Dubstepforum.com

Squarepusher - Just A Souvenir (Warp)

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.


myspace.com/akais5000 | squarepusher.net
myspace.com/warprecords | warprecords.com
warpmart.com | bleep.com

Didn't like the album. I found it boring and uninspired.

i think i liked one tune...

djrobyn wrote:

i think i liked one tune...

Likewise. Then I realized that all the songs were very similar to eachother.

cant wait to get this, but the comments here are alarming. his last grew on me then i loved it, i reckon this may be the same.

djrobyn wrote:

i think i liked one tune...

I liked half of one tune


i need amen breaks in my life

what a massive waste of money. Jazz concept album my arse.

surgeon wrote:

i need amen breaks in my life

Prog-fusion hell.

I did a little celebratory dance as I deleted this off my hard drive. beard stroking self loving wankathon.

i think he deserves some props for being able to play the bass like that.

listen to it but without mentally comparing it to older squarepusher albums.

dTruk wrote:i think he deserves some props for being able to play the bass like that.

listen to it but without mentally comparing it to older squarepusher albums.

We already established the fact that he could play bass a couple of albums ago.

Someone else also told me to listen to it without comparing his previous albums, and I did. It's still wank. My problem isn't that it's not Squarepusher-like - My problem is that the album is wank. Just wank.

Have downloaded but not listened to this yet. Squarepusher... hmm, he sort of blows hot and cold for me. Some albums like Hard Normal Daddy and Hello Everything manage to get just the right balance of melody, experimentation, and virtuoso slap bass wankery. It's when he goes off the deep end (Ultravisitor, Music Is Rotted etc.) that I lose interest. Concerned that this new one might fall into the second category...

I think you really need to wonder what your reception would be to this kind of music if it was produced by someone else... other than Squarepusher... Sure, we expect lots of sequrepusherness from him... But what if Warp signed an artist by the name of BassGuitarWanker and released this album - what would be your reception then?

i have yet to hear it. i have been the biggest squarepusher fan for so long...

Headphone Commute wrote:I think you really need to wonder what your reception would be to this kind of music if it was produced by someone else... other than Squarepusher... Sure, we expect lots of sequrepusherness from him... But what if Warp signed an artist by the name of BassGuitarWanker and released this album - what would be your reception then?

Fair point, but then you could make that argument about any established artist. The audience brings with it a certain set of expectations and - if they're fans already - are more likely to cut the artist slack, at least more than they would BassGuitarWanker. I do think that Squarepusher often uses his amazing technique as a kind of smokescreen - it all sounds very complex and intricate and, in a way, kind of bullys you into thinking it's the shit.
As I said in my original post though he is capable of greatness - maybe he just needs someone else in the studio to tell him to stop faffing around on the bass and just write a tune.

BETAMAXNOMATES wrote:

Headphone Commute wrote:I think you really need to wonder what your reception would be to this kind of music if it was produced by someone else... other than Squarepusher... Sure, we expect lots of sequrepusherness from him... But what if Warp signed an artist by the name of BassGuitarWanker and released this album - what would be your reception then?

Fair point, but then you could make that argument about any established artist. The audience brings with it a certain set of expectations and - if they're fans already - are more likely to cut the artist slack, at least more than they would BassGuitarWanker. I do think that Squarepusher often uses his amazing technique as a kind of smokescreen - it all sounds very complex and intricate and, in a way, kind of bullys you into thinking it's the shit.
As I said in my original post though he is capable of greatness - maybe he just needs someone else in the studio to tell him to stop faffing around on the bass and just write a tune.

exactly . he';s probably so used to people stroking his ego (and beard) to remeber hes a musician , and that if "BassGuitarWanker" put out some of the stuff squarepushers gotten away with theyd be laughed at


great idea for a side prject - BeardGuitarStroker

surgeon wrote:

djrobyn wrote:

i think i liked one tune...

I liked half of one tune


i need amen breaks in my life

Listen to Fracture and Neptune or something.

Haven't heard recent []pusher though...

Headphone Commute wrote:BassGuitarWanker

xx xy wrote:

Headphone Commute wrote:BassGuitarWanker

I prefer his early stuff.