Push the ”Stop” Button!
Squarepusher, AKA Tom Jenkinson, is known for his edgy, experimental drum-n-bass jazz fusion. The new album, “Ultravisitor” is along the same lines as bands like Aphex Twin and Skinny Puppy; hard, dark, and electronic. But those who have already tapped these veins at least have some continuity to their music, with a melody and a beat, rhythm and flow [however cut up and spliced it may be]. “Ultravisitor” on the whole has none of this. There is nothing aesthetically pleasing about it. Most music is written in notation, or at least can be played by the musicians. Though Jenkinson is an educated and accomplished musician, he has stripped himself of musical merit. The album seems to have been made by of a computer program where there is an input of sound clips, and erratic, haphazard noise is the output. It is jagged, unconventional, without any auditory stability. The only sort of live performance of “Ultravisitor” could be Jenkinson standing in front of a crowd and pushing the “play” button.
“Ultravisitor” gives the impression that it is more about the accidental relationships between the output sounds than about music. This may have been more successful if the album was not the centerpiece of Jenkinson’s new endeavor. If it had been the accompaniment to a film or interactive computer program, where the visual drew more of a concrete relationship between the sounds, the listener may be more inclined to pay attention to the album. As of right now, there is hardly any incentive to continue listening.
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