Search - Squarepusher :: Just a Souvenir (Dig)

Headphone Commute Review

Headphone Commute | 09/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With his twelfth album, Tom Jenkinson takes even a further departure from his staple Squarepuher sound of broken beats atop slapped bass and twisted triggers of the Amen Break. Warp's own store, Warpmart, categorizes the album as "Drum and Bass / Breakcore / Electronica", but I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth! (kind of misleading actually). Just A Souvenir is more in the realms of experimental rock and future jazz, with a touch of electronic treatment and a few very tasteful drills, where Jenkinson continues evolving (as a true musician should) in his experimentation with abstract accompaniment of acoustic instruments (mostly his custom built 6 string bass guitar once again) and drums that effortlessly morph between organic and digital. With Just A Souvenir, Jenkinson introduces an element of early garage rock, with vocoder and all, and reminds us once again of his amazing instrumentalist skills. First thing's first - I like it! And after only a few listens, the melodies come back haunting me later during the day. A true sign that I will return to the album! Just A Souvenir opens up with a track titled, Star Time 2 (makes you wonder about its first part) with a fun funky synth/clavichord melody and light beats. From then on Squarepusher moves into improvisational, jazzy, and effected bass slaps over barely comprehensible vocoder blurbs. All of it is truly of psychedelic nature with sparking notes in a kaleidoscope of white, red, green, blue and yellow. On his site, Jenkinson explains that "this album started as a daydream about watching a crazy, beautiful rock band play an ultra-gig." He then goes on describing his fluorescent trip which included an Eskimo on the drums and a classical guitar player that could speed up and slow down the time in his vicinity. I recommend you read up on on Tom's blurred delirium before embarking on this trip. Then bathe yourself in this album which is the interpretation of Jenkinson's memory of the daydream which he held on to as a souvenir. Running at (only) 45 minutes long, Just A Souvenir picks up where Hello Everything left off, becoming more organic with every track. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you'll enjoy this rubber band trip through time. Only the way Squarepusher could. Just A Souvenir hits the streets on October 27th (2008), and is currently available as a digital download (in FLAC as well) from bleep dot com."

If Musicisrottedonenote was Squarepusher's jazz fusion recor

Vinnie C. | Columbus, OH USA | 12/08/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Just a Souvenir is his punk fusion record, and I'm quite certain that no one has ever sounded like this before. At points, Tom is clearly imbellishing on his bassy jazz sounds of yore (see Feed Me Weird Things and Hard Normal Daddy), but as the record progesses, we find ourselves listening to an alien sound, one that seems to combine the efforts of Einsturzende Neubauten, Kraftwerk, Miles Davis, and Dead Kennedys. The gritty production and deep textures give way to moments of immense beauty, deep and dark jazz, and some of the only electronic music that has ever been suitable for a mosh pit. I won't forget to mention the almost dangerously catchy "A Real Woman", which is a sweet mixture of British snot punk and electrobot drill n' bass. To put it plainly, Jenkinson could have done well to release this album on Mike Patton's Ipecac Label, as it would sit just as well next to a Fantomas release as it would an Autechre release. Just a Souvenir is absolutely worth a purchase to the lovers of Squarepusher and all things experimental. It's not a bad starting point for someone who wants to hear electronic music with the added flavor of live instruments, either. Well done, sir! I can't wait for the new EP due out in January!"

..and he changes yet again...

John J. Knapik | Orlando, FL | 10/30/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You never know what your going to get with a Squarepusher release. 'On The Corner' style jazz, drill n bass, bouncy Big-Beat...and the list goes on ad finitum. I will say that Just A Souvenir is much easier to enjoy than it is to describe. I'm sure Tom gets a laugh out of creating music that the media cannot pigeon-hole let alone describe. There is a very late 1970's / early 1980's sound that permeates the entire release. It brings to mind Pink Floyd's 'Animals', Styx's 'Mr. Roboto', and even some Weather Report. It's a healthy mix of instruments where Squarepusher breathes life into the electronic instruments like he's performing CPR, and yet somehow makes the organic instruments sound cold and electronic.



Do you remember the band in the animated video of Daft Punk's 'One More Time'? THIS is what I think they would have really sounded like.



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