Customer Reviews

Tweekend

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3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Tweekend - The Crystal Method (Review)

Category: Electronica

Artist Name: The Crystal Method
CD Title: Tweekend
Description: After reading plenty of the other Tweekend reviews on Amazon.com, and with no small amount of trepidation, I purchased Tweekend. Why trepidation? Well, after hearing Vegas, their first cd, a truly amazing album, I truly doubted if Tweekend, a cd that is supposedly "techno for the masses", could be as good as their first. I bought it nonetheless, even more eager to do so after seeing the video to their single "Name of the Game". So what do I think of the cd, as a whole? Great stuff, without a doubt. Just like Vegas, every song on it is good. No semi-weak songs, or terrible songs, or filler, all the songs were carefully crafted, and "tweeked", before TCM actually released the cd, which is why there was a four year period in between albums. Tweekend has a definete style to it, a more hip-hop, rock approach than the outer spacey Vegas. What is the result? A definetely different sound. Although a few of the songs on Tweekend resemble those on their first album, much of the content is original and creative.

Songs:

1. PHD

My Comments: One of the most original, coolest songs on the cd. Although when I first heard it, I was unsure if this was TCM I was hearing, but indeed, it was. It merely sounds different than anything they've ever made before. I was certainly suprised to find that this as the first song on the cd. This song is not "techno for the masses." It's complex beat and high pitched sounds make it difficult for non-techno fans to appreciate, but for one such as me, I truly admire the genius in this song. Flawlessly made.

Rating: 10/10

2. Wild, Sweet, and Cool

My Comments: This is about the closest song on the cd that one could call "filler." But Wild, Sweet and Cool is not exactly filler. It's relatively short, and has cool lyrics, and is easy to listen to, but other than that, it's nothing spectacular or outstanding. Vegas fans may be unfamiliar to a song like this from TCM, but it's still quite good.

Rating: 9/10

3. Roll It Up

My Comments: Roll it Up is somewhat similar to Wild, Sweet, and Cool, in a vague way, "bordering on being filler" way. They're both actually really good, though. Of the two songs, I prefer this one more, simply because I think the rythm is better. My only complaint is that it seems a bit stretched near the end, but that's only 20, 30 seconds of mediocrity on a five minute song, so I don't mind.

Rating: 9/10

4. Murder

My Comments: Ah yes, Murder. Where did anyone get the concept for this song? I don't know, although it sticks to the "murder" theme alot better than ATB's song "Killer" sticks its theme. Although the next single hasn't been anounced yet, I predict this to be TCM's next single. It has lyrics by Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, and, I admit, he's not a bad singer. I'd much rather hear him sing this track than Fred Durst. Hehe. Anyhow, at first, to the average TCM fan (such as myself), this song seems shallow and unprogressive. After listening to it a few times, I realize, no, it is not shallow. But it is unprogressive, at least in comparisons to TCM's other songs. What I mean, by unprogressive, that it's essentially the same thing throughout the whole song. Verse 1, then chorus, then verse 2, the chorus, etc. Exactly like a pop or rock song. That is exactly what electronica fans do not want to hear. That's why they like techno and find enjoyment in it. Nonetheless, the song is damn good.

Rating: 9/10

5. Name of the Game

My Comments: Possibly the best song on the cd. It's got really cool guitar, which serves as an actual beat/rythm throughought the whole song. During the first listen, NoG may just seem to be a bunch of scratching and annoyingly repeated lyrics with repetive guitar licks in the background, but it's much more than that. Well, it's not much more than that, but that alone, is really cool. The song is undeniably great. If nothing else will get people off their feet and onto the dance floor when you have this cd on, NoG should work. And if NoG doesn't work, than nothing will.

Rating: 10/10

6. The Winner

My Comments: This song is payed less attention to than the other songs, and with good reason. It's nothing really great in the first place, anyway, but the main reason is because it is practically "lurks" in Name of the Game's shadow. After hearing NoG, the beat and rythm of The Winner will sound repetive and generic. Despite this, I have carefully listened to this song, and made my assessment. It's a great song. That's all.

Rating: 8.5/10

7. Ready For Action

My Comments: RFA is similar to Vapour Trail (from their first album), because of the way it sounds itself and the fact that it isn't as well known as TCM's other songs. Keep in mind, though, that Vapour Trail is my favourite track off Vegas, and quite possibly, the best. As is expected, RFA is no exception. Although it's roots seem to come from Vapour Trail, it is much different and less repetive and easier to listen to for an average listener. In fact, believe it or not, of the two songs, I like RFA even more, but only because of it's short lyrics. It's only a couple lines repeated quite a bit, but they give more life and activity to the song.

