Tweekend is The Crystal Method's long awaited release since their debut album, Vegas released in 1997. There is less sofa trip-hop this time around, but plenty of block-rocking beats just like the Chemical Brothers with the heavy drums and wicked bass lines, plus lots of American-style guitar. Their sound is fuller, and much better. Expect to find many of these songs in a commercial, or movie someplace.
Of note are the collaborative efforts with Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, and Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland in several tracks. Their efforts help break the monotony of the album. Yes, the only criticism I have of Tweekend is the drum samples. They get monotonous after you listen more than halfway through the album, and realize that the beats are pretty much the same throughout. However, the excellent mixing makes up for it.
Tweekend starts off real strong the first couple of tracks and that is good. P.H.D. has a real nice chewy guitar sound; aggressive drum sampling, and roaring electronics that buzz and burp with lots of attitude. Realize the crystallization and birth of a new Crystal. The energy continues with Wild, Sweet And Cool and Roll It Up featuring really funky guitar reverb, wah-wah, and a noisy, buzzing bass line. The drums are relentless, and the person in the background sounds suspiciously like Jimi Hendrix.
"Calling all Freaks", the Name of the Game is to do whatever it takes in order to stay on top. It is a rap song fusing metal guitar, and heavy bass lines. The guitar and vocals of Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, and DJ Swamp of Beck scratching on the tables can be heard on this track.
Don't stop yet! Get Ready For Action. On this track, there's a funky fly spaceman who's nothing more than a deceptive assassin. The electronica is really tricked out featuring lots of lethal sounding laser beams, and super destructo beats. The distorted strings and kazoos in the background bouncing from ear-to-ear warn you to stay Ten Miles Back, but don't. This mellow track features densely layered percussion, and in the background, a woman sings, "Send that smiles back your other way... Keep moving".
Murder is a pretty snappy rock song despite the lame drum sampling. It features Scott Weiland dreamily singing lyrics about "A killer on the street, she's moving from house to house". The guitar is fast and thrilling with an eerie sounding melody at its core, Weiland's voice complements the song. I'm pretty sure this track will be picked up in a movie somewhere.
From there on, Tweekend slowly comes to an end. Blowout pulls out all the stops with fast tempo techno. It's danceable, but not too listenable. There is a lot of electronic sounding flatulence, and the track doesn't change too much. We are left with severe constipation in the end. Listeners on the sofa might want to skip out and take a bathroom break on this one. Might want to be wary of Tough Guy, an ominous sounding piece with wailing guitar, futuristic sounding electronica, and pounding anvils. But don't get me wrong, both of these tracks are good, and executed really well; I personally did not like it too much.
The effort put into Tweekend really shines through. There might be some slight imperfections, but this Crystal is definitely flawless. I heard the promo cd, Tweekend will be out July 31, 2001.
Track listing:
01 PHD 6:27
02 Wild, Sweet And Cool 3:54
03 Roll It Up 6:01
04 Over The Line 6:54
05 Name Of The Game 4:14
06 The Winner 5:11
07 Ready For Action 5:19
08 Ten Miles Back 6:58
09 Murder 4:38
10 Blowout 7:56
11 Tough Guy 6:24
12-hidden Name Of The Game (edit) 3:53
