by: Zero Sharp
After two and half years since Squarepusher's last proper album, "Go Plastic," Tom Jenkinson has had some time to do what he probably does best, reinvent himself. "Ultravisitor" is a rather complex album that seems like the next step in a brilliant evolution of the musician Squarepusher. Following in the footsteps of "Do You Know Squarepusher," "Ultravisitor" sounds like a live album (reportedly it's not, however) where the tracks flow from one to the next whether they seem to go together or not. However, this album seems to be so grand and sprawling that one cannot help listen in awe from time to time. The whacked-out drum and bass is here in some tracks, as are the digital effects, but it seems more about showcasing the music through the effects rather than making the music out of the effects. One example comes from the times when the listener realizes that although it sounds like a person playing bass, there is no way anyone could play so quickly. Similarly, the title track, Ultravisitor, lets the melody and atmospherics rather than be stampeded under the crazy drums that run in a rather subdued manner through the piece. There are also many pieces that are almost acoustic, like "I Fulcrum" and the brilliant free jazz drum-ruled "Iambic Nine Poetry". The album isn't all sweet, "50 Cycles" is a good dose of abrasion through bleeps and vocoded rapping, and a few of the other tracks take this philosophy of the harsh digital. All in all, though, this is perhaps Squarepushers most accessible album, even if it is too grand to coalesce coherently. I wouldn't hold that against the album, much like "The Wall" or "Bitches Brew," the wonder and pleasure of the experience is because it's that way.
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