Music Is Rotted One Note

1	Chunks 2:19
2	Don't Go Plastic 4:20
3	Dust Switch 4:27
4	Curve 1 2:06
5	137 (Rinse) 3:45
6	Parallelogram Bin 2:24
7	Circular Flexing 4:57
8	Ill Descent 2:37
9	My Sound 6:07
10	Drunken Style 0:45
11	Theme from Vertical Hold 4:25
12	Ruin 1:56
13	Shin Triad 2:26
14	Step 1 1:46
15	Last Ap Roach 4:00

Barnes & Noble

Normally a drum 'n' bass merchant who pushes dark grooves onto the ears of the converted, Squarepusher has taken a radical departure with Music Is Rotted One Note. Here, there's not one single bleep; instead, nimble guitars, trippy organs, and frenetic drumming combine to form a work of pure art. The opening track, "Chunk's," introduces a kinky guitar riff that twists and turns before hitting the meat of the tune, which seems to take the listener on a descent into jazz madness. The only discernible rhythm is the one picked up from the opening few bars. A whiff of Miles Davis in his electric years is evident in "Don't Go Plastic," where the organ drifts in and out of the flow, tripping off into abstract notes in the interim, the only constant the drumbeat. "Dust Switch" sounds like the backing tune to one of those experimental flicks from the '60s about life on another planet. Indeed, this is the feeling through much of Music. More acid than jazz, it's a bizarre ride into the mind of a genius, on which we should be only too happy to tag along. Chiedo Nkwocha

All Music Guide

The one-man drum'n'bass outfit Squarepusher (aka Tom Jenkinson) treads upon more unpredictable terrain on Music Is Rotted One Note. Although the album still contains elements of his usual drum'n'bass sound, this is by and large a jazz/fusion affair. Jenkinson does a masterful job playing all the instruments live and by himself, and perfectly re-creates the funky atmosphere of such early-'70s Miles Davis classics as Get Up With It and On the Corner. Jenkinson's performances throughout the disc are both flawless and inspired -- he obviously realized that if he were to pay tribute to Miles, nothing but the best would do. Davis' spirit lives on in such tracks as "Don't Go Plastic," "Dust Switch," "137 (Rinse)," and "Theme From Vertical Hold," while "My Sound" perfectly captures the essence of Miles' calming and reflective compositions. But don't be misled; this is not a by-the-numbers rip-off of Miles Davis. Jenkinson updates these familiar sounds with '90s recording techniques and injects enough of his own style into the mix to keep it recognizable. Miles would be proud. Greg Prato