What The Critics Say
The Crystal Method have gradually shed the glossy big-beat techno that made their name in the late '90s as one of the few mainstream American answers to the Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk, and they've also matured as producers, which has resulted in better albums (but fewer dancefloor-filling singles). They may still grab influences from the best in '90s dance music, but they've become increasingly adept at constructing albums with more ideas (and subtlety) than the usual dance act. Divided by Night is indeed varied and polished, and it includes guest features by the bucketful, but it reveals again that, more than anything, the Crystal Method are clever regurgitators of the past. (Granted, this has happened to virtually every dance act of their generation, from the Chemical Brothers to Fatboy Slim.) The title track opener is a promising slow-burn start, but instead of exploding into the next track, the Peter Hook feature "Dirty Thirty," the record sputters with breakbeats that have been heard hundreds of times before. Matisyahu makes "Drown in the Now" moderately fresh, and the longtime L.A. man about town Justin Warfield attempts to channel Phil Oakey on the future-shock "Kling to the Wreckage," but these are yet more danceable electronica of the paint-by-numbers variety. Still, as they've matured, the Crystal Method have become an act who can beguile most listeners. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Intended as a soundtrack for a 45-minute workout, the Crystal Method's Drive is a nonstop mix of the duo's own recent material save their remix of the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues," which uses little of the original tune. Not that different than the average club set, the flow goes from warm-up to workout and on to cool-down. Most of the material is new, which should help satisfy fans who have waited through years of mix albums and reissues, and the duo has lost none of its touch, making some of the freshest and futuristic funky breaks material to come out of the U.S. Originally an exclusive download offered by iTunes and sponsored by Nike, the 2008 CD of Drive adds four bonus tracks that don't fit with the flow and aren't mixed together, either. Best of the lot is "Don't Stop," a slick track that takes everything good about their hit "Busy Child" and increases the tempo. A fringe release but a satisfying one. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
By late 2003, the bombastic sonic signature of big beat had finally been fully co-opted by the advertising and extreme sports industries. The style's roots had never run much deeper than a few adventurous breakbeats anyway, but attached to everything from pricey spots for cell phones and sports cars to hyper-edited snowboarding highlight reels, big beat inevitably plateaued. When it did, the formula established by the Crystal Method with their 1997 debut became the accepted template. Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland have remained busy children since Vegas, issuing a sophomore full-length and a well-received mix record. They've returned with Legion of Boom, an album that breaks little new ground, but further entrenches the Method as America's finest producers of dance music made for rock & roll people. "Born Too Slow" chops up a slick and dirty Wes Borland guitar riff over thumping bass beats and the decidedly rock yowl of John Garcia (ex-Kyuss); Borland's discordant mayhem later resurfaces for "Weapons of Mass Distortion," which breaks exactly where you expect it to but is nevertheless the kind of throbbing, hedonistic track expensive nightclub sound systems were invented for. The Method tap DJ Swamp for an assist on "The American Way," which establishes a methodical, percussive groove for Rahzel to rap over, and manipulate the moans of Milla Jovovich for the moody "I Know It's You," which glints and flashes like pink neon off the tinted windows of a speeding limo. This is ultimately what separates Jordan and Kirkland's music from the tinfoil beats and breaks of the average advertisement clamoring for hip. Legion of Boom is definitely a product of formula, but it packs the promise of afterhours hanky panky. It causes nocturnal groove instead of shilling for green shaving cream. In short, the Crystal Method's tracks deliver on the escapism their followers can only suggest. Legion of Boom: coming soon to a late-night lounge near you. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Crystal Method spent three long years proving their devotion to the dance underground, and in the meantime separated themselves from the 1997 big beat bonanza that pigeonholed their debut full-length, Vegas. Tweekend is still something of a crossover record for many dance fans; the frameworks of these songs, and the changes within them, are obvious and unsurprising to anyone who's seen a few soft drink commercials. Still, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland are solid, experienced producers, and that makes all the difference. The opener, "PHD," is an excellent piece of slow-grind electronica, flaunting a thick, heavily tweaked acid wash of funky breaks. The duo also dips into rap-rock for "Name of the Game," using guitarist Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) and some heavy metal scratching courtesy of Beck's DJ Swamp. Morello actually appears as co-producer on three tracks, and despite his lack of experience with electronica -- Rage records usually included the declaration that all sounds had been produced by only guitar, vocals, bass, and drums -- the tracks he appears on are the best on the record. The other big guest spot is reserved for another heavy rocker, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, and he also proves surprisingly complementary to electronica; deserting his usual sand-blasted croon, Weiland delivers an emasculated vocal more reminiscent of prime new wave than grunge. Though the mid-tempo beats and nearly shlocky rhythms are a bit passé for 2001, the Crystal Method have obviously come a long way since the heyday of 1997. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Perhaps it's unfair to label the Crystal Method as an American Chemical Brothers, since they are contemporaries of, not successors to, the English duo, but the comparison makes sense. Like the Chemicals, the Crystal Method is into big beats. There isn't much subtlety to their music, but there doesn't need to be, since their heady fusion of classic, late-'80s hip-hop, rave, techno, and rock is intoxicating on its own. Vegas, the duo's debut album, rushes by in a quasi-psychedelic blur, occasionally stopping for ambient detours. There aren't any revelations along the way, but the Crystal Method does this crossover techno well, which makes Vegas a pleasure. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
