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| E Times 2 merges many aspects of purism westcoast underground: in sound, in group composition, in approach. The group consists of many, the approach is a self made men, and the sound is to be determined in this review. What is the second of this group (read the other review),
who also released an EP called "LMNTL Work - Genesis EP" prior to that. Which has something in common with this album here, at least in my personal universe, as I bought both records as second hand CDs in LA. The EP in 2001, "Nemesis" in 2003, just to come home from my trip, and
find it in my mailbox. What in itself can have some poetic meaning, justice, deepness or whatnot. |
| And that's in many ways also an impression to have from the lyrics: they have poetic meaning, justice, deepness and whatnot. Which one? Well, that's not always that easy to determine. It's kinda like you want to live where they live, want to experience where they experience, to understand
their meanings and their messages. What can also be something that's LA about the record. Because whenever I stay there, I travel through many different cities (the LA area consists of something like 80 different cities), without even knowing. Like here, I hear the messages, I understand the words,
but I can't connect the dots and miss the city limits sign, when I drive from Torrance into Carson. |
| So as I got one copy of this album as second hand means that someone bought the record (well, let's assume that…), but took it to Aron's to resell it. Someone that's from their area most likely. Why? Because it's not good enough to keep? Not really. Although, depending on your
demands. This is certainly no ghetto booty rump shaker music. It's not giving you punchlines to smile about it. The beats are not bouncy, or jazzy, or ripped off from Casio. None of that. Instead it soul searches a lot, not just on "Prelude To A Truth",
a way of wondering how things came about and what to do with it. Over a low booming, rumbling, electronized beat, that's unforgiving to any bubble gum taste. There's a hardness found here, as is on "Footsteps". |
| By now it's clear that this is not political correct music, using the term to signify that this style is to the left of the mediocre norm. The beats are often bare, draw elements from black machines, rather than strings or whistles. You can call it spacey (symbolized by "Aim
2 Please") or industrial ("Snake Charmers", a track about women), it still fits that hard to describe, but you know when you hear it, westcoast underground style. With a blueprint track being "Suitable
Relaxation", done by the magical Deeskee. Here the speaking member Gel 1 is rhyming about what he intends to do, probably with the intention of having his lyrics to be exactly as he describes he wants lyrics to be (kinda repeated on "Live @ Mascaria's". That snottiness
mingles well with the continued arrogance and depressed anger of other lyrics, while the melancholy beats (check "Unscene") only further the impression. |
| But that's only part of the dept this has. As said the message is there, you just need to see it. Note: see, not find. Because the message is not hidden. It's maybe at times more obvious like on the brash and good "West Coast Anthem",
but it's always there. If you know where the City Limits Sign is, you don't miss it. When you just drive past it without paying attention, you'll miss it. And it's the same with the lyrics. You will have to listen to 'em to get 'em, get all the reflections, observations, poetic layers. But once you
do, chances are you'll get it, see it, hear it, understand it, and as a trooper, you want to do that yourself, rather than have someone point out the sings to you. Therefore this record does not offer, nor does it allow distraction. What's as much a good thing as it's a bad thing. But I don't buy bad
things. |
| review: tadah |
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