squarepusher Random thoughts on Squarepusher Hello Everything and onward

[vamos scorcho]

just a thread to discuss his albums that have come out since and including Hello Everything

 

Solo Electric Bass

Just a Souvenir

D'Demonstrator

 

EPs

 

 

 

I was listening to D'Demonstrator last night...such a catchy, fun and well made album. I Dig the album it is fun to listen to

[vamos scorcho]

I like Venus No 17.

 

JaS is a fantastic record.

[vamos scorcho]

[vamos scorcho]

D'Demonstrator has slowly evolved into something I love. Deeply. It's like the last minute of Manhattan where I realize "Abstract Lover" has been a masterpiece all along!

[gunnar]

I Find Hello Everything to be just an ok record. melodies are pretty good but it's missing the excitement. not enough fresh experimentation for my taste.

JaS is good, genius in parts (The Glass Road for expample)

I can't get into D'Demonstrator (although i like Cryptic Motion alot)

Solo Electric Bass. i can't be bothered listening to solo bass for a whole album's worth, even if i like his bass playing. not in this context.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Mcdergbit

[Guest bitroast]

Solo Electric Bass is really good.

SEB-1.08 is unreal <3

[awesomeperson]

Hello Everything needed more drum work, not saying at the level of The Moderm Bass Guitar but they were really subdued on the record. D'Demonstrator I can't stand it again, the compositions are great but the sound palette annoys me, I really like Megazine tho.

Edited September 22, 2011 by vasio

[cear]

[cear]

wait

 

apparently i enjoy every track on the album.. really tight stuff. :)

[Guest myosis]

i was listening to Rachmaninoff's Études-Tableaux and suddenly I understood why I liked Solo Electric Bass so much.

Edited September 23, 2011 by myosis

[NI64]

After just listening to it again today, I think Shobaleader has finally grown on me. I still can't get past the first four tracks, I don't know why - they just seem bland to me. But I've always loved Megazine, and I agree with the idea that Abstract Lover is a masterpiece, cause it is. One of the best melodies he's written. Endless Night is pretty amazing too, extremely well composed.

 

And it just me, or does this album seem to progress in a very straightforward way? To me the tracks just seem to increase in masculinity (Ballsiness?) one after the other. Well, Laser Rock might break the pattern a little, but aside from that I think each track packs a little more a punch than the preceding one.

[Guest CraniumXII]

I like his more classical Jazz tracks on his latest works. Hello Everything delivers on some of the later tracks. Rotate Electrolyte has an excellent climax. If you've heard the Live in Paris audio, Hello Meow was amazing. Some of his best bass playing IMO, not to mention my favorite rendition of that track.

 

JAS was great, despite many arguments to the contrary. The Glass road was my personal favorite, though Delta V was a close second for me. Japanese track Syntax 2 is pure awesome, only wish that it was longer. Numbers Lucent was the loose end to JAS, IMO. I felt like it brought back some of the missing pusher elements, while simultaneously giving a nod to hardcore rave and acid music from the 90's.

 

d'Demonstrator was definitely lacking in drum work for the most part, but I definitely respect the direction. Megazine was fantastic! Cryptic Motion has this ill sounding, underground hip-hop feel. What I find great though, is that they all come together to feel like a cohesive album. All of his work does, really. Every album unique in it's sound and intent.

[YEK]

have i posted in this thread?

 

he lost me after hello everything

 

 

dd'emonstrator was fun and very good but not up to his standards. you'd hardly believe that the same guy who wrote go plastic wrote that album and that maybe it was even a piss take. i like the jazzy stuff but i like the technical with it. this new, pretend you're a different person, fly on a wall, fantasy band stuff... i miss the old stuff.the new stuff isn't fresh enough.

[beerwolf]

For me Squarepusher is without doubt the biggest enigma out of the usual suspects.

 

I haven't heard much of this music since Ultravisitor as most of it seems overly gay and pretensious. SP seems to of gone up his arse imo.

 

Dunno, don't care.

[goDel]

Random thoughts? Let me put it this way: I'm hoping for a "from the archives" kinda release at this point.

[Guest CraniumXII]

The Warp 20 set had some great moments... definitely was hoping for an "archive" release. According to SP, he was tired of over complicating things. The new direction was to avoid going up his own arse, as he put in one of the more recent magazine interviews. Yes, songs like "Plug Me In" sound a bit gay... but honestly, he's just having fun these days...

