Editing Hard Normal Daddy

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Hard Normal Daddy
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Squarepusher]]
| cover        = Squarepusher.hardnormaldaddy.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = {{start date|1997|04|28|df=yes}}
| recorded     = 
| venue        = 
| studio       =
| genre        = {{hlist|[[Drill 'n' bass]]|[[Intelligent dance music|IDM]]}}
| length       = {{duration|m=62|s=37}}
| label        = [[Warp (record label)|Warp]]
| producer     = [[Squarepusher|Tom Jenkinson]]
| prev_title   = [[Port Rhombus EP]]
| prev_year    = 1996
| next_title   = [[Big Loada]]
| next_year    = 1997
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Hard Normal Daddy
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = Vic Acid
 | single1date = 31 March 1997
}}
}}

'''''Hard Normal Daddy''''' is the second studio album by English [[electronic music]]ian Tom Jenkinson under the alias [[Squarepusher]], released on 28 April 1997. The album was Jenkinson's first studio album as Squarepusher for [[Warp (record label)|Warp]]. A single for the track "Vic Acid" was released in 1997 prior to the album's release.

''Hard Normal Daddy'' received positive reviews from critics and was listed as one of the best albums of 1997 by ''[[NME]]'' and ''[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]''. The album has received further acclaim years after its release, with ''[[Stylus Magazine]]'' referring to it in 2003 as Squarepusher's "masterpiece" and ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' ranking it in 2017 as one of the greatest [[Intelligent dance music|IDM]] albums of all time.

== Background ==
Tom Jenkinson was offered to sign to [[Ninja Tune]], [[Rephlex Records]], [[R&S Records]] and [[Warp (record label)|Warp]]. Jenkinson eventually chose Warp as he was more interested in the label's music.<ref name="psf">{{cite web|url=http://www.furious.com/perfect/squarepusher.html|title=Squarepusher Interview|website=[[Perfect Sound Forever (magazine)|Perfect Sound Forever]]|last=Gross|first=Jason|date=January 1999|accessdate=4 July 2013}}</ref>

=== Music ===
''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''{{'}}s Seth Colter Walls cited the album's musical style as an early example of the [[drill 'n' bass]] subgenre, described by the online music database [[AllMusic]] as a version of [[drum and bass|drum 'n' bass]] that warped "old midtempo beats and breaks into a frenzied, experimental potpourri of low-attention-span electronic music."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/drillnbass-ma0000012008|title=Drill'n'bass|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=25 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="bestidm">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/10011-the-50-best-idm-albums-of-all-time/?page=3|title=The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=24 January 2017|accessdate=25 January 2017|page=3}}</ref>

''[[The Baltimore Sun|Baltimore Sun]]'' critic [[J. D. Considine]] described the album as [[jazz fusion]] influenced, characterising its contents as "lyrical, complicated keyboard riffs, dense, churning beats, nimble, melodic fretless bass – add in a saxophone, and you'd have the drum 'n' bass equivalent of [[Weather Report]]."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1998-02-15-1998046084-story.html|title=The New Jazz Age|newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|last=Considine|first=J. D.|author-link=J. D. Considine|date=15 February 1998|accessdate=5 July 2020}}</ref> Tom Jenkinson has stated that his music on ''Hard Normal Daddy'' was not influenced by jazz fusion but by [[funk music|funk]]-oriented music such as [[Herbie Hancock]]'s [[Death Wish (soundtrack)|''Death Wish'' soundtrack]] and 1970s television themes from police and detective shows.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/magazine/squarepusher-interview|title=Interview: Squarepusher|publisher=[[Red Bull Music Academy]]|last=Blanning|first=Lisa|date=8 August 2012|accessdate=7 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109011236/http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/magazine/squarepusher-interview|archive-date=9 November 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Artwork ==
The album art for ''Hard Normal Daddy'' was designed by Jenkinson and Johnny Clayton, who had previously collaborated on the artwork for Jenkinson's 1996 debut album as Squarepusher, ''[[Feed Me Weird Things]]''. Clayton encouraged Jenkinson to again take inspiration from Jenkinson's hometown of [[Chelmsford]], which had also inspired the artwork for ''Feed Me Weird Things''. Given a camera, Jenkinson took photos of various locations in the town, including sheds where illegal raves were held and the local park, which are depicted in the CD packaging, as well as a run-down gas container that features on the album cover.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/warp-25-johnny-clayton-interview/|title=We Spoke to Johnny Clayton, the Guy Who Made Aphex Twin Creep Us Out|website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|last=Montesinos-Donaghy|first=Daniel|date=24 July 2014|access-date=7 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407195548/https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/ae9ed5/warp-25-johnny-clayton-interview|archive-date=7 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> The packaging artwork has a note of dedication to the Chelmsford rave scene.

