Album: AFX

The past few years have been a period of consolidation for Richard D James, or the Aphex Twin, or AFX, with albums such as 2003's 26 Mixes for Cash and last year's Hangable Autobulb collating work previously available in other formats. The same applies to Chosen Lords, which collects 10 tracks from Analord Vols 1-11, a series of vinyl-only 12-inches released with minimal fanfare through the course of 2005, which comprised a total of 41 new tracks.

Compared with the broader range of approaches on 2001's Drukqs, James here draws on a much narrower palette of sounds, largely derived from his extensive collection of analogue synthesisers, many of them home-made: the tinny synthetic snare drum, the ethereal drapes of Tangerine Dream-style synth pads, the burbling staccato techno lines and electronic arpeggios.

It's fine in small doses, when one can admire the frisky acid industry of "Batine Acid", or the harpsichord and flute tones of the animated "Fenix Funk 5"; but much of the time James throws away any advantage with his restless chopping and changing, most notably on "Klopjob", where the album's most engaging chord sequence is wasted as he drags the piece off up another twitchy cul-de-sac.

DOWNLOAD THIS: 'Klopjob', 'Fenix Funk 5'

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