Analogue Bubblebath

Whether it's Caustic or Polygon Window, AFX, or just plain Richard James, the man known as Aphex Twin always writes dream-inspired music. Not pleasant, running though a field of flowers dreams, but dark, paranoid, and haunting nightmares. The third installment of Analogue Bubblebath is no exception, and continues in the same demented direction as previous volumes. Describing individual tracks this time around is more difficult than usual, as each track is given a (seemingly) random serial number rather than a traditional title. The only exception is "AFX 6/b," an ambient, electro number that tweets, chirps, and hums with mechanical inspiration. Other tracks range from the sound of stuck machine cogs mixed with phazer fire to scratchy minimal techno to gurgling guttural noises. Frightening but inspired. --Daniel Shumate