== Release ==
''Hard Normal Daddy'' was released by [[Warp (record label)|Warp]] on 28 April 1997. It was released on [[compact disc]], [[vinyl records|double vinyl]], [[audio cassette|cassette]] and [[Music download|digital download]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://warp.net/records/releases/squarepusher/hard-normal-daddy|title=Warp / Records / Releases / Squarepusher / Hard Normal Daddy|publisher=[[Warp (record label)|Warp]]|accessdate=4 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608121410/http://warp.net/records/releases/squarepusher/hard-normal-daddy|archive-date=8 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> A single was released for the album for the track "Vic Acid" on 31 March 1997 by Warp on compact disc and 12-inch vinyl.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/vic-acid-mw0000911274/releases|title=Vic Acid – Squarepusher {{!}} Releases|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=4 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/vic-acid-mw0000911274|title=Vic Acid – Squarepusher|publisher=AllMusic|last=DiGravina|first=Tim|accessdate=4 July 2013}}</ref>

== Reception ==
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="allmusic" />
| rev2 = ''[[Muzik]]''
| rev2score = 7/10<ref name="muzik">{{cite magazine|title=Squarepusher: Hard Normal Daddy (Warp)|url=http://www.muzikmagazine.co.uk/issues/muzik024_may_1997.pdf|magazine=[[Muzik]]|issue=24|last=Howe|first=Rupert|date=May 1997|page=112|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403112019/http://www.muzikmagazine.co.uk/issues/muzik024_may_1997.pdf|archive-date=3 April 2022|access-date=17 July 2022}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[NME]]''
| rev3score = 6/10<ref name="nme1997">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/squarepusher-ihard-normal-daddyi-warpcdlp|title=Squarepusher: Hard Normal Daddy (Warp/CD/LP)|magazine=[[NME]]|last=Crysell|first=Andy|date=3 May 1997|accessdate=8 April 2020|url-access=subscription|via=[[Rock's Backpages]]}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{sfn|Wolk|2004|p=773}}
}}

''Hard Normal Daddy'' received positive reviews upon release. In a contemporary review, ''[[Muzik]]'' critic Rupert Howe praised ''Hard Normal Daddy'' as an album of "style, wit and crafty ingenuity", albeit one that "isn't always quite as clever as it would like to think it is".<ref name="muzik"/> Writing for ''[[NME]]'', Andy Crysell noted Jenkinson's "passion for jazz that separates him from that other most weirdy and beardy of dance warriors" but called the album "schizophrenic", expressing frustration at its "high-velocity experimentation" and perceived emphasis on virtuosity.<ref name="nme1997" />

''NME'' placed ''Hard Normal Daddy'' at number 34 on its list of best albums of 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1997|title=Albums and Tracks of the Year for 1997|website=NME|accessdate=20 April 2015}}</ref> ''[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]'' named it among the best albums of the year.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://thewire.co.uk/archive/1997-rewind|title=1997 Rewind|magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|issue=167|date=January 1998|accessdate=5 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621224243/http://thewire.co.uk/archive/1997-rewind|archive-date=21 June 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In December 1998, ''[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]'' ranked ''Hard Normal Daddy'' at number 54 on its list of the 90 best albums of the 1990s.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The 90 Greatest Albums of the 90's|magazine=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]|issue=125|date=December 1998}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Years after release, ''Hard Normal Daddy'' has been acclaimed by critics. Retrospectively, Sean Cooper of AllMusic gave ''Hard Normal Daddy'' five out of five stars, comparing it favourably to similar releases from the music labels [[Spymania]] and [[Rephlex]] and describing the album as "substantially cleaner and more thought out than previous releases" from those labels.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/hard-normal-daddy-mw0000017249|title=Hard Normal Daddy – Squarepusher|publisher=AllMusic|last=Cooper|first=Sean|accessdate=4 July 2013}}</ref> Cooper further praised the album for not "simply relying on the shock value of 'tripping-over-myself' drum programming and light-speed fretless bass noodling."<ref name="allmusic" /> In 2003, Todd Burns of ''[[Stylus Magazine]]'' referred to the album as Squarepusher's "masterpiece" and wrote that Jenkinson "refrains from such mind numbing repetition and put down his most accomplished work to that point."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/squarepusher-hard-normal-daddy.htm|title=Squarepusher – Hard Normal Daddy – On Second Thought|website=[[Stylus Magazine]]|last=Burns|first=Todd|date=1 September 2003|accessdate=4 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023010613/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/squarepusher-hard-normal-daddy.htm|archive-date=23 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2004's ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'', critic [[Douglas Wolk]] wrote that on the album, Jenkinson "either sublimates [his beats] to tunes like 'Cooper's World' that approximate an early-'70s sort of [[jazz-funk|funk-jazz]] hybrid, or makes them carry delirious tracks like 'Chin Hippy' with almost no help".{{sfn|Wolk|2004|p=773}}

