Aphex Twin …I Care Because You Do

Description

The Analog Vault // Essential Listening

Coming in between the groundbreaking explorations of his first two breakout albums and the avant-garde intricacy of his later works, Aphex Twins third record on Warp often feels like the awkward middle child of Richard D. James discography. Despite its modest reception,I Care Because You Do stands the test of time as one of the British electronic musicians most brilliant efforts. Originally released in 1995, this album finds James in a fascinating transitional phase – as he pairs his beatless, symphonic leanings with more abrasive and percussive layers.

Suspenseful, dissonant and abstract,I Care Because You Do is the rare album that combines all of James mercurial moods – ranging from his acid techno and cutting-edge ambient roots; to his drum & bass, post-classical and trip hop influences – into one eclectic IDM package. The Analog Vault

Jamess third album as Aphex Twin, I Care Because You Do was released in the spring of 1995, just a few months after his first greatest hits compilationreleased by R&S Records without his involvementand its similarly characterized by a capricious approach to curation. In a sense, the album serves as its own anthologya time capsule that displays Jamess broad musical interests at what was arguably the peak of his creative prowess.

The tracks that compriseI Care Because You Do, unlike those on Music from the Merch Desk, are annotated with the year of their recording, all between 1990 and 1994. The musics deliberate blend of genres and moods creates a listening experience that mirrors the Aphex Twin ethos: unnerving, disorienting, maddeningly beautiful, and always forward-thinking.

I Care Because You Do might be Jamess most transitory album. Because this unwieldy collection of compositions doesnt fit neatly into any one categorical box, it tends not to stand out as sharply as either volume of Selected Ambient Works or drukQs. You get a little of everything that had (and would) define his sound: futuristic IDM (The Waxen Pith and Moonkid), far-out acid (the cheekily named Acrid Avid Jam Shred, one of the many anagrams that pop up throughout), and the kinetic, jungle-style breakbeats (Come on You Slags!) that would become the calling card of 1996s Richard D. James Album.

Mostly, what one gets here is a bold mix of the ambient textures that made James a critical darling a few years earlier, paired with walloping percussion and bursts of hardcore techno. But there are still cuts onI Care Because You Do of such blistering intensity and commitment to chaos that they rival some of the more pointedly trollish moments on drukQs, most infamously Ventolin, arguably the most headache-inducing, dance floor-dominating dentist drill of a song ever recorded. Loaded with high-pitched blasts of piercing white noise meant to replicate the sensation of tinnitus, its a song that invites you in, even as it forcefully tries to push you back out. That is, until its eruptions of sonic distortion become so overwhelming by the final stretch that youd swear the track was coming apart.

That same level of devilish dualitybetween attraction and repulsionruns through much ofI Care Because You Do, such as the truly unsettling Icct Hedral. Starting with a minute of murky, almost indecipherable reverb, the track gradually builds, layering strings, synth, and bass, expanding and contracting into an immensely triumphant climax, all while embodying the fiendish attitude of the jarring self-portrait on the albums cover. While many prefer Philip Glasss orchestral remix, I personally find that version over-embellished. It pushes the song into white elephant art territory: grand, attention-seeking, and a little overstuffed. Aphex, by contrast, operates better in termite mode, with as few obtrusive elements as possible.

At almost every juncture,I Care Because You Do seemingly establishes some form of internal logic, only to break it: After its most assaultive track, Start as You Mean to Go On, you get one of its goofiest, Wet Tip Hen Ax, with its silly, funky rhythm just bouncing along the mix. And after a chilled-out, deeply resonant song like Alberto Balsalm, theres the dubby Cow Cud Is a Twin, which feels like a lethargic stroll through the countryside.

When you finally feel like you may have gotten your head around exactly what the hell this albums sound or end goal really is, it ends on Next Heap With, a heavenly arranged, beat-free jaw-dropper that closes things out with eerie stillness, as if it were suspended in time. For James, it was a turning point, asI Care Because You Do feels like the moment he fully embraced his own contradictionsmelodic yet menacing, chaotic yet preciseand began shaping the deeply idiosyncratic world that would inform his most iconic work. (via Slant Magazine)

Its kind of hard to put into words just how revolutionary Aphex Twin is. Sure, some of his work can sound pretty commonplace now, but back then, youd be hard pressed to find an electronic artist who was crafting the sounds and beats he was. His first two albums (The aptly named Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1 and 2 retrospectively) were game changers. Two lush albums full of restrained mellow beats and beautiful and sometimes frightening soundscapes. Its easy to say youd be hard pressed on finding an electronics fan who doesnt love them, or at least appreciates what they did for the genre.

But then theres …I Care Because You Do, the sore thumb of Richard D James catalogue. While it acts as a more transitional record, bridging his relaxed and spacey first two records with the chaotic but melodically lush Richard D James Album, its odd mix of ambience and ear shattering beats puts it in a weird place. It feels like the predecessor to the similarly divisive DrukQs in many places and it still draws a mixed reaction from fans. …I Care Because You Do blends two distinct styles. Twitchy Trip-Hop With Ambient flourishes and Pummelling IDM which dabbles into noise and avant garde. Its importance cannot be overlooked. What Selected Ambient Works Vol 1 & 2 did for IDM and Ambient music as a whole, …I Care Because You Do did for the future of Richards music as a whole. After all, he cared. Do you? (via Sputnik Music)

Label: Warp Records
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Bioplastic, Reissue, Repress, Stereo
Reissue: 2024 / Original Release: 1995
Genre: Electronic
Style: IDM, Techno, Ambient, Experimental, Acid

File under: TAV Essential Listening
File under: Electronic // House // Electro // Techno