- Critic score
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The Analord series... proved that James was still capable of brilliance -- not just scattered brilliance, but consistently excellent and occasionally stupendous work.
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There are several places where the disc seems to lapse into very familiar territory, and at other times it definitely feels like it's coasting a bit.
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It’s a step backwards for sure, but a worthwhile one.
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Chosen Lords is... a nostalgic, fun listen for longtime fans and suitable point for new listeners to become acquainted with Aphex Twin’s twisted catalogue.
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The dark malevolent genius of "Windowlicker" may be lacking, but Richard D. James still walks that line between the accessible and the downright filthy.
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Really, these songs are dance tunes, and the proper place for them is in a club at high volume. Listening to them at home is, to be honest, somewhat disappointing and perhaps does the tracks a disfavor, because they're not that detailed.
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MojoWhen it comes to making smart, mischievous electronic merry, no one can touch him. [May 2006, p.105]
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New Musical Express (NME)'Chosen Lords' is proof of Aphex Twin's uncommonly rude health, artistically-speaking. [15 Apr 2006, p.33]
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A brilliant collection of spanking, multi-layered tunes.
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Even if everything here is already familiar to Analord watchers, it's a welcome return.
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No-one makes gizmos and machines prong like fruity tuning forks as well as this man, nor do they construct such vivid atmospherics with such cunning simplicity.
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Over the course of 10 tracks and 56 minutes, Aphex Twin proves that music can be memorable without hooks or readily identifiable melodies.
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Q MagazineIt's true that none of the tracks here quite scale the heights reached early in his career.... But... James is at least trying to move beyond what he's achieved already. [May 2006, p.124]
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SpinRecall[s] his greatest '90s-electronica work. [May 2006, p.91]
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James may not have broken new ground here - much of Analord is redolent of his earlier work - but this should satisfy his followers until he decides to become Aphex again.
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The WireThere's less sense of puzzle and struggle than we're used to with Aphex Twin... but Chosen Lords is certainly meticulous and absorbing. [#266, p.51]
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Rather than slashing and burning through new territory, Chosen Lords merits attention as a charismatic history chronicling the evolution of James' musical identities.
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UncutWithout the scuffed overload of his teenage releases, it's obvious that these are newly minted. [May 2006, p.98]
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UrbUntouchable. [Jun 2006, p.117]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 40 out of 44
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Mixed: 2 out of 44
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Negative: 2 out of 44
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PostModernVancouverBowieMay 20, 2006Aphex Twin remains musics most creative artist. He has been musics most advanced artist for 15 years now and is simply untouchable!
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Sep 3, 2011
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KomatsuNov 3, 2006