Review Summary: A solid debut release based on jazzy grooves and intense drum and bass.
Boy, I sure have been having cravings for some electronic music. I tried the old school artists such as Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream and I tried newer artists such as Aphex Twin (is there an electronica review that doesn’t mention him?) and Autechre. All artists I enjoy however there was one electronic weirdo that slipped under my radar, this was Squarepusher. On first listen to this, I was a hooked fish. This had so much substance to it and it was never based on one side, there was a good quantity of percussion and melody to offer.
Feed Me Weird Things is his first album which is based on jazzy grooves and intense drum and bass. This was released on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label which is an odd but fitting choice for a record label…
Unlike a lot of other electronica releases, this isn’t just electronically made. There is guitars and basses here (the bass sounds exceptionally exciting) and due to this, it adds a lot of different genres such as jazz and funk. Tom Jenkinson, the brain behind the Squarepusher project, mixes up the sound of the music a lot during it’s length. One moment we are shrouded with beautiful layers of ambient atmospherics and suddenly, pow! - we are attacked by intense drum and bass and the funkiest of bass lines. This is Tom’s forte, his ability to mesh everything together. There is no two tracks that sound alike as everything here is completely creative. Most of the album feels buoyant though at periods it is dark and bloodcurdling and adds a new texture to the album. Take for example “Theme From Ernest Borgnine” which is one of my favourite electronica songs, it borrows a lot from the trance genre except from it sounds more epic and is one of those “night time” songs that you would listen to in the middle of the night. Tom outdoes himself with this track, it towers above everything else smiling down on them and laughing at their inferiority. Throughout it we get a beautiful synthesized melody and the last minute or so attains more to the trance genre than anything else here. The opening track is more likely to grip someone to this than anything else. The intro uses a jaunty cut away guitar and then a gratifying bass line while the synthesized drums come a’knocking. This is an astonishing introduction to the album as it makes the listener comfortable with what comes next.
The only downer this album has is that it’s a grueling listen for someone not already settled into the electronic sound and at first, it’s challenging to listen to all the way through but soon enough all the material here is desirable. This album stands at a steady four as it’s an original novelty and is an album that can make any listen enjoyable no matter how much it’s worn out. Any fan of the electronica genre will love this through and through and while it’s not in the ranks of the best electronica album ever, it’s a strong contender. So check this out, relax to the grooves and go crazy during that darn drum and bass frenzy.
