Amon Tobin – Supermodified

first off, i'm 100% behind most [fans] in thinking tobin's a genius and a gift to contemporary music. unlike most artists in the electronic/dj/sampling bucket who are desperate to stay current with a trend or a movement (a perverse need to stay fashionable rather than really let go and express oneself, i'm thinking, although i do enjoy quite a bit of it), tobin's pretty much followed his own muse for several albums now. although he hardly invented the 2 most obvious inspirations for his work - drum & bass and jazz - he's done a stunning job of incorporating them into his sonic environments and making them his own. perhaps this is because he doesn't seem to treat this blend as a bloodless and theoretical exercise in fusion; rather, he stirs in unique symphonic flourishes that pull the compositions together and make the finished tracks much more unabashedly playful, theatrical, and romantic than the vast majority of self-conscious post-modern musicians operating within ANY genre today. and yes, in case you're concerned, his stuff still sounds painfully cool, current, and will definitely impress your trendy friends...
where i'll break with most of the other [fans] is swearing up & down that supermodified is his best album thus far. his most exciting? yep. most experimental? yep. a confirmation that tobin ain't simply a one-trick pony who'll be forgotten in a couple years? absolutely. and i'm glad that he's moving off in new directions rather that regurgitating a tried and true formula. but because supermodified is more experimental and employs a broader palette than his earlier work, i think he's still got a few kinks to work out. i suspect that this cd will be to his next release what bricolage was to permutation - a thrilling sketch for a future finished piece. good enough to give it 5 stars cuz his sketches are more creative, interesting, and repeatedly listenable that even other good artists' most mature offerings. but i suggest those who are new to amon start elsewhere. i'll explain...
his earliest material, under the name cujo, is largely forgettable if you ask me. not bad at all, but not dramatically different from what several of his ninja labelmates were producing at the time (like 9 lazy 9, mad doctor x). and given that the goals weren't that ambitious for any of 'em - to produce atmospheric, funky down-beat stuff - perhaps not even the most engaging of that ilk. if you like straight-forward jazz samples over steady grooves (as i do) or if you wind up an amon completist, then this is for you. but i don't think it's essential.
bricolage is startling by comparison. inspired by the d&b trend, which was really nothing more that an update of early 90's techno, he focused almost solely on the rhythm. but rather that the dry, electronic pulses and patterns of his contemporaries, tobin turned to jazz and latin music both for organic inspiration and source samples. some brassy instrumentation and sequenced keyboard ditties find their way into the mix as well, but because of their simplicity, they seem to only be there as a backdrop to pull the frantic percussive textures together rather than a integral melodic component. many amon tobin diehards will tell you that bricolage is their favorite after supermodified, but i don't feel the same way. although the rhythmic cut-ups are initially awesome, they strike me as a bit wallpapery after a while. there are few times that this cd maintained my attention through one sitting.
not so for permutation. this is the one i'd say is tobin's best to date in that i believe it's his most fully and successfully realized work. confident in his unique percussion skills, he took them to a new level but didn't stop there. he paid a lot more attention to the instrumentation and melody this time out, so the samples are more prominent and thoroughly woven into the rhythms of the tracks. the result is a lot more powerful and moving bona fide music, almost a soundtrack to a nonexistent film (like barry adamson's moss side story with a groove). permutation is jazzy without slavishly emulating jazz for its credibility, mature without being stodgy, and emotional without being sappy. plus its got a healthy dose of insouciance so, in spite of its big ambitions, it never comes across as pretentious. in case you couldn't guess, i think this cd is flawless and i can't heap enough praise on it. i recommend this one as the best place in tobin's discography to start, and work back to bricolage if you enjoy it and want to hear a bit more in the same vein.
i guess tobin could have tried to milk that style for all its worth, but as further proof that he really comes by the too-frequently used term "artist" honest, he's already moving off in a new direction in supermodified. the crazy cut-up rhythms are still here, but this time the instrumental samplings are the stars and jazz ensembles are just one of many sources now. these tracks are at once more orchestral AND more electronic than anything he's created so far, and he's done an amazing job at bending these disparate elements into a cohesive and original vision. supermodified is also darker, more dissonant, and more sonically hostile than bricolage or permutation although you can hear some prophetically dark atmospheres at times on those releases. he never really leavens the mood here though, and seems determined to maintain the intensity through to the end. golfer vs. boxer, in fact, is a chaotic tour de force of swirling , muffled shouting, and epileptic percussion - in my opinion, completely without precedent outside of tobin's own oeuvre. (nifty trivia: the occasional golf ball sound you hear popping up through the cacophony was probably inspired by tipsy's space golf from '96.) elsewhere, the sound is lusciously sexy (chocolate lovely) or smoky funky (get your snack on) or inspirationally odd (precursor). so what's the problem? well, first of all, i think it MIGHT be a bit too thick and dissonant for tobin newbies, although some aural thrill-seekers might be looking for just that.
but also, although i think amon tobin is brilliant, i don't think he's infallible. the unmitigated clanging of keepin it steel is a joke that wears thin quickly. rhino jockey could have been a charged response to both trance and grindcore, but the muddy production and tobin's aversion to straight-forward four-to-the-floor beats keep it from ever reaching maximum power. and stacking the plodding tempos of four ton mantis, slowly, and marine machines all in row was a really bad idea if you ask me since the album gets off to a draggy start. it's not that i feel shortchanged because of these minor quibbles - i just know that this exploration is only going to increase tobin's skills and make the next album even more mind-blowing (and perhaps, like permutation, even flawless). that having been said, adventurous folks who take my advice and start with permutation should waste no time moving on to supermodified so they can savor what the rest of us have been enjoying for some time now.
two other non-related issues: a couple folks have complained about the production. with the aforementioned exception of rhino jockey, i totally disagree. i DESPISE the surgical clarity and precision of most overproduced electronic junk. amon's albums have a warm, nearly vinyl ambiance to them that i'd absolutely never want to part with.
also, i'm crossing my fingers that he starts experimenting with adding vocals as part of the sound tapestry but not for storytelling value. this isn't part of the review; just a fantasy i have because i'd like to see what his creative noodling can make of them.