Rating: 10/10

8. Ten Miles Back

My Comments: Like RFA is similar to Vapour Trail, Ten Miles Back is similar to Jaded, from their first cd. And, like RFA, I find TMB to be better than Jaded. There's not really a way to describe it. Nearly throughout the whole song, it has this funky sound that sounds like it was inspired by a baby sucking its soother, although it's a bit more advanced than that. At first, it's annoying, but after a few listens, it grows on you, and reminds you that this is the trademark sort of stuff TCM is known for. I have to admit, though, that I never really liked Jaded too much anway, but this song is certainly better.

Rating: 9.5/10

9. Over the Line

My Comments: This and the following song are mildly similar. Both sound much different, but the reason they are similar is because they follow the same sort of path, although their style is certainly different. Over the Line is a good song to listen to. That's all. Some may dislike, but I actually find this and the next song to my liking. Greatly. One similarity is that the two tracks are sort of. . . dark in complexity. Not the kind of track you'd hear on the dance floor, and not entirely "uplifting", either. Somewhere in between.

Rating: 10/10

10. Blowout

My Comments: Between Blowout and Over the Line, I'd have to say I like Blowout a bit more, although both are masterpieces and very well made. Blowout is even more dark than OtL, and more trance-ish, too, which is an electronic music genre I greatly enjoy. The two songs are original and add sophistication and uniqueness to how one might define TCM's "sound."

Rating: 10/10

11. Tough Guy

My Comments: One of my favourite songs on the cd, and, along with Name of the Game, possibly the best song on the cd. By far, though, it's the darkest, slowest, but coolest song I've ever heard TCM do. Actually, the song starts out slow, but grows momentum in the middle. Maybe it's simply because of my difficulty with describing in words what songs "sound" like, but I admittedly can find no proper words to describe this song. The closest thing I've ever heard to it would have to be "Poison", by Prodigy, but still, both songs are incredibly different, and I fear that I will someday regret making that comparison.

Rating: 10/10

Now, let it be noted: like many cd's these days, there is a "bonus" track on the cd, that isn't listed anywhere on the cd pamphlet or no the case. But it doesn't matter, I know the name of the song: it's Name of the Game, except a different version. Not a remix, though. What can I say about it? I prefer the original, because of its "rap" lyrics, but this is still pretty good. So I am forced to make a decision: should I rate it or not? I decided, no, I should, not, since it's not as good, but still, quite similar, as the original version.

Overall/Average Rating: 9.5/10

Best Songs: PHD, Name of the Game, Blowout, Tough Guy
Worst Songs: The Winner, Wild, Sweet, and Cool

Best Song: Name of the Game
Worst Song: The Winner

Highest Score: 10/10
Lowest Score: 8.5/10

I was anxious to purchase this CD after falling in love with the duo's 1997 outing 'Vegas', but wasn't sure what to expect after reading some negative reviews. But after the arrival of the album I was very happy with my purchase. In a way the negative reviews lowered my expectations , thereby giving the disc greater listening pleasure. Anyway, Tweekend, while at parts sounding similar to Vegas is really a whole different sound altogether. By incorporating rap, rock, and even a bit of pop into a number of tracks they have created an album accessable to non-techno fans while not steering too away from what us techno fans want to hear. Here's what I think of the songs themselves.
PHD - What an opener. You really have to listen to this one with the bass cranked up, as that's where the song's rythm lies. Well timed bleeps and screeches and dark and cool lyrics help to make this track one of my favourites. 9/10
Wild, Sweet, And Cool - Not as complex as alot of TCM's other work, this is still a good track. I'd say it's similar to Vegas's 'Cherry Twist'. Could've done without the female vocals though. 7.5/10
Roll It Up - Not a bad track, but it doesn't really progress alot throughout the song. Not really much in the vocals department either. Good for background music. 7.5/10
Over The Line - I wasn't impressed with this one on first listen. But after repeat listenings the song's laidback and trippy sound has grown on me. 7/10
Name Of The Game - Rap, rock, and bigbeat are all seamlessly mixed together on this track. It's a bonecrunching number like nothing TCM have ever done before. The diversity gives this track an edge over the rest. 9/10
The Winner - This is a good followup to NOTG. The guitar riffs incorporated into this song don't work quite as well as they did in NOTG, but it is definitely a good track on it's own merits. 7.5/10
Ready For Action - A bit repetitive, but there's so much going on at a time you hardly even notice it. And those lyrics are so damn catchy. 7/10
Ten Miles Back - A mix of 'Comin Back' and 'Bad Stone' from Vegas. The music works, but unlike 'Comin Back' the female vocals don't seem to click. Good nonetheless. 7.5/10
Murder - As a previous reviewer said, this track is like a pop song with it's verse, chorus, verse, chorus structure. This doesnt work for TCM. The chorus does show promise, but the verses just don't do it for me. 6.5/10
Blowout - Nice beat. Little else. Still good for driving or background music, but not so good if you want to sit there and really listen. 7/10
Tough Guy - Similar to Leftfield's 'Song For Life', but a tad darker, this is a damn good song. It starts off slow with a good beat and cool lyrics before picking up the pace at about halfway. 8/10
Favourite tracks - PHD, Name Of The Game
Worst Track - Murder

