A direct sequel to their marvellous 2015 debut The Owl, The Parallax Method continue to impress with their blend of dextrous technical ability, tongue-twisting titles and compositional craft on The Squid.
They begin by getting their jazz on with the laid‑back swing of Let’s Get Kraken, which abruptly shifts gears, tempo and dimensions of time and space to become the monstrous funky prog of Donald Sutherland And His Magnificent Mane. You’ve Gotta Be Squiddin’ Me and Owl Pacino VS Mega Mango are the sort of head-scratching, fiendishly intricate music that are the stock-in-trade of The Aristocrats and, like Govan, Beller and Minnemann’s work, what prevents this from becoming an exercise in technical self-abuse is the fact that these are songs, complete with hooks from guitarist Danny Beardsley and a compelling sense of groove courtesy of drummer Dave Wright and bassist Ben Edis. The EP wraps up with I Squid You Farewell (Owl Be Seeing You), the lengthiest and most shamelessly ambitious piece here as the trio get their shred on. Let The Squid embrace you in its tentacles of sticky progressive love and carry you off to the briny deep, forever to dwell in odd‑time-signature bliss.
