Ten years ago, Squarepusher, aka Tom Jenkinson, released his first studio album ‘Feed Me Weird Things.’ Since then, he has built up an undisputed reputation as the purveyor of mind blowing, bass laden electronica, and with this, his tenth album in only a decade, his reputation is irrefutably safe through an exquisite display of his musical genius. With fluent layers and versatile puppetry over every sound used, this is a sanctuary for experimental music.
With Jenkinson’s effortless knowledge of every instrument and sound he uses, he manages to create an intricate landscape for each of the twelve songs on the album, which fits the genre spanning style. Opener, ‘Hello Meow’ is an alluring introduction, with a maze of funky beeps and a bass filled solo, your ears will smoothly succumb to its brilliance and very much enjoy it. Next up is ‘Theme From Sprite’ which continues with chilled out vibes, possibly one of the weaker songs out of the collection, it doesn’t seem to ignite as much interest as the opener and tends to drag on even though lasting just under three minutes. ‘Bubble Life’ however plays with hypnotic drips of melodic electronica; with an underlying slap bass foundation, it’s cohesive and works beautifully. Drums play a more leading role in ‘Planetarium’, but still contains a priceless atmosphere, drawing comparison to Mercury Rev’s 'Deserter Songs'. A spiralling six minutes of ‘Vacuum Garden’ is mouth watering; a howling wind and engine noise combine in sheer simplicity for an unexplainably fitting track.
The album continues to impress with a string of unified tracks, the Latino strings of ‘Circlewave 2’ are again fused confidently with transporting electronics, followed by the quirky 50-second dose of ‘Cronecker King.’ Then comes ‘Rotate Electrolyte,’ taking on an arcade persona with Pacman bleeps, and alienating drums, to create a dense atmosphere for the listener to enjoy. The album coaxes as you become encapsulated in this new world, you can’t help but feel isolated as ‘Welcome To Europe’ and ‘Plotinus’ draw you out of reality and throw you into a swirling orbit of sound. The hauntingly fast tempo of the Aphex-esque ‘Modern Bass Guitar’ brings you towards the ending this exploration. Finishing with, an eleven-minute masterpiece, ‘Orient Orange’ completes the journey in astonishing style.
Taking the dear listener on a mesmerizing hour long insight into Squarepusher, Hello Everything is finely rounded, being brought together in a way that seems so effortless yet so effective. Jenkinson has created something of alarming beauty: an extraordinary listen.
