Tom Jenkinson, also known as Squarepusher, is one of electronic music's most interesting figures.
As a virtuosic bassist, drummer and producer, Squarepusher is one of the few figures who can actually play along with the frenetic tempos associated with "intelligent dance music" (IDM).
It is safe to say no one else in the world has successfully blurred the line between jazz and electronic music at 250 beats per minute and managed to play a wicked bass solo at the same time. This incredible talent has come at a price, however.
Jenkinson's music has always wavered between sincere artistic expression and hyperactive pyrotechnics.
Squarepusher's latest effort, "Shobaleader One: d'Demonstrator," is a welcome surprise.
For the first time, Jenkinson is working with a real band (whose members remain a mystery). The resulting music seems entirely different from what Squarepusher has done in the past.
His proclivity for high−flying tempos and frantic beat slicing is entirely ignored as the album focuses on a downbeat, dubstep−influenced approach.
The retro '90s vocoder work takes the melody for most songs, leaving Squarepusher to confine his bass to supporting the rhythm section. While Jenkinson obviously plays some dirty, funky bass lines, he avoids soloing for the entire record.
The album itself sticks to the same vibe throughout. Tempos never waver from the dubstep range of 100−140 bpm, keeping the record in a pretty mellow place by Squarepusher standards.
The opening track, "Plug Me In," opens with some nicely finger−picked bass chords before an 808−produced handclap and bass give the song a solid pulse. The opening vocoder work traces out a nice melody on top of a growing rhythm section, which adds distorted guitar and keys as the track progresses. Even though this is hardly progressive by Squarepusher's standards, it shows his ability to write catchy songs in a simpler idiom.
Jenkinson's best albums saw his instrumental and production talents in perfect equipoise. "Hard Normal Daddy" (1997) was the first album featuring Squarepusher fully integrating his love for funk and instrumental bass with his incredible sense of timing and sequencing.
The pristine drum machine work and Jenkinson's tight bass and live percussion made the album a compelling hybrid between synthetic and acoustic approaches.
But this approach would not always be so compelling. Albums like "Go Plastic" (2001) and "Do You Know Squarepusher?" (2002) seemed more concerned with displaying Jenkinson's electronic and instrumental wizardry than conveying a real musical message.
Though many Jenkinson fans will be disappointed by the more rudimentary approach of "Shobaleader One: d'Demonstrator," it shows the IDM icon moving in a good direction. For an artist who had become bogged down by his own production and instrumental talents, an album like "Shobaleader One" is a needed remedy.
The music, however, does not showcase what Squarepusher is best at. The simple drum loops and aesthetic of the album obscure his rhythmic sensibilities and production talents.
The instrumental work on "Shobaleader One" values confluence more than independence. Very rarely do the synths, bass and guitar feel like they are going in different directions or interacting with each other.
Every instrumental voice seems to be conforming to a greater, unified aesthetic goal instead of exploring its own freedoms. Such an approach does more to ensure an unbroken, agreeable flow than make for genuinely interesting music.
Even though "Shobaleader One: d'Demonstrator" is a solid album filled with decent songs, none of those songs stand out like Squarepusher's previous work. Even on Jenkinson's worst albums, he managed to produce at least one or two songs that push the envelope more than this entire record does.
Hopefully, his next effort will temper his talents without compromising his visionary style.
