Budakhan Mindphone
For Squarepusher's Tom Jenkinson, music is his playground--albeit a very twisted one. One minute you might find the producer carelessly wrecking beats and pieces like a petulant three-year-old boy (seeMusic Is Rotted One Note); at others, employing the exacting precision of a manic drill sergeant to drum & bass, he produces what could only be called "drill and bass." The unpredictable Jenkinson throws his audience yet another curve ball withBudakhan Mindphone, which turns out to be a softer, kinder, gentler Squarepusher, where tinkling pianos and lush melodies summon a childlike innocence. To be sure, Jenkinson's strange ways are still present (wacky rhythms, check; odd, assorted noises, check). But this time around they're coated with a sugary sweetness never before seen from the mad scientist.--Tricia Romano