god, where do i start? i was a lot younger when i got into it (18, to be exact), but to listen to and examine it now, wow. simply put, it is the textures. his really strong albums have that continuity, but this album has a warmth and eerieness that extends throughout the whole album that can't be found in anything else he's done (at least not that collectively). secondly, it's almost COMPLETELY original. he'd shown references to it on 85-92, but that album only hinted on what was to be. there is a track on that album that arguably could fit on the analogue-filled creepiness of "I Care..." ("Schottkey 7th Path"), but as a whole, this album is simply too perfect and thorough from beginning to end.

secondly, it's got "Icct Hedral" and "COME ON YOU SLAGS!", which just about goes without saying. in my opinion, these two are the "headphuq" totem poles that anchor the rest of the warm madness going on. personally, i have a fondness for dark and delirious tones, and if there are melodies that evoke the insanity of his self-portrait on the cover of the album, it is found in these two songs.

thirdly,....i gotta go. but here's a few more of my favs:

The Richard D James Album - cementing his genius once and for all...
Classics - brutal
Selected Ambient Works 85-92 - genius, classic, all that good stuff....
Selected Ambient Works 2 - one word: texture