Personally, if any release so far deserves its own topic for discussion, it’s this. I finally finished listening to the whole thing last night. I wanted to listen to each section multiple times to let it sink in a bit instead of devouring it all at once. This has been a totally unique listening experience, with the quantity and the density of the material it has been more like watching a TV series than checking out a new album. Just as an example, “All End”, the hour long ambient piece at the end of NTS 4 is teased somewhere in NTS 2. I’m sure there are plenty of other details and arcs across the piece that I haven’t uncovered yet.
NTS 1: I was surprised by how clubby and rhythmic this is by modern Autechre standards. The last hour in particular is really stellar. Even the more obtuse moments like North Sprial (I think) end with an absurd breakdown.
NTS 2: The weirdest of the series for me, but the weirdness is offset, and your patience rewarded by some of the most beautiful ambient material Autechre have ever produced. There are moments that sound like Autechre’s take on Vangelis, or at least should definitely be used to soundtrack some sci fi.
NTS 3: After the weirdness of NTS 2, the first hour of NTS 3 is probably the most accessible material of the whole set, moving from beautiful ambience into tt1pd, which is downright hard, and danceable. It still has the trademark Autechre details, but even at 22 minutes in length this one really feels like it was made to be heard live. From there, the mix spirals into less accessible material, building up for…
NTS 4: Probably the most ambient of the set. Column 13 is almost post-rockish in the way it builds in intensity. The finale of the entire series, All End, is perhaps its highlight. A beautiful hour long drone, which sounds downright transcendental. Rather than being a static hum, it is vibrating and full of life, with the occasional glitchy moment. A track I would love to hear on a system, at a dangerous volume level. You can really float away on this one.
If my amateur ramblings haven’t convinced you to give this a try, I would really recommend the excellent write up at Resident Advisor. Contrary to how this may appear, I am not an Autechre diehard, and this writeup is what made me check it out.
This is a release that deserves to be talked about. Let’s help each other unpick the details, help each other to re-evaluate moments that perhaps didn’t catch our ear the first time round, and share in the moments that really amazed us. That RA writeup is the best review I’ve read in ages. In a time where we can check out most music for ourselves at the click of a button, and decide whether we like it or not, reviews seems somewhat redundant. 8 hours of Autechre on the other hand, is so overwhelming, that having a guide to dissecting and digesting it is totally worthwhile.