Richard D. James Album

Additional Richard D. James Album Information

None of his recordings have captured the competing impulses to lull you to sleep and blast out your eardrums as well as Richard D. James, his third and best album. As the title indicates, James has turned inward for inspiration, painting aural pictures of real and imagined scenes from his west country childhood. "Goongumpas" is a fanciful, playful tune that wouldn't sound out of place on the soundtrack to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. As his adventures with the family upright indicate, James was a bit of a devil even as a child. "Beetles" is the sound of a boy frying bugs on the sidewalk with a magnifying glass, and "To Cure a Weakling Child" shows flashes of the sort of sadism found only on preschool playgrounds. If you still doubt that young Richard developed early on, the romantic Nino Rota-style strings on "Girl/Boy Song" are just made for passionate seductions, and the tune appears in three mixes, each one hot and hornier than the one before.

The raucous undercurrents of even his calmest tunes and the sources of many of his most common sounds are what link James to the rock tradition. With Richard D. James, the artist solidifies his position as an electronic music mastermind who has earned a spot beside such well-respected innovators--whether or not he's destined for stardom. --Jim Derogatis

What Customers Say About Richard D. James Album:

"4" also happens to be one of my favorite tracks on any Aphex Twin album, and is a fantastic song.Whether you're just breaking into the IDM or electronic music genre, or have been a hardcore fan of it for a long time, the Richard D. I love IDM, I love Aphex Twin, and I love this album. James album is a must-listen and, in my opinion, a must-have. The Richard D. James album is my favorite in Aphex Twin's discography, because it's so jam-packed with ridiculous snare rushes, catchy tunes, crazy samples, and just awesomeness in general, all of which makes you want to dance like mad to this crazy, un-danceable music. I never get sick of listening to this album, and I don't think I ever will. It is just 45 minutes of sheer, psychotic brilliance.

As indicated by the running times above, this album is relatively brief, such that it could almost be considered an EP -- the best stuff is found when Aphex Twin mixes frenetic beats with lush melodies. The paragon of that is "Girl/Boy Song", fusing pizzicato strings with crisp, yet at-times sloppy drumwork. Snares flail and assail as the string bite back, harmonic development pulling you in deeper (as opposed to the same thing repeating over and over, which is a common failing with this kind of experimental music)."4" has a delightful, Oriental steppishness to it, with an overall mood that sounds fast and slow at the same time -- RDJ, when he gets it right, is a temporal master of controlling mood through precise sound selection and arrangement."Fingerbib" is another of my faves, its near-pastoral beat tapping along, sounding like the soundtrack to a Flash animation with a humanoid and his pet-something-or-other.Most of the other tracks, however, work as LOLarious jokes suited for Internet viral videos (like the perverted innocence of "Milkman"), but they're not something I've listened to with any great length. I'm fond of experimental techniques melded with hummable tunes, but can't say I like abrasive bursts of noise which don't advance the music.

I know exactly why people rate this much higher than i have. I love listening to these tracks because they're so cleverly made. I respect experimentation in music (please dont get me wrong), and i listen to a lot of music like Merzbow, Sunn0))), Sonic Youth, but when i hear some sounds on this album, i skip a track. Basically, after hearing what Richard D. I'm giving this 3 and a half stars, because a majority of the songs on this album are freakin awesome but it's just those couple of tracks that i could have done without. James is capable of, this just fell short of a few expectations. I'm not criticizing anyone who rated this higher; this is just a personal opinion. But, for example, the high pitched keyboard in "Corn Mouth" and the whilstles in "Logon Rock Witch" just come across as annoying.

I LOVE most of the songs, but there are a couple of songs i dont like as much that drag the whole album down for me. Tracks like "4", "Peek", "Girl/Boy Song", "Yellow Calx" and "Milkmen" are GREAT. I'm not sure what others think of this, but it's just these tiny things that ruin it a little bit for me.HOWEVER, i still think people should buy this. I recommend people to buy "Selected Ambient Works" and "I Care Because You Do" first.

I have the European version of the album so I will be reviewing based on the first 10 tracks. They have got to be 2 of my least favorite tracks from AT. Since I have the European release, I too have a gripe about it's length. I really like this album. Standouts: 4, Fingerbib and Yellow Calx. 4 kicks off the whole album with such a fever pitch that it commands your attention. Intense, fierce, engaging. It's a shame because the remaining tracks are insanely good.

You may ask why only 4 stars. I'll give you 2 answers, Peek 824545201 and Logon Rock Witch. This could have been an EP as it clocks in at barely 30 minutes. Enjoy.

yes, headphones required. definitely headphone music.

it's an electronic spazz-out tempered with lush ambient carpeting for your ears to walk on. weird and wonderful stuff in the shiny metal of this disc.

your aural center becomes the rabbitt hole, and it's fun falling down and down. at times it feels as if you are inside a musical pinball machine and brain is being used for the pinball.

if lewis carroll had dreamed music instead of lunatic books it might have sounded like this. doesn't work quite as well being tossed to you from speakers.

and i recommend it.