APHEX TWIN

Cheetah

On a lot of Aphex Twin’s previous EPs, the material besides the lead-off track has been fairly forgettable: “73-yips” from the On EP isn’t going down in history, nor is “Pancake Lizard” from Donkey Rhubarb, or Windowlicker’s “Nannou.” This isn’t to say that they’re poor songs, but they boast very different flavours from the release’s title tracks, and are generally upstaged by them. In this respect, Cheetah breaks the pattern. The hugely differing styles between tracks have been replaced with a uniform sound throughout, so that it feels like a real body of work; that’s the good news. Unfortunately, the reason that nothing is overshadowed on Cheetah is because there’s not much that casts a strong shadow. “CIRKLON 1” is a touch meatier than “3,” and bonus track “2X202-ST5” has an acid-tinged bass line that leaves a lasting impression (even if it’s too little, too late), but as a whole, Cheetah mostly plods past unnoticed. Aphex Twin has made a good move here by giving a similar feel throughout the EP, but instead of having a few so-so tracks alienated by a standout one, the entire release ends up being fine but unremarkable, especially when pitted against the behemoths of his back catalogue. Fans of Aphex Twin’s drowsier material will find plenty of joy in Cheetah, but even they might find it fading into the background. (Warp, warp.net) DARYL KEATING the well-received single “Haunted Paradise,” bringing to mind fellow dark-night-of-the-soul Canucks like the Weeknd and dvsn and proving that male Canadian R&B hasn’t yet hit peak oil. But Fleming’s debut LP, named after his year-old single, finds the young Montrealer refusing to lean on the trail already blazed for him; the 11-track album is heavy on the freaky, but not in the way you’d expect. On tracks like “Permanent Smile” and “Nothing Else,” Fleming allows left-field rhythms and alien sounds to infiltrate his smooth, tempered delivery. On “Glow in the Dark” and “Holding On,” Black Atlass utilizes a simple acoustic guitar strum, guiding each song along, while “Summer Time” comes off exceedingly sparse and experimental, showing just how many tools Fleming has up his sleeve. Closing track “Exit,” with its Tracy Chapman-style vocal quaver, Scott Walker atmosphere and Radiohead-