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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
this is very special, 28 Dec 2003
When I first heard the title track of this record when Jenkinson released it as the untitled 12", I thought we were all about to witness a complete turnaround for the crazy overlord of electronica... an abandonment of the inaccessible noisescapes which haunted much of previous release "Go Plastic" - in favour of real, concrete melodies and harmonies and even vocals being given the SP treatment in what could have been the record of the millennium. So when I first listened to the whole album I was somewhat surprised.Squarepusher blows all expectations of his music to pieces here. The music is impossible to describe - in fact I can't even really say whether I like it or not. In fact the question "do I like this?" when applied to this record seems to call for a third answer: not yes, not no... something else entirely... In fact, the only conclusion I can draw from my repeated listenings of this record is that all attempts to classify, qualify, analyse or interpret this music are completely futile. This music is untouchable to the human mind - all you can do is listen, listen, listen, until you go mad, or until your neighbours come round and beat you with a big stick. Having said that, I think a real high point in the record comes at the end of the penultimate track, Mutilation Colony. Having squeezed your brain through a technological juicer, Jankinson makes it suddenly apparent that what you're listening to started life as a recorded drum set. Then the whole thing goes completely wild and finishes with you lying on the floor in a foetal position not knowing what the hell's happened and where on earth anyone can really go from here... and then, almost gleefully, it launches into Love Will Tear Us Apart. To say this music is difficult is a moot point - those of us whose LP collections consist mainly of Warp releases aren't in search of an easy ride, and anyone considering buying this record with that intention should leave well alone. I like to be challenged, however, and I have to say this record presents me with more of an aural, conceptual and spiritual challenge than any other I have ever heard, hence I can't give it anything other than five stars, because nearly 2 years on I'm still being challenged, and I'm really nowhere nearer to being able to answer the question of whether I actually ENJOY this music or not!
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