4. sum times two

For every album, there's the right medium. May it be the regular, slightly cracked home stereo system, the car Blaupunkt, the boombox or the walkman. And just like the means to play it, so can the environment enhance the listening experience. Like wall of sound albums should be played in a gloomy room with an orange light, while a bouncy, happy boom bap hip hop record better fits in a ride or a park environment. Being faced with such conclusions, one inevitably has to wonder, what the best medium and surrounding for E Times 2 (EX2) "Underground Sounds Of The 526" is. Now, that's a hard one.

The strings on "Emergency Broadcast System" take us into futuristic riots, observing chases as a passenger in a police car. The Sink production, with DJ ESP's scratches have us duck protester's banners, while the rhymes of Virus, Syndrome and Gel One act like the lunatic screaming, telling everyone but God to not even dare to oppose, mock or challenge him. After such a crazy setting, a Vienna ballroom is probably more fitting for "Agenda". Or in complete contrast, a Native American or Gypsy bonfire. However, it had to be in a late 50s movie. Now, there's something to note here too: the mixing sounds like done on a four track. That in itself is not a bad thing, but it takes away clearness from the voices, then again, it also confirms the title of this being underground.

Without giving it much of a break, "Doorways" follows on the same four tracks. You should be listening to this somewhere under water. And the emcees will appear in front of you like bubbles, reflecting on their surface the shape shifting you go through, as Syndrome, Tommy V, Regret and Digit approach you with their encoded words, open different chambers inside of you, only to slam shut them again with "Sum Times Two", a priest become guru interlude. It's then "Out Of This World", that contains a miraculous (minus the unnecessary synthy effects added later on) production by Sink, that is shacking us like a dreamscape of erupted comets in starfields. Syndrome, Gel and Virus accompany you, with their liquidated science fiction rhyming, that unfolds to you like an understandable explanation of the relativity theory.

What is described as avant garde, comes through as an example of expected westcoast underground, in the form of "Life Iz...", meaning that rhymes, constructed around back and forth bouncing thoughts are combined with something sonic and spacey. Not saying that the result is crap, just meaning it does not hit you as a life changing surprise. Also not surprising, the featured Awolrus (Awol One) fits nicely on such a track, as he has been one of those that forefronted this style of doing. And it's not like on "Proven", things change drastically, but they sound less predictable. As always in such fields, the lyrics can be followed, but that can be quite an effort. At the end of the day, things surround the safe 'art vs. crap', 'coming up' and 'battle / braggadocios' topics. Naturally, each mind can put a distinctive spin to things, but concluding, you still sometimes miss a funny punchline, something flower field poetic or just something a little brain dead.

Returning to "Higher Consciousness" that, wow, actually fits nicely into what was just explained. Syndrome, Regret, Gel, Virus and Dustoff hide statements behind eloquent beating a dead horse. And we hope for something impressive, but don't get it with "Nobodies Perphect". The onion that is the beat, works, could be enjoyed on a roller coaster, or during a Wipe Out race. The emcees are still on some Futurama tip, applying themselves as an amalgam of delivery boy and secret agent. And while not being far enough separated from any wack stamps, a "Serkulatin" can mostly only be appreciated because of that, as it possibly could have being bullocks. However, this is like cheese without flavor: It's okay and kinda fun to chew on, but still not really satisfying.

Add another interlude called "Roaming", where Sink Diggler does a Dirk 70s favorite song rendition. What gets us to Gel's solo track "Reality". Both the lyrics and beat being on point, there shall be no bickering and to keep the theme going, listen to this on a float or in an empty university building. And if that sounds strange, try it. But not until you checked the honestly creative, and props getting "Crash And Bleed". A whole album on such a columbus level, and we'd be talking. But now we have to be walking pass by a "Tarmen", with drums that at the beginning sound factory programmed. But the over all feel, makes us wanting to listen to this in the middle of a honey bee swarm. And before we kill them by getting stung, we progress to another unquestioned and unquestionable dope track, it being the Tommy V produced "6¢". And the album couldn't end much better, as the anxiety and honest searching and discovering words, finally come through to you.

Having had to share some harsh words with this offering, we shall put everything into perspective now. This is good, as it's no wack westcoast underground offering, good, as it is solid, mostly satisfying while still being repetitious. But it's also somewhat substitutionable, it's somewhat reduced to only being westcoast underground and solid. Heck, that again harsh. It would probably be safer to say, that those that like to carry the westcoast underground banner, like it's a flag of their favorite football team, those will not change sides. And they will listen to it, on whatever and wherever it pleases them.