Exai (album)
Exai is the eleventh album by electronic music duo Autechre, released on Warp Records. The double album was released in digital form on 7 February 2013,[1] with double CD and quadruple vinyl versions released on 5 March 2013.[2] At the time of its release, Exai was Autechre's longest album to date.[3]
Exai | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 7 February 2013 (download) 5 March 2013 (CD/LP) | |||
Recorded | 2012 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 120:32 | |||
Label | Warp Records WARP234 | |||
Producer | Autechre | |||
Autechre chronology | ||||
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Like other Autechre albums, Exai was followed a few months later by a companion EP entitled L-event. The tracks, all from the same sessions, were conceived of as a series of 12" vinyl records, during which L-event ultimately "became a separate entity" that the duo sees as "interchangeable" with the 12"'s that comprise Exai.[4]
Artwork and Title
Exai (and companion EP L-event) features album artwork by The Designers Republic. Following the album's release, fan speculation included theories that the artwork was based on Conway's Game of Life[5] or binary code.[6] Autechre members Sean and Rob were initially reluctant to discuss the album as they "wanted to see what people could figure out,"[7] but ultimately confirmed that the artwork depicts a heavily-pixelated typography exercise.[8] Exai is Autechre's eleventh album, and the title may be derived from a phonetic rendering of the Roman numeral "XI," or eleven, which also appears in one track title: "T ess xi."
Reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 80/100[9] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [10] |
BBC Music | Favourable[11] |
Clash | (8/10) [12] |
Drowned in Sound | (7/10) [13] |
FACT | (3.5/5) [14] |
musicOMH | [15] |
Pitchfork Media | (5.9/10)[3] |
Pop Matters | [16] |
Resident Advisor | (3.5/5) [17] |
The Skinny | [18] |
Slant Magazine | [19] |
Exai has received positive reviews, with a Metacritic average rating of 80 out of 100, based on reviews from 26 critics.[9] Grayson Currin of Pitchfork Media thought the album had some good moments, but was too long at two hours, and would have been improved by more editing and trimming.[3] Chris Power of BBC Music was more enthusiastic, calling the album Autechre's best in fifteen years.[11]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Sean Booth and Rob Brown.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "FLeure" | 4:51 |
2. | "irlite (get 0)" | 10:01 |
3. | "prac-f" | 4:20 |
4. | "jatevee C" | 4:14 |
5. | "T ess xi" | 6:43 |
6. | "vekoS" | 6:42 |
7. | "Flep" | 6:43 |
8. | "tuinorizn" | 3:40 |
9. | "bladelores" | 12:20 |
10. | "1 1 is" | 7:18 |
11. | "nodezsh" | 8:40 |
12. | "runrepik" | 4:35 |
13. | "spl9" | 7:06 |
14. | "cloudline" | 10:13 |
15. | "deco Loc" | 5:27 |
16. | "recks on" | 9:22 |
17. | "YJY UX" | 8:24 |
18. | "18 (keyosc)" (Japanese bonus track) | 8:57 |
Total length: | 129:29 |
Release history
Country/Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue number |
---|---|---|---|---|
Japan | 27 February 2013 | Beat Records | 2×CD | BRC-365LTD |
Europe | 5 March 2013 | Warp Records | 2×CD | WARPCD234 |
4×LP | WARPLP234 |
References
- "Download 'Exai' now. Pre-orders of 2XCD + 4XLP receive instant digital". Warp Records. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- McGovern, Kyle (13 December 2012). "Autechre Ready Two-Hour, Double-Disc Album 'Exai'". Spin. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- Currin, Grayson (19 February 2013). "Autechre: Exai". Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- Booth, Sean. "AAA - Ask Autechre Anything - Sean and Rob on WATMM! – Page 12". Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- "Autechre Exai Cover Art - Life Pattern". Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- "Hidden Message In Autechre Cover Art?". Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- Booth, Sean. "AAA - Ask Autechre Anything - Sean and Rob on WATMM! – Page 21". Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- Booth, Sean. "AAA - Ask Autechre Anything - Sean and Rob on WATMM! – Page 72". Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- "Critic Reviews for Exai". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- "Allmusic review".
- Power, Chris (15 February 2013). "Autechre Exai Review". Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- Matthew Bennett (4 March 2013). "Autechre – Exai". Clash. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- "Autechre – Exai". Drowned in Sound. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- Angus Finlayson (18 February 2013). "Exai". FACT. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- Steven Johnson (1 March 2013). "Autechre – Exai". musicOMH. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- Tom Fenwick (6 March 2013). "Autechre – Exai". Pop Matters. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- Andrew Ryce (7 March 2013). "Autechre - Exai". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- Mark Shukla (13 February 2013). "Autechre – Exai Album Review". The Skinny. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- "Slant review".