Review Summary: An uneven, yet enjoyable record that showcases both the undeniable beauty, and some of his harshest constructions.
Aphex Twin-
Come To Daddy
Aphex Twin is a rather eerie folk, as most electronic artists are. He's a genius, and all genius's are mad. Screaming, and complex terror is often at the brink of his genius, and right along side it is a beautiful, yet still scary horizon. When they work together, they can eat you up and zone you out into a distorted, and ambient harmony. When they don't work together, they can eat you up and spit you out feeling confused, and maybe a little pleased with the ride. Never more certain is the later statement, than on his Ep,
Come To Daddy.
Come to Daddy shows Richard D. James cutting his work into two sides; one side is a very textural side that uses steady but not overtly complicated beats and various drum, and piano loops. The other side, however, shows James going deep into the lake of insanity, and surfacing with some creepy, yet often enjoyable results. The first
Come to Daddy song, the Pappy Mix, is possibly his heaviest song with an underlining drum beat, and a very distorted rhythm. The vocals come through just as distorted as the vocals do. Hardcore Techno influences are apparent throught the song, but with a larger hint of experimentation. The experimentation of the song does not overshadow the horrifying and Industrial mood of the song, but the experience is interesting enough to take a listen or two, if you're in the heroic mood. The second Come to Daddy mix, Lord Faulteroy, is led by a very simple drum beat, and an eerie vocal that sings "
ooh you dirty, dirty boy, dirty dirty boy". It's not as funny as it is creepy, but it still shows a bit of non-seriousness, in contrast to most of Aphex Twin's dark ambient work.
But the distorted experimentation is not found everywhere on the record. The most brilliant song is probably
Flim, a track orchestrated by a beautiful Piano loop and a distorted, yet fitting drum beat. It's ambient, but not overly ambient, and manages to keep that bit of focus alive. Another beauty is the longest track,
Bucephalus Bouncing Ball. It features a few time changes but sticks to the overall lush textures. He continues to brink that beautiful, yet focused sense alive on the fragile melodies that ensues beautifully on the closer, IZ-US. The beats are interesting, and the ambient piano tracks keep the song alive, and touching.
While the album is eccentric and pretty varied, it still is slightly bland. The major reason is that the album is uneven, there are no tracks that connect the opposing sides of the record. The distorted and often scary tracks bump right into the melodic and pretty tracks. It makes the listening experience somewhat of a roller coaster, and not always in a good way.
