All the songs are named after colors, for reasons not explained. The album title is a dedication of sorts to those Jesse knows who use ghetto PCs. He wants the music to be dedicated to their difficulties in using a near-broken, way-too-old computer. As someone who had a very ghetto pc until a few months ago, I relate completely to this sentiment.
The music shows that it wasn’t written on an old computer. Each song shows off a real flair for flexible, beat-heavy music. “Red” uses Autechre’s technique of starting with near silence before it blasts off. Little melodies are thrown in as decoration, but there are a few pivotal moments where they take center stage.
Most of the highlights are front-loaded in this album. Chaotic melodies take over in “Orange” and a pulsing rhythm rules over “Yellow”. But towards the end O9 treats us to probably one of the best tracks on here “Grey”. Here the melody slowly decays under so much distortion, only to be revved up again. This is an absolutely wonderful piece.
What takes away from these tracks' energy are the longer tracks. Those longer tracks lack the immediate impact of the shorter bits, and, had they been removed, might have resulted in a leaner, meaner album.
Of course, for an artist who had released so little that is a minor concern. The album hits all the right spots, and it is a bit of a shame after this Schematic fell by the wayside.