Writing in ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'', jazz writer Ken Micallef noted the album for its influence on the drill 'n' bass subgenre and stated that, with ''Feed Me Weird Things'' and ''Hard Normal Daddy'', Jenkinson "did to [[Jungle music|jungle]] what [[Frank Zappa]] did to rock—satirized its excesses with a maze of neurotic, scurrying notes, while adding a nerdy musicality that practically invented a new genre."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YG5YubNw1pgC&pg=PA122|title=Squarepusher: Music Is Rotted One Note|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|volume=15|issue=1|last=Micallef|first=Ken|date=January 1999|accessdate=12 April 2020|page=122|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> In 2017, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' placed ''Hard Normal Daddy'' at number 24 on its list of "The 50 Best [[Intelligent dance music|IDM]] Albums of All Time".<ref name="bestidm" />

In 1999, Jenkinson referred to the music on ''Feed Me Weird Things'' and ''Hard Normal Daddy'' as "already beginning to sound a bit... It sort of reminds me of being a bit younger in a way. It's a bit more (of a) naive approach, a bit more fresh. The sound as well. I've gotten better production".<ref name="psf" />

==Track listing==
All songs composed by [[Squarepusher|Tom Jenkinson]].<ref name="allmusic" />
{{Track listing
| title1 = Cooper's World
| length1 = 5:09
| title2 = Beep Street
| length2 = 6:37
| title3 = Rustic Raver
| length3 = 5:08
| title4 = Anirog D9
| length4 = 1:11
| title5 = Chin Hippy
| length5 = 3:16
| title6 = Papalon
| length6 = 8:10
| title7 = E8 Boogie
| length7 = 8:13
| title8 = Fat Controller
| length8 = 5:38
| title9 = Vic Acid
| length9 = 3:07
| title10 = Male Pill Part 13
| length10 = 8:38
| title11 = Rat/P's and Q's
| length11 = 4:33
| title12 = Rebus
| length12 = 2:47
| total_length = 62:37
}}

== Personnel ==
* [[Squarepusher|Tom Jenkinson]] – writing, [[record producer|production]]
* Frank Arkwright – [[mastering (audio)|mastering]]
* John Clayton – visuals

== Charts ==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
!scope="col"| Chart (1997)
!scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{Album chart|UK|115|M|url=https://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_S.HTM|title=Chart Log UK: DJ S – The System Of Life|publisher=Zobbel.de|accessdate=23 August 2019|rowheader=true}}
|}

== See also ==
* [[1997 in music]]
* [[Music of the United Kingdom (1990s)]]

== References ==

===Footnotes===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Wolk
 |first=Douglas
 |author-link=Douglas Wolk
 |editor1-last=Brackett
 |editor1-first=Nathan
 |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett
 |editor2-last=Hoard
 |editor2-first=Christian
 |editor2-link=Christian Hoard
 |chapter=Squarepusher
 |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide
 |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide
 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]
 |edition=4th
 |isbn=0743201698
 |year=2004
}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs master|9985|Hard Normal Daddy}}
* {{MusicBrainz release group|mbid=f4168d4e-c0e8-388f-8baa-4de058d852e5|name=Hard Normal Daddy}}

{{Squarepusher}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Squarepusher albums]]
[[Category:Warp Records albums]]
[[Category:1997 albums]]