Sometimes a little bit of organization is all you need to move from good to great. A poorly-organized review is a bad review, and a mystery novel that doesn't understand at least the basics of organization is no mystery at all. Poorly organized albums are almost doomed to fail, but those that show the virtue of competent organization can overcome basic flaws and shine for the good points they hold. Aus has taken old material and given it a fresh face on Antwarps by simply re-mastering and re-organizing the material. The result is a release that has an entirely different feel from its main predecessor, Kangaroo Note, and achieves success where the older release stumbled. A mere shift in organization has created the perfect introduction to Aus's early body of work, whetting the audience's appetite for the more contemporary works of the artist.

The release opens with Kangaroo Note's closer, “Sora,” setting a more up-beat tone for the release from the first few seconds. A rising synth progression create an uplifting feel, and when the break-beat vocals come in, you're bound to fall in love. Though the track is one of the most fast-paced of the release, it still serves as a powerful tone-setter, allowing the rest of the tracks to be perceived through a more optimistic pair of glasses. It's always nice to see everything just a little bit more brightly, if only for a change of pace. The tracks removed from Kangaroo Note were the weakest tracks of the album, and are replaced by “Fukuso,” “Idle Talk,” and “Ausspiel” from Aus's second release, Crowding. These tracks do well to supplement the more optimistic feel of the release, and are prime examples of the artist's skill behind the monitor. The album as a whole ends up coming off as pleasantly as some of the most notable electronic releases of recent memory, like a Japanese Kiln who decided to drop a few layers of ambiance – always pleasant company to find yourself in.  

Antwarps is far too long, however, risking tiring the listener halfway through. I realize that the trend within big electronic releases is to push to the limits of the distributive medium (i.e. release as much music as can fit on one of those tiny silver discs people like me still like to hold), but this often results in the addition of subpar tracks included on an album that could stand without them. This is Antwarps's main problem – the remixes. On a release that is pushing the limits of patience as it is (though held in check by the lovely sounds emanating from it), adding three sub-par remixes is not doing yourself any favors. Suffice to say, the album ends with “Ausspiel” for me – the remixes really destroy the tone and feel of the release, adulterating what could have been a spotless way to introduce the artist. If you're looking for more tasteful Aus remixes in a more proper setting, I'd advise checking out Lang Remixed, because all you'll find here is disappointment.

You can't really blame Aus for the failure here, as it's merely others corrupting what Aus has already done so well. As a whole, Antwarps works as a fine way to re-introduce Aus's older, limited material to the general public, as well as shed even more light on the brilliant Japanese electronic scene. No self-proclaimed fan of instrumental and electronic music would be hard-pressed to find something to love here, and there's everything to gain from giving it a shot. The man can transform a release by merely shifting the organization – how can you ignore a release with this much potential?

-Zach Mills