Squarepusher Presents Shobaleader One ‎– d'Demonstrator

As a Squarepusher fan from previous albums, I must say this is album is excellent at being almost-rubbish. While you can hear Jenkinson's usual bass style, it is topped with annoying vocals and underlined by boring drums to make what is, strangely enough one of the most interesting sounds I've heard. The absolutely hideous mastering makes this album feel like it's being played from a rubbish radio in another room while the sounds are not quite what you're used to hearing from one. Overall, I think the album is incredible in the way that a portrait of something that's always been ugly be a beautiful depiction; if people are saying they don't like listening to this album it's because they don't like the music rather than Jenkinson's work. It's worth buying if you enjoy listening to it as much as I do, but not if you're looking for a perfect album in Squarepusher style.

While I've been a huge fan of Mr. Jenkinson's for years, I've found myself less than enthusiastic about his last few releases. The musical ideas are still there it's just that the production has been on a downward trajectory. The mix on this is shrill and tinny. It lacks punch and the 909 sounds like its running through the cheapest digital distortion available.

I actually like some of the RnB influences on this album; Dude just needs to hire a mix engineer or someone whose ears aren't totally blown.

The vocals annoy the hell out of me, the mastering is terrible and the percussion sounds awful. An experiment gone wrong. On first listen you wonder why on earth Squarepusher would approve something so disappointing but then after weeks of reflection you realise that this album was just Shobaleader dipping their toes into a pool of ideas.

This may definitely not be Tom's best release and we can safely say that he works best as a one-man-band. However, I have great expectations for future releases and perhaps in a few years this record will be better received when Tom and his crew of metalheads actually put their minds to it and release something great. Either that or Tom now cries himself to sleep at night in the same way we assume RDJ does over drukQs.

Good ideas, bad composition.

One of the more unusual releases in Mr. Jenkinson's discography [and that's saying a lot (those who have listened to "Ultravisitor" and "Music is Rotted One Note" might agree)] in other ways, this is the most "conventional" record Tom has released. Let me start with the weird:

Sonically, this album sounds digital...really digital. For instance, the distortion effects that are frequently used sound like something that was applied in Sony Acid 6. This might turn some listeners off, but I think this notion was well intended by the artist...he is one of the "gods" of modern electronic music.

Some of these tracks are simply beautiful and genuine...check robecc's review of the same album...he his the nail on the head. I don't think much else needs to be iterated.

Weird and intriguing...this album fits perfectly in the warp catalog and should not be skipped over. Don't be fooled by pitchfork's review.

IMHO this record needs launching some sense of humour before hitting "play". "Do you know Squarepusher?" - if you do then you should know he likes to have a good laugh here and there. Squarepusher playing with R&B ? Mixing death metal stabs/chords with R&B/pop vibes ? ALRIGHT ! He does it so well that I have no further questions. Plus, you could look at Shobaleader as his sentimental come back to his conventional-musician-bass-playing in groups as a youth. The many listeners, the more interpretations, right. I mean, overall, personally, I wouldn't sit down and analyse this album bit by bit - I just enjoy his another output with grin on my face. I think it's whether you just "dig" it or not. The Q&A linked to at his site might help a bit understanding the project. Especially to anyone who heard the album totally unprepared and went "wtf, where's my 'come on my selector part 2' ??" "Genius" ? Yeah ! Genius on vacation, I'd say :D

Some of this was alright, but 3 songs specifically were terrible. Endless night, megazine, and maximum planck were pointless, poorly arranged and engineered (not that I could do better) and certainly not of the calibre I expect from a TomJ project. Into the blue, abstract lover and cryptic motion however are catchy and well arranged/produced/mastered albeit they are popish and mainstream sounding. The vocal effects remind me of 2 songs by Luke Vibert off his Rhythm album - Sparky is a Retard and Eleventy One.

I felt sick while listening to this. I was expecting Mariah Carey or Kayne West to come in and drop a chorus at any moment. I genuinely cringed at every new track, at the uninspired drum work, the not quite tuneful enough vocals and the cheesy loved up rnb hooks.

I kept having visions of that genius Tom Jenkinson being held at ransom by a bunch of pop/rnb artists and being forced to churn out these tracks against his will.

Obviously check it out for yourself first before making any judgements. Iv tried listening to this a few times through but I just simply cant bear it.

Please, forget that this record was ever released by the mind that created such amazingly intricate, rhythmically complex and infinitely textured convoluted breakcore/idm tracks. I hope one day it is revealed that this cd was a big joke.

Let me be the first - at least, on this forum - to say, Mr Tom Jenkinson, what a fine fine album you've made here - particularly Into The Blue, which had me and my four year old up dancing; it's quite a beautiful track, brought a lump to my throat, and (yes, i know tis a cliche to say so about music that, sadly, unjustifiably, won't make it near the charts) it would be No 1 in an alternative universe - we bopped around the room to Megazine afterwards for dessert....again, many congrats TJ....spacey music for cool living rooms....