Aphex Twin - Richard D James Album

To say that I enjoy the work of Aphex Twin would be a huge understatement, I hold his work up on a ridiculous pedestal that all electronic artists might one day aspire to reach. This is probably for several reasons. Most importantly his work is amazing, it manages to be both insanely complex and catchy at the same time. Also his album Druqks was the first electronica album I ever listened to and after that I gained an insatiable hunger for more of his work. The Richard D James album always was one that stuck out in my mind. I think it's because of how personal the whole thing felt. While listening to it I feel as though I'm reading through his secret diary, a series of pieces he wrote for himself that was never supposed to leak out to the public. I've listened to this album more times than I can count and every time I find the experience just as enjoyable as the first time a friend of mine sat me down and made me listen to the album front to back. Listening to it is not a passive experience, it requires you to actively listen in order to comprehend the insanity of sound he produces, and it never feels like a chore. The first track on the album entitled simply "4" remains one of my favorite pieces of IDM I have ever heard

All in all I would give the album a 9.5 out of 10 and say it's a definite must have for the novice trying to get into the Electronica scene.