Let me see if I can collect my thoughts this late in the night.
This album is very intriguing. When I heard it's supposed to be glitch, I went into my first listen with a bit of hesitation and that's mostly because the last Autechre album I've heard recently, Quaristice, with it's clicks and cuts and too much fragmentation, gave me a rather hard time. But, I managed to get into this much easier. I think it's because Alva Noto's Transform is more minimal and employs a bit of industrial noise over or under the relentless electronic beats, tying everything together. So, despite fragmentation there's a sense of the whole. Some parts, those that are the most repetitive (at least on the outside) and noisy, reminded me for a moment of Pan Sonic.
Many of you mentioned that this is a very cold music, and I agree. But, what makes this different from the cold music that doesn't do anything for you, meaning, 'yeah I see this is all very interesting formally, but not really engaging and immersive" ? It's the fact that here coldness is the expression and not just form. I mean, I must say that the second track 'Module 2' is probably the coldest, but very immersive and hypnotizing. The best word I can think of to describe it is not digital or cyber or mathematical or any other non-descriptive word, but
radioactive. The main tone throughout is quiet actually, but so piercing and deafening that it feels like it's shaking your bones. The sensation goes beyond hearing. I don't know why it reminds me of radioactivity, since I thankfully have no idea what it's like to be in a zone of high radiation. But it does.
I've noticed that the first few tracks are very quiet and often start with these sharp, piercing tones carrying some heavy pressure that can be felt in the chest. Underneath is some rhythm trying to develop, but remains fragmented, it goes in and out. In the 'Module 3' this beat finally sets in, becomes driving, even catchy. The last few tracks, I think from 'Module 6' and so on, are louder. There's a bit of that industrial noise and tension. 'Module 7' with its repetition, noisiness and hypnosis reminded me of Pan Sonic the most. 'Module 9' even lets you move a little to the beat.
It seems like this album has a concept of some kind. It starts quiet, minimal and piercing, but gradually becomes noisier, heavier, more driving, with many different electronic sounds battling, richer. You can even dance a little
So this is still my first impression after a couple of listens. Not only it is interesting, it gives a promise that after more listens it will let me fully absorb it, which is something that I need to repeatedly get back to an album.