Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2 (33 1/3) Paperback – February 13, 2014

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about one of my favorite albums of all time.There were a lot of stories that I previously knew, but never understood the context behind them (such as the pictures corilateing with the track "names"). Mr. Weidenbaum looks at every minute detail of what makes this album truly magnificent and dissects them in a thoughtful way. Initially I was a little concerned that by reading all of the aspects that lead up to it's creation, it would somehow tarnish the magic of this album, however that is not the case with this book (If anything it augmented it!) I highly recommend to any Aphex Twin fan (any anyone who appreciates music for that matter).

It's not full of revelations on the album from Richard himself, but it's a good easy read about the circumstances surrounding him signing to WEA, why the album is so different from the rest of his catalogue, the impact it's had, etc. The writing can be a little dry sometimes, but still a good analysis overall.

I'm impressed by this book, as it comes close to embody what I want the 33 1/3 series to be like: an insightful, written documentary that shines through as a labour of love without losing its journalistic cool. Weidenbaum nails all this with an album I thought was very unlikely to appear in this series in the first place. I think I laughed when I first saw the announcement for it. Yes, I'm impressed. I hope he writtes about an Autechre album next, or Stereolab's Transient Random Noise Bursts With Announcements. Please!!

More than just a track-by-track descriptive essay, Marc Weidenbaum's recent entry in the 33 1/3 series is collection of thoughtful, interrelated essays that also delve into the behind-the-scene activity relating to the creation of Aphex Twin's classic album (as well as the electronic music scene in general) and shows how this album has influenced other aspects of our culture (film, dance, classical music, etc.).

perhaps reflecting the author's nationality, i felt this was a little too american-centric. it focussed too much on the american distributor of saw 2, and how that label dealt with it, and not enough on warp or rdj himself and putting the album in the context of what was happening in the uk at the time. it felt strangely detached as a result, and thus a little underwhelming.the discussion of the album's content, and what ambient/"beat-free"/minimalism means, was excellent, so it was somewhat disappointing that the more practical side missed the mark. i know rdj can be recalcitrant when it comes to the media, but not having a more recent discussion with him (or with people from warp, or with any of the plethora of artists who sprang up after him) hurts this book.

These 33 1/3 books are always a mixed bag since you don't know what angle(s) the author will choose to take. I consider this volume on Aphex Twin's SAWII one of the better ones because of how Weidenbaum positions the album in the context in which it was released. The early- to mid-1990s were a time of strange popularity for all kinds of electronic music (even though electronic music has been composed since the 1960s and continues to be composed now) and SAWII is one of the strangest albums within the period because it bucks so many of the trends of the time: it's not dance music, it doesn't "rock", it's not showy in terms of composition or performing skills, yet it's also unlike the happy/dubby/bubbly ambient music of The Orb, FSOL and other '90s contemporaries.If I am disappointed in one thing about Weidenbaum's book, it is that he spends so much time talking about what this album is *not*, at the expense of spending more time talking about what it *is*. I would have liked to read more of a track-by-track breakdown/commentary, but as it is, the author only discusses 7 or 8 of the album's 25 pieces at length. (There is also no discussion of how the music was made, but to be fair, I did not expect that since Richard D. James is famously secretive about his methods.) I still enjoyed the book, however, as a snapshot of a period in the history of electronic music, as well as a welcome prompt to revisit a favorite album with fresh ears.

Marc Weidenbaums "Disquiet"-Blog, which covers music aside of the mainstream, is on my daily reading list for quite a while. I couldn’t think of a better author for Aphex Twins monumental album. Highly informative, profound analysis and also a good read.

If you're an Aphex Twin fan, or just a fan of ambient music, you'll really enjoy this book. The extent of Weidenbaum's research is readily apparent, but his engaging writing style keeps things moving. This is one of my favorite volumes in 33 1/3 series.