Navigate Left
  • Update on tuberculosis and meningitis cases

    News

    Update on tuberculosis and meningitis cases

  • Theres nothing wrong with Taylor Swift ... shes just not my favorite artist! AI image generated by Ariana Powell using Adobe Firefly on April 19.

    Opinion

    An alt-girl in a Swiftie world

  • Taylor Swift released her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, in April. Generated by Ariana Powell using Adobe Firefly on April 24.

    Arts & Entertainment

    An alt-girl’s perspective on “The Tortured Poet’s Department”

  • A pair of hands writing down which songs to add to your playlist next to some headphones and a cup of coffee. Image generated by Adobe Firefly by Itzel Saucedo

    Opinion

    Are Metro Boomin and Future’s collab albums worth listening to?

  • A graphic featuring the jeans of college aged students. Designed by Nadia Hill on April 23. Photos by Nia Hill on Oct. 23, 2022 and Sep. 1, 2023.

    Features

    25 years of Denim Day

Navigate Right
Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Study Break: Aphex Twin’s ‘Syro’ album review

aphexTwinStephenRobinson.jpg
Photo of Aphex Twin, or Richard James, courtesy of Stephen Robinson via Flickr.

The usually-inventive Aphex Twin, or Richard D. James, of England released his first all-new full-length album in 13 years Tuesday in the U.S. via Warp Records.

Syro” tries to convince its listeners that time travel is a reality and 2002 is the new present, but forgets that James’ music wasn’t quite this sonically delicious then.

From the first of many pops in the album’s opener, “minipops 67 (120.2)(source field mix),” it’s clear that James is no longer trying to further push the boundaries of electronic music. Instead, he’s embracing simplicity and tight rhythms, maturely building his tracks with layers upon layers of subtleties and nuances to form a beautifully deep, fresh record.

Fans of James’ earlier work might be disappointed with the lack of anything overly-noisy or intense, like ’97’s “Come to Daddy,” or the opposite, like ’99’s “Windowlicker.”

The importance of the new album, however, is the way James chooses to make his comeback after so long. “Syro” is so cold and calculated, it doesn’t need to try to be anything other than what it is: classic Aphex Twin.

Trevor Whitney can be reached at [email protected] or @nicegrandmas on Twitter.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
About the Contributor
Trevor Whitney
Trevor Whitney, Public Relations Team Member

Comments (0)

All The Orion Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *