in the production, I find myself coming back often and finding new things to love. obvious standout track in bladelores.

Autechre's best album in a while; not as meticulous or detached as they have been in the past, but it manages to combine intricate fragmented beats with a murky, reverb heavy atmosphere that is quite memorable. Bladelores in particular is incredible.

From Madadude 04/14/2013 20:14

Its starts off great, and I guess I could say all of it is quite good, but it reaches a point of repetitiveness that is made worse by its 120 minute run-time that it just doesn't make it as good as it deserves to be.

From ProfessorSquid 03/31/2013 18:37

Not their best, but it's always nice to hear a new Autechre release.

I'm not entirely sure the length is justified as I feel a few of the tracks could be removed to make it more concise and not as tiresome. Still, it's a great album with plenty of detail and intrigue. I've been reading that this album is not an easy one to get into, but I'm not sure that's entirely the case. If you enjoy experimental electronic music or glitch then this should shouldn't feel too alienating. With all that said, this is my first encounter with Autechre so I don't yet know how it compares with the rest of their work, but this is album is a complex and chilly adventure.