I saw Squarepusher on the TV on the Radio

It’s been a while since I have bought some CD’s. So on a recent purchase spree I decided to choose a couple from my wish list in which I had seen the acts live. Sort of to rekindle the imagery of shows past. Now I present two album reviews: TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes & Squarepusher – Ultravisitor. I will preface the album reviews with the live reviews, in which I submitted to other information mediums before Punch The Floor came into it’s present existence.

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Squarepusher – Live 4.7.04, Ultravisitor (Warp Records)

Live review at the Wexner Center, Columbus, Ohio (April Seventh Twothousandfour)
(original review found at: http://www.experimentalbehavior.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=638&highlight=squarepusher)

· Three letters WOW. Mr. Jenkinson brought all that I expected and more. I have live recordings and know all about his live tweaking & bass playing. But to SEE it was incredible. He played a bunch off of his new record "Ultravisitor" (which I highly recommend((edit: of course I didn’t buy it yet))) and to my extreme delight (edit: edited due to incompetence) closed out his encore with "come on my selector". The concert was at the Wexner Center for the Arts on the OSU campus. This place was awesome and the sound was the best I have ever heard for a live venue. Kenny Muhammad opened http://www.humanorchestra.com/ He calls himself the Human Orchestra and he lived up to it. I was in awe the whole time he performed. Just a microphone and his mouth. He is the best human beatbox I have ever heard. He was all over the place as far as genres were concerned. Mixing up some soul then flipping over to house. No lack of hip-hop of course and his Jungle rendition blew me away. Then to top it all off he re-mixed Kraftwerk's Trans-Europe Express, I was turned into a giddy little schoolgirl.


Album review, Ultravisitor (Warp Records)

· Squarepusher is perhaps the greatest musical genius of our current time. Even if you don’t particularly care for his music, one cannot deny that he is a master of drill & bass, a master of the bass guitar, a pretty awesome drummer and a solid fluent practitioner of jazzerificosity. He is a master composer that is living in our very own time loop. His latest release has cultivated all the awesomeness of his prior releases and has constructed a cohesive arrangement. Where prior albums would tend to focus on one aspect of his proficiency, Ultravisitor visits Tom’s own intrinsic influences and gives a synapses in the form of new original music. Squarepusher is on my list of “Artists that can do me no wrong” in the sense that I would like anything that he would put out. So if he decided to record an album of mosquito farts I would still buy it. I command you to buy this record or download it on Warp records very own www.bleep.com There is a bunch of other awesome stuff on there too from lots of neato labels other than Warp.

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TV on the Radio – Live 3.27.04, Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes (Touch & Go Records)

Live review at the Grog Shop, Cleveland Hts, Ohio (March twentyseventh Twothousandfour) (original review found at: http://www.pulsarmail.com/show_article.php?p=31P0E946R4896N89H&r=136066)

· As 5 hipsters waltzed onto the stage the air turned from rage to a state of contemplation. Something different was certainly about to happen. Different is an understatement considering a guitarist with a 7'-4" diameter afro and beard to match standing in front of you. Their style is uniquely their own. Guitars providing beds of expansive sound mixed with beats of hinted jazz, funk, hop and even country were all led by soulful swooning. There was no absence of Rawk though and they brought that in at just the right times. As an encore all the members switched instruments and seemingly started an improv number, which morphed into another of their repertoire. A very different journey that proved not to disappoint.

Album review, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (Touch & Go Records)

· It took me a second spin to really appreciate this disc. Maybe because of all the hype that was floating around this release. After I shelved my skepticism I found myself really digging the music. The focus is definitely on the vocals and lending to a minimalistic array of guitars and loops. The highlight of the record is “staring at the sun”. The chorus lead vocals are stirring. I can see where some critics draw Peter Gabriel similarities, since he too sang over his own voice to get the chorus effect. But that’s where similarities end. Tunde Adebimpe is much more prolific and sounds more natural. It’s just pleasant to listen to. Just like my live review above, all the songs serpentine between different genre influences. They bring a familiarity to new songs that you have never heard before.
I recommend playing this disc if you are looking for a soundtrack for a reflection and winding down session. TV on the Radio is a new band in all sense of the word. They’re seemingly adding new members every couple of months. The results from the growth and exploration of their music will only get better. To top it all off they are on the same label that the greatest band in the galaxy, Man…or ASTRO-Man?, has had releases on.