ブライトン発!桁外れの進化を遂げた超新星スクイッドが2ndアルバム『O Monolith』をひっさげ帰還

デビュー・アルバム『Bright Green Field』がいきなり全英4位を記録し、作品のみならずライブ・パフォーマンスにおいても、今のUKシーンにおいて最も革新的なバンドのひとつとしての地位を確立したスクイッドが、2ndアルバム『O Monolith』を〈WARP〉よりリリース。
『Bright Green Field』のリリースからわずか2週間後の2021年のツアー中に制作がスタートしたという本作『O Monolith』は、話題沸騰中のウェット・レッグやUKインディ・ロックを牽引するブラック・ミディらを手掛けるプロデューサー、ダン・キャリーが前作に引き続きプロデュースを手掛け、ミックスはトータスのジョン・マッケンタイアが担当するという強力な布陣で完成した。
前作同様に緻密かつトリックの効いた作品ではあるが、表現力はより豊かになり温かみもまとっている。聴くものに何かを問いかけると同時に、バンドが遂げた桁外れの進化を証明する傑作となっている。

発売・販売元 提供資料 （2023/02/10）

Squid arrived at 2021s Bright Green Field with heaps of momentum, surviving the hype to deliver an invigorating debut of manic energy and tension. Two years later, the British combo returns with O Monolith, a more streamlined, though still Squid-like sophomore set that nurtures their innate curiosity while still feeding their appetite for chaos. Written in the immediate aftermath of their previous release, the structures of O Monolith were worked out on-stage, then later hammered into their final shapes at Peter Gabriels Real World Studios in rural Wiltshire. Squids longtime collaborator, Dan Carey, was on hand to produce. The most immediate shift in their sound is an increased emphasis on melody and harmonic structure. Thats not to say frontman/drummer Ollie Judge has abandoned his idiosyncratic singsong shouting, but located within the woozy prog rock of "Swing (In a Dream)" and the pulsing dirge "After the Flash" are carefully built tunes that signal something of a sea change for the band. On the standout "Siphon Song," an eerie vocoder track is juxtaposed with bucolic choral parts, slowly building into a squalling typhoon of sound. The funky swarming groove of "Undergrowth" revisits the jaunty bark of Squids earlier releases, while still pushing them into new territory. Reprising her collaboration from their debut is singer Martha Skye Murphy, along with new foils Roger Bolton (Real Worlds resident technologist) and Tortoises John McEntire, who mixed the album. All of this adds up to another well-made record that evolved from Squids origins. ~ Timothy Monger

Rovi