Aphex Twin - The Richard D. James Album

Welcome back everyone to my blog. Today, I'll be reviewing Aphex Twin's fourth studio album, The Richard D. James Album. After the rather odd experience that was "...I Care Because You Do", I wasn't really expecting anything very enjoyable from this album, but low and behold, I was pleasantly surprised! Let's dive in deeper...

Kicking off the album with 4. A strong start with a fast, skiddish beat and some violin-like melodies. Some synth pads scattered about, made for one of the best Aphex Twin songs in his whole discography!

Cornish Acid had a harder, but slower beat compared to 4, mixing in some acid-like sounds here and there. Another pretty good track overall.

Then comes Peek 824545201, and this song is all over the place, mixing in synths and fast, squelchy beats. Not the best, but still pretty good.

Fingerbib was the chill song of this album, like the Alberto Balsalm of this release. I had a similiar motif to 4, mixing in violin melodies with a beat, also adding in the background a cool synth. Another great track!

Carn Marth was just all over the place with the pads and beat, not quite the best of songs on this album.

To Cure A Weakling Child is most notable for the fact that it's sung by an actual kid! And it was actually really funny tye first time I heard it. Just plain beats and a kid making that weird *clocc* sound. Love it.

Goon Gumpas was very light-hearted in tone, with a much softer beat, and for some reason gave me "Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory" vibes, probably because of the title: Goon Gumpas ~ Oompa Loompas. For real though, a pretty nice track.

Yellow Calx was pretty forgetable in my opinion, and I didn't find anything special to it.

Then there's Girl/Boy Song, which was something else. It had this fast beat, as usual, but occasionaly switched to a calm, light-hearted melody. Very diverse and surprisingly good!

Finally, we have Logan Rock Witch, which was almost entirely made using cartoon SFX. It filled with weird whistle sounds and boings, and yet was another pretty good track.

So overall, what are my thoughts on this album? It was clear that Aphex Twin didn't take this album seriously, and that's what I enjoy about it. It's so diverse and weird, it fits Mr. Richard's style so well!

this adorable album cover featuring mr. richard

   Favourite tracks: 4, Cornish Acid, Fingerbib, To Cure A Weakling Child, Goon Gumpas, Girl/Boy Song, Logan Rock Witch;
Score: 8/10

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