3 1/2

Although perhaps offering the creative beat driller's most impressive overview to date, somehow this ultra-long concoction ranging from typically-brain-drillingly electro spazz-outs to Steve Hackett-esque instrumental prowess seems to borrow and bloat too much from past technique in able to rise as a whole piece.

Oh, how eagerly I anticipate every Squarepusher album!

I used to say that while it was a novel idea, you could not create something soulful with machines, or that they could not be endowed with the human spirit, but the combination of the Music of Squarepusher and the Matrix Trilogy proved me wrong here. This is absolutely gorgeous music all around. In fact, it really extends outside the drum 'n' bass genre to great alternative music in general. It is truly stand-alone art not to able to be categorized into the standard genres, and at first seemingly amorphous. But as one really listens, he/she will see the genius of Squarepusher, creating purely individual music. This is what the electronic genre brilliantly allows for, and it is a trait he greatly exploits. This album, with Hard Normal Daddy and Music is Rotted One Note are surely the cornerstones of alternative music, genuine genius.

As for the tracks on the album: the first, the title track, is a throw back to some of the seamless jams of the Hard Normal Daddy days. This is followed by three simple tunes all equally mezmerizing: the funky I Falcrum, the astounding Iambic 9 Poetry (which we will talk about later) and the haunting Andrei, a nice little spanish guitar solo. 50 cycles is a bit redundant, but as with all Squarepusher it is so brilliantly produced and executed that I can't say anything negative about it. Next is C-Town Smash, which is just him showing off bass, but I forgive him because the solo is awesome and he is a virtuoso. Keep in mind that the entire album while recorded to seem live is actually studio recordings with audience dubbed in (oh Squarepusher...). Steinbolt is next, which is as high frenzied a drum 'n' bass piece I can remember. The next two tracks are very etheral atmosphere pieces, and District Line II is just fine. Circlewave is yet another example of Squarepusher's great compositional skill. Tetra-Sync is one of the best tracks on the album for sheer energy. Tommib Help Bus, a sequal to Tommib, is so simple it alludes description at first, and the album closes quite nicely with the amorous Everyday I Love. This album is devoid of a weak track.

But the real highlight hear is Iambic 9 Poetry. It is quite hard on the album to discern what exactly is programmed and what is live drumming. But on Iambic I don't even care. Squarepusher uses a simple melody and chord progession. very singable, very likeable, quickly, it sticks. But the drum track...It is for myself one of the most musically enlightening things I have ever heard. I don't say this much about drums, thought I do love them. But for me transcendence comes in the form of harmony and melody. Here I am pleased to say Squarepusher has turned a drum kit into a soul machine. This track is one of the best I've heard from modern music. Period.

This is one of Squarepusher's best! Very well balanced. Not a mini-album or an experiment, Ultravisitor showcases Squarepusher's wide aray of sounds, (his technical skill and free flow jams) very well. While tracks like "Menelec" and "An Arched Path" can be pretty harsh, most of the album is relatively mellow. SP mixes concert performances with studio material to create a live vibe. "Andrei" and "Every Day I Love" are both excellent examples of Squarepusher unplugged. The title track "Ultravisitor" is classic electronic SP (sequenced beats, heavy bass) climaxing with an otherworldly electronic pipe organ! "Tetra-Sync" is another equally epic track. "Circlewave" and "Iambic 9 Poetry" are both beautiful, ever-crescendoing pieces of music I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing. This album also has a brilliant follow up to the classic SP track "Tommib" (from his 2001 release, Go Plastic) titled "Tommib Help Buss". Sophia Coppola eat your heart out.

With the exception of a few hard points (it comes with the territory I guess) this is a very accessible album, and is a logical next step for someone just getting into the act of Squarepushing. Those already acquainted, I need not tell you that this one is a must. In the headphone realm, Ultravisitor is a most welcome guest.

Ultravisitor has to be the best release by Squarepusher yet. Combining 8-bit computer textures layering throughout the songs and insanely composed bass and synth, Jenkinson has spewed out a work of genius from his brain. The album starts of with "Ultravisitor," post electronic jungle techno with a great synthetic structure. But the best song on this has to be "Tetra-sync" beautifully arranged in a Godspeed sort of style, it displays his best work. Next to Aphex Twin, Autechre and Boards of Canada, Squarepusher has rightfully owned his place with the Lords of Warp.

Squarepusher has alot of titles available, however it does seem that he keeps trying to re-invent himself. I've sampled many of his CD's, but this album called "Ultravisitor" has many tracks that have become the very core of the IDM music that I try to share with my friends and co-workers. (Well actually, let's forget about my co-workers. They think this music makes me crazy and gets them all a little nervous being around me while I'm going spastic getting so much work done so quickly).

A few years ago, I saw a movie called "Pi". It was a low budget black and white film based on the subject of intelligence and insanity, and the soundtrack that supported this film had a series of artists that I have never heard of before. Watching the film, I just loved all that strange electronic music playing in the background, so I knew I just had to find the CD soundtrack of the film "Pi".

On the soundtrack, I saw that it had a track by Aphex Twin called "Bucephalus Bouncing Ball". Aphex Twin is an artist that I have heard of before. I don't remember hearing this track in the film but I sure loved this bizarre electronic collage of dissonant noise. Plus, this CD soundtrack introduced me to alot of new artists, all making a new sound in electronic music that I have never heard before. This new music is called IDM, which means "intelligent dance music". But, I think it should be called ADM meaning "addictive music", because that's what this new music has become to me. I have a hard time listening to regular music anymore. This IDM is very motivational music to listen to. This music gives me all sorts of nervous energy which has turned me into a healthier, more physically toned, workaholic. When I'm in an IDM music euphoria, I can't sit still. After buying the soundtrack of "Pi", I ended up looking for more CD's with this new IDM sound.

This could easily be anyone's favorite CD from Squarepusher. But, you know, you can't just allow yourself to be satisfied with this one CD. However, if you don't have a lot of music like this, than it can seem to become too repetitious and become tiresome rather quickly if you let yourself play this CD too much. Even I don't care to sit through the entire playback of just the one CD. But, I have determined that this music from Squarepusher should be played within a mix of other Ambient Dub and other various glitch and IDM related electronica. To just play these 15 songs over and over, end to end, can get dull quickly. But if you listen to these songs mixed in with about another hundred IDM instrumentals than you will truly appreciate Squarepusher's participation in the overall bigger picture of today's electronic instrumentals. Today's IDM.

I have this Squarepusher CD shuffling amongst others in my 200 CD carrousel. These tracks by Squarepusher are being mixed up with tracks by Autechre, Gescom, Aphex Twin, Phutureprimitive, Pete Namlook, Biosphere, The Orb, The Higher Intelligence Agency, Sounds From the Ground, Electric Skychurch, Plaid, Boards of Canada, and various other similar artists of which Squarepusher belongs with.

I also have these songs and other IDM and Ambient Dub tracks burned onto ATRAC CDR's that is made through the SonicStage program made available only by Sony. (Check out some of Sony's ATRAC CD players and find out why burning hours of your favorite tunes onto a single CDR is better than just loading an ipod with mp3s) Burning hard copies is definitely better than just floating your music in a temporary storage unit like an ipod. (You can make 32 hour CDR's, and as many as you want from all your CD's and mp3s. How many songs can your single ipod hold?)

Anyway, Kudos to you for discovering this Squarepusher CD, but now, explore some of the other artists I've mentioned above. You will love this new world of sound that you've discovered. It is more vast than you could ever imagine.