SQUID

Despite 7 EP releases since their 2016 debut single ("Perfect Teeth"), this Brighton-based band has only released two full-length studio albums. This is the second.

1. "Swing (In a Dream)" (4:29) fairly calm and straightforward compared to the frenetic ride they put me through on their Bright Green Field debut. (8.75/10)

2. "Devil's Den" (3:05) definitely showing signs of going chamber prog with the avant-jazz brass and winds over the the first 1:50 while vocalist (Ollie?) sing-talks within the mix. But then all hell breaks loose with some real BLACK MIDI-like abrasive dynamism and dissonance. Interesting. The vocalist singing in the final 40 seconds definitely sounds like the half-deranged Ollie from Bright Green Fields. (8.875/10)

3. "Siphon Song" (5:58) slow variant-military drumming with spacey synth and then robot-like voice treatments build this song slowly into something Perhaps the "siphon" in the title refers to the tube-like vocal treatment effect Ollie's voice has been given. (Not quite as distorted as Peter Frampton or Joe Walsh during their use of the "talkbox" vocal effect in the 1970s). Male vocal chorus in the background gives the song an unusual and very interesting effect. As the song really wants you to tune into the lyrics--which are delivered in a very monotone talkbox voice--I find myself at an extreme disadvantage as I don't hear lyrics. (8.875/10)

4. "Undergrowth" (6:35) after a rather subdued RED HOT CHILI PEPPERs opening 90-seconds, we finally have lead singer Ollie Judge bursting out into the half-crazed BEASTIE BOYS-like vocal style he used so much on Bright Green Fields. It's almost comforting to feel and hear Ollie still getting so emotional about his verbal messages; I'd hate to see/hear him totally lose (or discard) that style of expression. A rather simple groove and construct that is absolutely stuffed-to-the-brim with nuanced and intermittent instrumental interjections. My favorite song on the album. (9.125/10)

5. "The Blades" (6:28) more RED CHILI PEPPERS-like eclectic music opening this one before Ollie arrives giving us a very British Indie Rock vocal performance--at least, that is, until the 1:40 mark when he throws his ARTO LINDSAY/DAVID BYRNE-like vocal epithets out with the abrasive guitar chords. Another BLACK MIDI-like interlude at the three-minute mark turns back into with lots of brass-like sounds filling the in-between spaces. Things really amp up (and gel) at the four-minute mark. This is really cool! Then everyone drops out to make way for some slow-picked guitar arpeggi backing Ollie's subdued, tired-sounding almost spoken vocal. Actually a very cool if totally unorthodox song. A top three song.(9/10)

6. "After the Flash" (5:34) dreamy synth backgrounds over which guitars and rhythm section tromp around like an increasingly-impatient elephant. All the while, Ollie recites his invective in a Paul Weller/ THE JAM kind of way. In the song's final minute, Ollie and the band kind of lose it: all grounding in reality is lost and they fall apart. (8.7/10)

7. "Green Light" (4:23) some Afro-beats from guitars and percussion open this one before the band bursts into full avant punk mode. PRIMUS and THE AMBITIOUS LOVERS are brought to mind (and, of course, BLACK MIDI--sorry, Guys). (8.6666667/10)

8. "If You Had Seen the Bull's Swimming Attempts You Would Have Stayed Away" (5:14) more music that sounds as if it came out of the rap era that brought us The Beastie Boys and Vanilla Ice. Choral vocals in the third minute with synth strings joining in with the Ska rhythm palette during the third and fourth minutes. Very cool bass-based section in the fourth and fifth minutes as Ollie and chorus recite a repeating list of snake-bite treatment protocol descriptors. Very interesting! (9/10)

The music on o Monolith feels so much more tame and straightforward than that of their 2021 debut--as if the band have (mostly) "grown out" of their punk "phase." The music is so much more reliant on its many nuances and subtleties--especially as lyricist/vocalist Ollie Judge is not quite as adolescent aggressive as he was on Bright Green Fields. Perhaps a few years have allowed Ollie the room to see that anger, frustration, and disappointment can be vented through more subdued, (barely) controlled methods.

B/four stars; an excellent adventure into music that is fairly new and refreshing--something most prog lover's would probably enjoy if only for the experience.

Is this album yet another sign that there is a new movement of Krautrock-like Post-Punk Prog occurring?

1. "Resolution Square (0:40)

2. "G.S.K. (3:10) part RUN-D.M.C./BEASTIE BOYS, part AMBITIOUS LOVERS/PRIMUS, part DAVID BYRNE all serves to create a quirky post-punk NuProg in the vein of black midi, FUZZ PUDDLE/FLY PAN AM/ALTO PALO/LOW. I'm really not sure if lead singer/screamer Ollie Judge is angry, excited, or just insistent on getting his point across but this music is definitely interesting and invigorating. Great foundational groove. A top three song. (9/10)

3. "Narrator feat. Martha Skye Murphy" (8:28) sounds far more 1970s punk or CAN- or NEU-like Krautrock moving into stuff like early XTC, TALKING HEADS, and THE AMBITIOUS LOVERS. Even the weird psychedelia instrumental sounds (and voices) in the music mix beneath the lead vocalist are very punk-post punk (complete with a very riské NINA HAGEN-like vocal performance from a female vocalist guest, Martha Skye Murphy--who obviously took pointers from Irene Papas' performance on Aphrodite's Child's "Infinity"). (17.5/20)