 

Do I listen to and love all of his latest work? No. But frankly, I admire his bass playing enough to continue following him. Least he continues to release music regularly as well, unlike RDJ :(

 

Curious though, who do you guys follow these days?

Edited October 9, 2011 by CraniumXII

[beerwolf]

Random thoughts? Let me put it this way: I'm hoping for a "from the archives" kinda release at this point.

 

 

Too fucking right.

[delet...]

Heh, from the late 90's. But not the noisperimentation with reverb stuff.

[Guest Lucy Faringold]

Still love this dude. Really respect the fact he still takes stupid risks and isn't afraid to look stupid.

 

Hello Everything is a great start to finish listen. Would probably give this to someone if they wanted an entry point to his catalogue. Seems to be deliberately holding back on the harsh/violent elements of his sound.

 

Solo Electric Bass was disappointing to me only because of the recording quality. No bite to the sound and not enough live feel. The youtube bootlegs of the same gig sounded better to be honest. Also this should have been a DVD release. Watching him do his jazz face =

 

JAS is like 50% genius, 50% irritating. The drum sound is fucking garbage.

 

Numbers Lucent never clicked with me.

 

I love D'demonstrator now after being lukewarm on release. Brilliantly crafted and a really surprising sonic departure.

 

So yeah, still a big fan. Can't wait for whatever he comes up with next.

[Guest rotchnock]

It has been kinda meh since Hello Everything. Let's see what he does next.

[Lianne]

Something has gone really weird with his production/mixing/sound palette for the last few records. If any of them come on after any other decent sounding album (including Squarepusher records until Hello Everything), they sound especially tinny, feeble, and bizarrely mixed. It's a shame, because I'd enjoy some of the tunes otherwise. I'm no expert, so how other more experienced listeners can't notice this I don't know. There's no reason Hello Everything, JAS, or D'demonstrator couldn't be the same, but with higher production values, more punch, bottom end, warmth, whatever - if anything, their poppier, more accessible nature calls for it. It's probably like it is on purpose, but I don't don't get the sonic quality at all.

 

After three albums like this and the solo bass thing, I'm ready for something that is slicker or more refined sound wise.

Edited November 7, 2011 by Lianne

[benc812]

Something has gone really weird with his production/mixing/sound palette for the last few records. If any of them come on after any other decent sounding album (including Squarepusher records until Hello Everything), they sound especially tinny, feeble, and bizarrely mixed. It's a shame, because I'd enjoy some of the tunes otherwise. I'm no expert, so how other more experienced listeners can't notice this I don't know.

 

it has definitely been noticed around here and couldn't agree more as far as the mixing goes. imo, 'just a souvenir' is something of a (minor) disappointment since the mixing doesn't even come close to doing the songwriting justice.

 

i don't know why frank arkwright isn't mixing and mastering tom's albums anymore, but somebody needs to get those two reacquainted for future efforts

[Cryptowen]

I didn't really explore SP's work when I was hardcore into IDM a couple years back but afterwords I started getting interested in his Jazzier Funkier Bassier stuff.

 

D'Demonstrator sounds like an album I would enjoy from the bits I've heard. Even the Bass solo album nobody talks about much has piqued my interests.

[Guest yikes]

Something has gone really weird with his production/mixing/sound palette for the last few records. If any of them come on after any other decent sounding album (including Squarepusher records until Hello Everything), they sound especially tinny, feeble, and bizarrely mixed. It's a shame, because I'd enjoy some of the tunes otherwise. I'm no expert, so how other more experienced listeners can't notice this I don't know.

 

it has definitely been noticed around here and couldn't agree more as far as the mixing goes. imo, 'just a souvenir' is something of a (minor) disappointment since the mixing doesn't even come close to doing the songwriting justice.

 

i don't know why frank arkwright isn't mixing and mastering tom's albums anymore, but somebody needs to get those two reacquainted for future efforts

 

 

he is awash in money and like all great artists he had an arc of 6-10 classic releases

his best stuff is behind him

what we hear now is an easy life coupled with money and a bald guy pushing 40

not a long haired 18 year old chelmsford raver out of his mind on vodka weed and ecstasy with a cheap kit and a ton of talent and raw youthful energy

Edited November 8, 2011 by yikes

[Candiru]

I think he's still got a lot of ass kickingness left in him. I bet his next release will break away from the cute sound of his last few releases and do something totally different. The cutesy thing reached its apex on D'Demonstrator, IMO. He's reinvented his approach to his albums quite a bit so far, so there's no reason to believe he'll stop and do the same thing forever.

Edited November 8, 2011 by Candiru