I think the last two steps are backwards. Turn off the water while you dry your hands.

When Warp released info about the new Squarepusher album I didn’t know what to think. They said it was his new band Shobaleader One and I’m thinking, “Band? What the hell is this all about? Squarepusher isn’t in a band.” Squarepusher has always been one guy, Tom Jenkinson, and I don’t know if I like the idea of him being in a “band” that’s for sure. And on top it all off the video they released, posted bellow, looked like a Daft Punk knock off. Mr. Jenkinson has always been a strange individual, but had he gone off the deep end? I read up on the album a bit more to discover that some unnamed musicians (Tom said he can’t name names but if you knew your mind would be blown) got in contact with Tom about working the idea of a electronic band he hinted at on his last album “Just A Souvenir” and he thought he’d give it a go. We got the album delivered from Warp and I had to listen to it right away. The first track, “Plug Me In,” starts off like good ol Squarepusher until the vocals come in. Vocoders! I hate vocoders! I’m almost ready to give up right here, but I listen into the music and you hear the beauty that he’s known for. Somewhat cheesy bass lines with a couple different synth lines weaving back and forth. While I’m enjoying this sweet little slow jam the vocals seem to blend into it all and I don’t really notice em. From here on out the concept of this album comes to light and you see that it’s a “synth pop” album from the future, so to speak. The songs are solid Squarepusher. Some long time fans and newer fans might not be into it, but it’s a great album. It features some great bass work as usual and I’m not 100% convinced that there are other dudes playing on the album. Tom says he wrote it all and they just played what he came up with and put their touches on their parts, but it sounds too much like it’s just Tom. Only time will tell, especially when they go on tour. Overall, it’s a great album and I gladly welcome this album right next to his other classics.

check out some other awesome work by Legoagogo. So rad.

I first heard this album when I took a brief time away from the “music industry” and worked for a skateboard company. We had a pretty good connection with labels and music in general cause music is such a big part of skating. Our general manager Barker gave me this album cause he figured I’d like it and he wasn’t too into it. When you listen to em you can’t really tell they are from Sweden. I say that cause at the same time they got “big” you had other bands like THE HELLACOPTERS, THE HIVES, (International) NOISE CONSPIRICY and others with all the focus, but press doesn’t always mean best, and they don’t really have a similar sound. They’re less pop or rock n roll, but a prefect blend of the two. One of my favorite tracks is “Trapped In” cause it’s mellow, slow and has a really cool change in the music when they hit the chorus of the song. I love songs that make play out as soundtracks to videos in my head. By that I mean when you listen to a song and you can see a what the video for the song would look like in your head. “I Guess I’m Healed” is another slow song that has a steady bass line with some pretty great guitar work over it. Kinda reminds me of something that RADIOHEAD would do now a days. There are lots of layers of background noises and little electronic noodles and such. They have a great skill of working the changes between their verses and choruses. You really hear it on the song “The Truth Is Fucked” where the song is kind of winding down the road, a little build up and BAM!!, the chorus comes in and then right back down to the chill verse. As John Reis once said, “it’s all about dynamics.” I don’t know why these guys didn’t get bigger than they did here in the States, but I truly think they should have. They had another album, “Das Not Compute” come out in 2004, but I feel Black City is a more solid album especially for a debut album.

I first found out about LOS EXPLOSIVOS when their self titled album came into the digital site earlier this year. The cover has an image of the band looking like a mix between mods and rockers (mockers?) in their black and white stripped shirts and leather jackets. With a name like Los Explosivos they had a lot to live up to and they more than succeeded at that. Dirty distorted garage rock from Mexico City, so yes they sing in Spanish, that my ears just love so much. Each song is a tangled web of two guitars, one fuzzed out most of the time and the other with the perfect amount of distortion, walking bass lines and steady yet poppy drum beat all covered with a rock n roll grown reminiscent of Gerry Roslie’s famous scream. “Sonidos Rocanrol” follows the same lines as the self titled album, but this time they throw in some lyrics in English as well as some harmonica. The production is a little louder and better mixed. It has more of a punch and low end to it than the self titled album does. It kinda reminds me of the sound the D4 “6Twenty” album has if you’re familiar with that one. This is one band I’m sure is great live, but no one in the US has the balls to bring em up here.