Search - Squarepusher :: Music Is Rotted One Note

This is the cd you buy it slowly grows on you till you go in

fetish_2000 | 06/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"the way Tom did this was absolutely brilliant. definately alot more jazz, some micro-sound. Hypnotic bass lines. Absolutely brilliant. I almost love it more the "Feed Me Weird Things""

Miles Would Approve

directions | Space Time Foam | 10/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Squarepusher revisits Miles' most controversial album "On the Corner" in Music is Rotted One Note. At one time bands would not touch that album, now everyone wants to say they were influenced by it. However, Music is Rotted One Note uses Miles music as a sketchpad for something even darker and disturbing. Unlike Miles this is not a continuous jam. Some tracks are in the vein of dark ambient and one track even sounds like Morton Subotnick. Despite the variety, the album is cohesive. Each track feeds into the next. Though Squarepusher is known for drill 'n' bass, this to me is his best album because it takes Miles' music to new hights that it could have reached."

This Arguably Deserves to be Ranked alongside 'Squarepushers

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 08/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Squarepusher (like his contemporary "Aphex Twin") is an artist, that isn't explicitly tied to one musical genre. Stretching across a multitude of genres in the electronic field, his albums can touch upon: Experimental, Jungle, IDM, Ambient, Drill'n'Bass, Electronica. And all the more surprising is the fact, of exactly how proficient he can be when he turns his attention, to a chosen field. Although, something frequently referenced by Squarepusher in his music, which pushes him within the best in his field, amongst his contemporaries, is his love of 'Jazz' music, and the way that various tracks throughout his career make certain references to it, unquestionably noticeable in some of his tracks.



With "Music is Rotten One Note", Squarepusher has gone one step further than merely having an album, that has a couple of tracks that reference Jazz in some way, and instead has created an album that, is (in part) in tribute to the Jazz artists that have influenced him. (in particular "Miles Davis"), and crafted an album of delicate instrumental arrangements, and the cerebral and complex structure of Jazz-Fusion and Progressive Jazz, coupled with Freewheeling and occasionally reflective electronic compositions.



The mood is one that isn't reliant on frenetic breaks or abrasive beats as such, and instead is more informed by hypnotic grooves, minimal instrumentation, and reflective keyboards, and possibly some of the most soothing and intimate sampling, that Squarepusher has committed to record. There are still the warped flourishes of sound and Avant-garde approach to experimentation that squarepusher is known for, but here it for more subdued and considered and veers more towards a spookily articulate and spiralling composition, that works wonderfully against the slow moving and shimmering melodies and shows that squarepusher is arguably as brilliantly creative taking things slower musically, as he is delivering breakneck rhythms. But its his re-evaluation what jazz instruments could be, that is what impresses most here, obviously a committed Jazz fan, everything feels like its Strangely influenced by Miles Davis to some degree. Almost as if merely taking the progressive sound of Miles continuingly evolving music, and bringing it firmly up to date, or indeed reinterpreting it as Miles may have, had he still been around today. 'Music is Rotten one Notes', best moments come from examining the potentially limitless stream of ideas that taking Jazz, and imbuing it with a heavily textured musical framework seems to offer. Fender Rhodes piano, and subtle electronic arrangements flesh the music out beautifully, give the music the sparing ethereal groove of Jazz, coupled with the mellow brooding of the electronics, makes for an almost low-key electronic-Jazz Soundtrack, of the highest order.



Anyone entering into this album, hoping for the Electronic breakbeat brilliance of say: "Hard Normal Daddy" or "Feed Me Weird Things" would do well to look elsewhere, as you'll be disappointed. It's a far too subtle, Poignant and broadly sketched piece of work, to intice those looking for something more energetic. But if you approach the album from the required perspective (I.e. one of a generally slow moving electronically enhanced Jazz album), you'll gradually come to truly love this album. Granted it's not an immediate album....think more something that you'll grow into, and probably work at its best, when reflecting certain moods. Sure, there'll be those (Like me), that also listen to a fair bit of Jazz (in it's many, many forms)...and are pretty much be able to dive straight in. And I'll make no secret that this is proably amongst my 2 favourite Squarepusher albums (next to the seminal "Hard Normal Daddy"), but provided the idea of a Squarepusher devised 'Jazz' album doesn't fill you with horror, and you are prepared to give this one a try. (and considering you like the experimentation of Squarepusher...why shouldn't you), You just might (Just might) like me...come to the conclusion that this is possibly one of Squarepusher's most criminally underratted albums, and deserves to be regarded in the similar acclaim, as Squarepusher's finest work."