Despite their prowess with programming,
Sean Booth and
Rob Brown have been critics' darlings since the birth of IDM because their music is interesting -- not just innovative. Whether long ("Bike") or criminally short ("Eutow"), early
Autechre tracks gained praise because they were brilliantly moody and memorably melodic.
Oversteps, the duo's tenth full-length in 20 years, is more of the same (in a good way). Introducing the record is "R Ess," which reveals just a hint of the cavernous atmospherics highlighting the album. Make no mistake, the beats are coming, as is the dread synth (that sounds like The Terminator reborn), but it's all done in the context of music that is as engaging as it is experimental. Even on "Qplay," one of the most jarring tracks with its continual clash of beats and effects,
Autechre find the beauty in technical rigor.