Returning to Just a Souvenir

I loved this album when it came out having heard much of its material for the first time at the Bang Face closer set. For some reason it got knocked off my radar and just last week I listened to the whole thing in work (on headphones, mind). It is a masterpiece. Change takes time to embrace and the albums (by anyone) which have become my favourites have grown into their position in my ranking. This is certainly one of those. If you are reading this, stop what you are doing and listen to this album again right now. You'll thank yourself in the long run.

Yeah I revisited it recently. So fucking awesome

  On 5/2/2014 at 12:26 AM, LoveRhino said:

I loved this album when it came out having heard much of its material for the first time at the Bang Face closer set. For some reason it got knocked off my radar and just last week I listened to the whole thing in work (on headphones, mind). It is a masterpiece. Change takes time to embrace and the albums (by anyone) which have become my favourites have grown into their position in my ranking. This is certainly one of those. If you are reading this, stop what you are doing and listen to this album again right now. You'll thank yourself in the long run.

Love this album, Planet Gear is one of my favourite things he's ever written, such a fantastic chord progression in the chorus.

Glad I'm not alone. This album has some real standout moments. It was his most bass (the instrument) fuelled work at the time of its release. I'd rank it as one of his best, though is be wasting my time as I'd say that about most of his albums; each for different and very personal reasons.

Planet Gear really does rule, though. Nice mention.

i couldn't stick with that album. its great to come back to every now and then and get all hyped on how ridiculous some of the tracks are, but other than that it doesn't do much for me. I preferred numbers lucent to this! either way, its a masterpiece whether i dig it or not.

Good call. Sometimes the masterpiece is not for ever day listening.

i was super into it when it came out, and saw him live twice during that time (great shows).

 

now i rarely revisit it, except tracks like star time 2, quadrature, duotone moonbeam. it's a p tiresome album if you're not in the mood, and the mixing on it is still crap.

  On 5/2/2014 at 12:33 AM, LoveRhino said:

Glad I'm not alone. This album has some real standout moments. It was his most bass (the instrument) fuelled work at the time of its release. I'd rank it as one of his best, though is be wasting my time as I'd say that about most of his albums; each for different and very personal reasons.

Planet Gear really does rule, though. Nice mention.

 

I went back and listened to all of his albums and EPs continuously for a week, and my opinions of them all have changed a lot. Of those changed opinions, my thoughts on Just a Souvenir have improved greatly. It's very well done and the pacing is great. The Coathanger, A Real Woman, Delta-V, and Planet Gear are the definite standouts on the record. Numbers Lucent helped bolster the offerings on Souvenir as well despite the tracks not being the same style. You can tell that Numbers was probably what Souvenir was going to sound like before he went in the other direction. In a way, I'm glad that happened, because it revealed a new side of Tom that I hope to hear more of. He truly is The Fucking Daddy.

I want him to release more stuff like JAS. After d'Demonstrator, I was expecting the followup to be a blend of the two. I'm still hoping for that someday. Synthpoppy songs with ridiculous prog bass metal breakdowns

Yeh JAS is epic.... like a soundtrack to a weird version of War of the Words stage show...kinda camp or soemthing but in a good way!

  On 5/2/2014 at 12:51 AM, LoveRhino said:

Good call. Sometimes the masterpiece is not for ever day listening.

Ultravisitor is SP's masterpiece for me. The full on nasty monster blend of electronics/acoustics/genres and sound being pushed to the extreme.

 

And it is by all means not something I can listen to all the time. It's a sometimes record.

 

I regard Ultravisitor and JAS as similar albums. They both sound like they have the same idea behind them. This imagery of a 'live' band performing live/acoustic music but having this live performance bend reality with ridiculous arrangements and production. Jas is probably a bit more focused in that regard, in its sound.. ?

 

I like JAS quite a lot. Fun, crazy, bold album :)

Edited May 2, 2014 by bitroast

Thanks for reminding! Was seriously addicted to the album when it came out (I was heavily into Zappa, metal, bass wankery and electronic music, and then this album got everything in one!) and listening to it now after a year of not hearing is really refreshing :) definitely top 3 best Squarepusher material.

Heh heh, I tried a few days ago to give this album another go. Can't get into it at all. Just not my cup of tea. Each to their own though.

Edited May 2, 2014 by beerwolf

Love Ultravisitor too. It is epic. A few moments can exist as standalone tracks but like JAS it does seem to exist as a whole entity. I must give that a run through soon.

  On 5/2/2014 at 7:46 AM, modey said:

I want him to release more stuff like JAS. After d'Demonstrator, I was expecting the followup to be a blend of the two. I'm still hoping for that someday. Synthpoppy songs with ridiculous prog bass metal breakdowns

 

I want another Shobaleader record. I can listen to that whole thing on constant rotation. It was a nice change of pace.

TJ is one talented motherfucker.

 

His composition-mindedness is all-too-rare in the electronic universe

and Just a Souvenir is a great execution of his all-around prowess.

JAS may just be my favorite SP release. Maaaaybe.

 

I should give Shobaleader another chance. I think I only listened to that one twice.

  On 5/2/2014 at 7:24 AM, pizza said:

now i rarely revisit it, except star time 2, quadrature, duotone moonbeam. it's a p tiresome album if you're not in the mood, and the mixing on it is still crap.

came in to say these exact points. so.. yeah.. agreed.

Record. Listen to it on record. It sounds incredible.

  On 5/3/2014 at 7:44 AM, LimpyLoo said:

TJ is one talented motherfucker.

 

His composition-mindedness is all-too-rare in the electronic universe

and Just a Souvenir is a great execution of his all-around prowess.

 

Totally agree,

Coathanger is such a lush track. Concentrate on the bass and you'll be amazed! The way every tracks is composed feels effortless.

yes, one of my favorites aswell!

 

 

  On 5/2/2014 at 7:46 AM, modey said:

Synthpoppy songs with ridiculous prog bass metal breakdowns

  On 5/9/2014 at 1:35 PM, Philip Glass said:

Coathanger is such a lush track. Concentrate on the bass and you'll be amazed! The way every tracks is composed feels effortless.

  On 5/9/2014 at 3:45 PM, THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON said:

 

  On 5/2/2014 at 7:46 AM, modey said:

Synthpoppy songs with ridiculous prog bass metal breakdowns

 

ah yeah, really love the synths and vocals in that one

  On 5/2/2014 at 4:35 PM, bitroast said:

 

  On 5/2/2014 at 12:51 AM, LoveRhino said:

Good call. Sometimes the masterpiece is not for ever day listening.

Ultravisitor is SP's masterpiece for me. The full on nasty monster blend of electronics/acoustics/genres and sound being pushed to the extreme.

 

And it is by all means not something I can listen to all the time. It's a sometimes record.

 

I regard Ultravisitor and JAS as similar albums. They both sound like they have the same idea behind them. This imagery of a 'live' band performing live/acoustic music but having this live performance bend reality with ridiculous arrangements and production. Jas is probably a bit more focused in that regard, in its sound.. ?

 

I like JAS quite a lot. Fun, crazy, bold album :)

 

same thing, i prefer Ultravisitor with b-sides. This is an album where there's a mix of acoustic and electronic sounds and a mixture of style quite broad: we hear hip hop, rock, jazz, funk, etc. and idm, jungle, drum n 'bass, etc.. A varied album and very rich sound, this is his album of consecration for me

I agree. Taking Uktravisitor and Square Window as a single entity it is my favourite Squarepusherian period.