Squarepusher

Although the majority of Squarepusher's previous releases have featured his virtuosic bass work quite prominently, it still seems a rather bold move on his part to release an entire album of solo bass work. Even upon playing the disc, it's still a big surprise. Rather than a demented, slap-and-pop-happy take on Jaco Pastorius's playing, Tom Jenkinson remains anchored in delicate chord progressions reminiscent of 5 O'Clock Bells-era Lenny Breau. Carving out bass lines or melodies beneath and overtop clever chordal arpeggiations, much like the aforementioned guitarist, the sonic perspective is in constant flux with notes jutting out of or suddenly fleeing into the background. Occasionally, especially on the seventh, tenth and final tracks, you start to see his more aggressive playing take hold, but even then it emerges from jazzy counterpoint rather than the skewed funkiness found on his more electronic releases. While the playing is consistently brilliant and colourful, it seems that the compositional aspect of the music isn't at the same level yet. Considering that this is his first venture into this medium, it shows plenty of promise for the future.