4. "Boy Racers" (7:34) steady rhythm track and almost-Reggae-like guitar weave reminds me of CAN. Even the slightly crazed vocal has a Damo Suzuki feel to it. The music drops out to leave spacey Blade Runner-like post-industrial synth sounds to play around while heavily-treated vocal epithets are interjected here and there for the next five minutes. It's like a Bar-Do for race car video game crashouts. I like it conceptually but I think it's more cinematic than proggy. (13/15)

5. "Paddling" (6:17) like something out of a long-lost KRAFTWERK album that's been picked up and embellished by a modern street rapper. In the third minute there is an excursion into some freak-out psychedelia, but then we return to music, moving quickly into a Euro-post-punk motif similar to Nena, Peter Schilling or Falco (or early Talking Heads or Blondie). Once guitars enter and synths fill the soundscape, the final 90 seconds are actually pretty cool. (8.875/10)

6. "Documentary Filmmaker" (4:55) the opening music sounds as if PHILIP GLASS and STEVE HAUSCHILDT merge forces. At the two-minute mark the music shifts, moves into second, third, and fourth gears as ever-excitable Ollie Judge catastrophizes over the top. I actually really love this one! (9.5/10)

7. "2010" (4:28) like a two-voice poetry recitation performed over some Bruce Cockburn music--until 1:35 when all hell breaks loose. The spoken poetry parts remind me of iconic British poet Ann Clark from the 1980s. Once again, I am shocked that two bands (or more?) could appear in the same music scene at the same time like Squid and black midi. (8.75/10)

8. "The Flyover" (1:10) horns and quietly spoken (recorded) words (conversation snippets). (4.4/5)

9. "Peel St." (4:52) Talking Heads + The Ambitious Lovers = black midi (and Squid). Amazing that the two bands (Squid and black midi) appeared concurrently. (9.5/10)

10. "Global Groove" (5:07) with such sedate music I find myself reminded of LAGARTIJA of all bands (Particelle)! The vocal performance(s--screamed and tape-recorded/spoken), of course, have very little to do with the Italian band, but I'm fascinated by the multiple personalities this band is able to express. (8.875/10)

11. "Pamphlets" (8:03) more post-punk CAN-like Krautrock. It surprises me how well it works. (13.125/15)

Total Time 54:44

I'm not sure if I've been listening to manic delirium or genius. I suppose a little of both. ("A true twenty-first century sound," Bruce Cockburn inspires me me to say.) I do like this music, this album, I'm just not ready or willing to accept that this is the direction prog music might be going. The use of horns and myriad incidental-seeming sound injections is, I have to admit, pretty ingenious. Ollie Judge's vocal performances are also quite impressive: the man is certainly committed ? to his messages--to his performance.

B+/4.5 stars; an excellent and very refreshing venture through a totally new sounding blend of old prog and pop music styles; totally recommended for any and all true progressive rock music lovers. It's an experience you will not soon forget.

Squid in my eyes has a lot of potential and i believe this debut album will be a future prog classic. I personally believe this band is mislabeled and should be under Eclectic Prog, the album has a variety of influences but is mainly a Post Punk, Prog Electronic, Krautrock and Dance Punk album making it super unique, it has elements of XTC, Talking Heads B52's especially in the vocals and even a little bit of Radiohead and 80s King Crimson in the instrumentation aswell as some Manic Street Preachers, the album of course wearing it's influences on it's sleeves there's plenty of moments that remind me of Can and Proto Punk/Krautrock(even tiny bits of jazz rock) in general, it takes these influences and puts it in a prog contex, Narrator being a highlight I don't know how to disribe it, the track starts off normally but over time it gets more and more chaotic to where the song turns into chaotic screaming even becoming semi avant garde and is honestly one of the most intense prog songs to come out in a long time, Peel St. is another personal favorite of mine the track opens with electronica and then gradually turns into a rock song with the electronic synths supporting it, the final track Pamphlets is an amazing ending with it being very loud and frantic and it coming to a sudden end. Overall the album is a love letter to the genres and music it's inspired by and is one hell of a ride and I'd say this album/band is leagues better Black Country, New Road another band from the Windmill Scene

Shocked to find only 2 ratings for this incredible debut, and no reviews. I never write music reviews, so bear with me as I try to give you a sense of what this album brings to the table of modern prog.

To me, this band of young British 20-somethings is one of the groups carrying the spirit of prog into the modern era. They are often looped into the scene that includes Black Midi, however, Squid is a little less chaotic and more song based. However they do seem to be keen on experimenting, and some songs contain synthy, eclectronic, somewhat psychedelic instrumental passages. The band also has an obvious modern aggressive edge (not metal though) at times.

Squid incorporates the twinkly jerky guitar interplay and keyboard sounds of 80s new wave post punk bands like XTC, 80's King Crimson, League of Gentlemen, and the Talking Heads. Songs are catchy and hooky. Vocals are shouty and remind me of Minutemen and Cake. Although not traditional prog in the classical/symphonic sense, I imagine the band members enjoy the likes of Gentle Giant, Crimson, and krauty bands like Can.

Overall the combination of influences and sounds throughout this album is, to me, unique amongst modern bands. I am very excited to see what the future holds for Squid.

A 5 start album by any standard. Including the ProgArchives standard: Bright Green Field is indeed a masterpiece of progressive rock music, and should be checked out by any prog fans who are interested in modern sounding prog - especially if you're not interested in metal, and/or are also a fan of 80s new wave and post punk. Fans of Black Midi and King Gizzard should check this out as well.