3 out of 5

Label: Warp

Produced by: Richard D. James, Kurt Munkasci, Michael Reisman

I never got much mileage out of this EP.  The main track is fantastically bumpy and weird, the perfect bleed from ‘…I Care…’s dissonance to ‘Richard D. James Album’s poppier sensibilities, and – if the track wasn’t also included on the 51/13 compilation – worth the price of the EP.  Which, if we’re going that route, completely negates the need for hunting this down, as the same comp contains the Phillip Glass version of Icct Hedral, which is hauntingly gorgeous, and Pancake Lizard, which I’d cite as the full-on transition to pop; a wonderfully perky conclusion.  The collection only lacks Vaz Deferenz, which is the weakest spot on this EP.  It’s not a bad track on its own, per se, though its straight-forward beats feel more like early AFX than Aphex, and the way it directly pulls bits and pieces from Donkey Rhubarb is oddly straight-forward for James.  Placing it after the title track ruins the pacing of the disc, which makes the transition to Icct humdrum (you tune out; don’t notice the track has started until it’s well underway), which has trouble settling into the disc anyway since it’s definitely more in the ‘…I Care…’ vein.

As usual with me, then, it’s a question of sequencing.  But I also think if they had just ditched Vaz for a later odds and ends collection, I’d be happier with the shorter runtime for a smoother listening experience.  All good songs individually, with two fantastic bookends and an alluring (though a little out of place) orchestral track, and then the one oddball that prevents it from becoming required listening… especially since most of the material is packaged better elsewhere.