Aphex Twin, Say Hello to Plus Instruments: Decius’ latest

Decius Vol. II (Splendour & Obedience)

This eye-catching—dare I say thirst trap?—cover is a good vibe for the music on the album. Who can resist an animal that Appears to be a dog-horse-pig hybrid? So cute, right? Like the dude’s belly, on which one could draw an accurate representation of Earth’s surface. There is the same flavor of bizarreness to the voices and synths.

Qobuz: https://open.qobuz.com/album/vt9wioag0tsuc

Tidal: https://tidal.com/album/386827617?u

Remember Aphex Twin’s album Syro, from ten years ago? It was heavy on analog synths, I think. There is a lot of similarity between it and the new Decius album, in the use of analog(-sounding) synths. Remember Plus Instruments’ album Trancesonics, from a year or ao later? The dis-harmonized clash of Truus’s vocal tracks, on such songs as “Detour Square Dance” and “Obsolete,” made for real wildness. The synths there were much nastier than those on Syro.

There is similar vocal doubling, in a bit of disharmony, on “Queen of 14th St.” the high, high, light voice goes over Decius’ own, already light, high-pitched vocals, and there’s a good bit of tension created between them. The synths are smooth in contrast, like those of Syro.

There are also strong similarities between some of Decius’ self-harmonized vocals, on “Birth of a Smirk,” for example, to some of Thom Yorke’s singing on Atoms for Peace’s Amok, and under his own name on The Eraser. Its sound is that of a lamentation; it is a haunting breeze of gentle phonemes.

I admire Decius’ work on this album. It sounds well produced, and I’ll be first to admit I have no knowledge of music production; the product of their efforts sounds good. It’s not a rote imitation of any of the above-mentioned artists. Rather, it’s a condensation of vibes (a word of the Zeitgeist today) from the atmosphere. It’s a precipitate. It’s a belated crystallization. Not that it’s late; it’s on time for a reflection of these artists in a new generation of musicians.