AFX - Analord
Get comfy, 'cause this is gonna be a long one. Welcome back to my blog, ladies and gentlemen. Today, we are reviewing the 11 EP long series, 3 and half hours worth of entirely analogue material, Analord. I'm gonna review this similiar to how I review a Various Works post. Also, I will not be including the bonus tracks released in 2009. So, with that being said, let's go.
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Analord 1:
We start with Steppingfilter 101. Classic acid bassline, but a slower beat, however the stand out feature for me is the trippy, yet catchy towards the start. A pretty decent start to the album.
Canticle Drawl had a saw bassline, and not much else. A lot of the tracks on these EPs are gonna be rather simple.
MC-4 Acid was another slow acid house song, though not as catchy as Steppingfilter.
Bubble 'n' Squeak 2 was a pretty nice track with a very soothing, airy pad.
Where's Your Girlfriend was the first long song of this album. Why am I pointing this out? Well, quite a few songs on here go past the 6 minute mark. Anyway, we have a catchy acid bassline, glitchy melodies and a faster beat.
Grumpy Acid, despite the name, isn't very grumpy. But a nice song nonetheless. Fast beat and a nice bassline.
And we end the first EP with Analord 158b. It has a very buzzy bassline, which studded my enjoyment of the song.
So, overall, a decent start to this behemoth of a project. Not quite the best, but decent.
Favourite tracks: Steppingfilter 101, Bubble 'n' Squeak 2, Where's Your Girlfriend, Grumpy Acid;
Score: 6/10
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Analord 2:
Phonatacid was a ten minute long song, with a surprisingly catchy synth lead and a nice bassline.
Laricheard takes a break from the acid, and goes for a more ambiental direction, with this track featuring mainly some nice pads.
Pissed Up in SE1 was a nice song, featuring some really soothing synths and nice, almost nostalgic melodies.
We end this EP on a high note, with Bwoon Dub. It starts rather mediocre, however it soon turns into a very nice, almost ambient song. The melodies sounded so welcoming, so warm, even nostalgic at some points. This is something you'd put on during a late night drive.
A very strong EP. Every song on here hits hard.
Favourite tracks: All
Score: 9/10
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Analord 3:
Boxing Day starts with chime-like arpeggios and your usual bassline. However, it slowly descends into an ambiental track. Pretty nice song.
Midievil Rave 1 was a short track, with very little to it.
Klopjob uses some interesting percussion, and some very nice pads. A pretty nice song.
Midievil Rave 2 was very similiar to it's counterpart. Short and forgettable.
This EP was mediocre. 2 good songs and 2 bad songs.
Favourite tracks: Boxing Day, Klopjob;
Score: 6/10
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Analord 4:
Crying In Your Face is groovy.
Home Made Polysynth is surprisingly soothing with some very nice pads, and slower beat.
Halibut Acid was a long, but forgettable song. It brings back a few previous melodies from the EPs, but honestly, I didn't stick with me.
Breath March was another OK song. Nothing to really talk about.
Side A is absolutely amazing, but Side B is mediocre. Quite the mixed bag.
Favourite tracks: Crying In Your Face, Home Made Polysynth;
Score: 7/10
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Analord 5:
Reunion 2 starts with an offbeat stuttering of the track, soon bringing in a beat, and then your classic acid bassline. However, it was decent at best.
Cilonen was more beat driven, with some nice pads in the background. Would have fit perfectly around the beginning of The Richard D. James Album.
Favourite tracks: Cilonen
Score: 7/10
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Analord 6:
Batine Acid was an OK track. Nothing that catchy, but decent melodies.
Snivel Chew was very nice, featuring some very weird synth fills, and a fast beat. Pretty nice track compared to the previous one.
I'm Self Employed was another catchy song, with some soothing synth leads, and especially squelchy acid bassline.
2 Analogue Talks was mainly a bunch of weird melodies, with not much direction.
Analoggins was a very boring acid techno song. Didn't find any stand out features to it.
Favourite tracks: Snivel Chew, I'm Self Employed;
Score: 5/10
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Analord 7:
Lisbon Acid hits hard. That's all I have to say.
AFX Acid 04 was also pretty good. The beeps at the beginning are a bit annoying, but apart from that, this is a good song.
Pitcard felt very similiar to AFX Acid 04. A fast beat and nice synth leads. This one also had some very nice pads.
Favourite tracks: All, to a certain extent
Score: 8/10
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Analord 8:
PWSteal.Ldpinch.D reminded me a lot of Vordhosbn from DrukQs, only slower. Nice synths and 707-like beat.
Backdoor.Berbew.Q was another nice track from here. Slow beat, and sharp synths.
W32.Deadcode.A was once again, a nice song, with a slow beat, but this time, the synths were much more soothing.
Backdoor.Spyboter.A was a change, to more acid house melodies, but toned down for a more ambiental feel.
Favourite tracks: All
Score: 9/10
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Analord 9:
PWSteal.Bancos.Q was much more erratic and fast paced. However, I didn't really enjoy it that much.
Trojan.KillAV.E was the same. Loud and fast. Quite the change from the previous EPs.
Once we reach W32.Aphex@mm, we see a repetitive pattern. Not that much creativity here.
Backdoor.Netshadow was a calmer track, with a classic acid bassline and mid-tempo beat.
Favourite tracks: Backdoor.Netshadow;
Score: 4/10
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Analord 10:
Fenix Funk 5 was an OK track, at best. The synths were pretty nice, but the beat wasn't anything to write home about.
XMD 5a was a very nice and soothing song. A slower beat and squelchy acid bassline. Just how I like it!
Favourite tracks: XMD 5a;
Score: 7/10
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Analord 11:
W32.Mydoom.AU@mm was a decent song. Nothing special.
VBS.Redlof.B was very staticy, and overall quite unenjoyable. However, the last minute of track brings in a nice melody.
And fianlly, Backdoor.Ranky.S. Quite a way to end this album. Ominous, yet funky. Simple, but nice.
Favourite tracks: Backdoor.Ranky.S;
Score: 6/10
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