For some, this day couldn't come soon enough. A summer packed to the gills with decibel upon screaming decibel of bass blasts wasn't going to satiate the hungry masses of fans clamoring to get their grubby little paws on Divergent Spectrum, the latest studio release from Lorin Ashton, much...much...MUCH better known as Bassnectar.

The fifteen DS tracks were foreshadowed with Nectar's previous release, the Wildstyle EP, which featured a plethora of hip-hop driven tracks, complete with high-frequency siren-warbles and dizzying drops. Other tracks were more contemplative, while others were exercises in production techniques. With Divergent Spectrum, Ashton certainly gave fans some hip-hop flavors, notably with his first single "Upside Down." Similarly, his collab with Jantsen, "Red Step" (now in video form featuring the spectacle that was Bassnectar at Red Rocks), featured a mid-frequency, pulsing wobble, reminiscent of Doctor P & Flux Pavilion or even FreQ Nasty--a sort of more British-y brand of dubstep.

In staying with his tradition of breaking his favorite acts to his fans, Bassnectar's "Immigraniada" remix, a rehashing of Balkan indie-punk act Gogol Bordello's tune, takes the audience out of their sheltered EDM bubble, and injects them with the irreverence of the famed NYC act.

Of course, the favorite track of us Untz staffers is "Above & Beyond," which features the magic of Seth Drake (who engineered the album). Stream this cut now and enjoy, but in 10 days, when TheUntz.com 2011 Digital Music Sampler goes live, you'll be able to download it for free! *Speaking of free, don't be a dick and download a pirated version of this album. If you love Bassnectar, Amorphous Music, and Alpha Pup Records--show them!*

Purchase the album packaged with tons of cool new Divergent Spectrum merchandise at the Bassnectar website: www.bassnectar.net

Bassnectar & Seth Drake - Above & Beyond