Now, I'm trying not to compare this album to Vegas, since many great albums have been dissed unfairly due to following up an even greater album. But it's just impossible to ignore the fact that Vegas was probably the best techno CD I ever heard, and this is not. In fact, it's tough for me to even say that this CD is good, since after listening to it a few times, I can't remember any of the songs. Almost every track sounds identical, and the only purpose of this CD seems to be to give your bass speakers a workout.
The reason I liked Vegas so much was that the tracks had more of a musical quality, and often had a sort of dark beauty to them. In addition, some of the songs were actually defineable as such. For example, "Keep Hope Alive" and "Trip Like I Do" were not only some of my favorite techno songs, but some of my favorite songs in general. But the songs on Tweekend are all drums and beats, with little music to separate them from one another. Admittedly, "PHD" is a nice experiment, and "Name of the Game" is ok. That's about it. If all you want is another CD to bounce to, this will suit your purposes. But Crystal Method are capable of so much more than this.

The music is awsome...the claim that this is a clean version is a blatent lie. "Mother F------'s" is quite audible on both cut #5 and #11. As much as I enjoy the music I do resent the false advertizing, If it says it's clean it should be totally clean, no subtle muting of half a word, no hint of what you could have heard had you chosen to purchase the explicit version, just music without objectionable lyrics of any sort. If you can't accomplish that then don't sell a lie.

If you liked Vegas, and your taste runs more to Electronica / Rock, try Legion of Boom before Tweekend. Tweekend is loved by many, but leaves me cold. I would have given this disc one star, but the extra is for the fact that the Crystal Method are not repeating themselves from release to release.

Vegas is one of my all time favorites. I bought Tweekend immediately on release and could never get into it. Too much Rap / Hip-Hop influence for my taste. Like other reviews have mentioned, I can't remember any songs after hearing the disk. Not true of Vegas and Legion of Boom, as many of those songs are eternally etched in my brain.

Tweekend was such a disappointment that it scared me away from buying Legion of Boom when it first came out. Months later, the Crystal Method performed Born Too Slow on the Late Late Show. Exceptional track!!! I bought Legion of Boom the next day and was glad I did. In my humble opinion, it's the real follow-up to Vegas.

After couple of days ago, I went back to try Tweekend again after a two-year hiatus - still can't get into it. It may be just what you like, but it's not like Vegas or Legion of Boom.

The Crystal Method's first album Vegas was an excellent album and held it's own in the large waters of electronic music. The media just ate it up, especially their song "Busy Child".

With the release of "Tweekend", they are back and have refined their skills to the likes of Leftfield. Every song has a hard bass lines, excellent use of samples, amazing melody, and a driving force bigger than a diesel truck full of adrenaline.

The production quality is outstanding. Every song has excellent fidelity and the bass is massive and clear. Ken & Scott took extra time "tweeking" the album until it was perfect and mixed everything 24-bit, then downsampled for a 16-bit CD. The two from Glendale took their time on the album and made sure they had a polished product. Since they have a 24-bit recording, I would LOVE to have a DTS release of this album (HUH?! MAYBE? PLEASE?!)

I do find one fault with this album. Some of the offensive samples they used could have easily been taken out and they still would have had a perfect album. They use the "MF" word in a few songs, and is not necessary.

If you can look past that flaw, you have before you one of the best electronic albums ever released. Crystal Method, I applause you and thank you for taking the time to make such an amazing album that stands heads and turntables above the rest.

After reading plenty of the other Tweekend reviews on Amazon.com, and with no small amount of trepidation, I purchased Tweekend. Well, after hearing Vegas, their first cd, a truly amazing album, I truly doubted if Tweekend, a cd that is supposedly "techno for the masses", could be as good as their first. I bought it nonetheless, even more eager to do so after seeing the video to their single "Name of the Game". ... Great stuff, without a doubt. Just like Vegas, every song on it is good. No semi-weak songs, or terrible songs, or filler, all the songs were carefully crafted, and "tweeked", before TCM actually released the cd, which is why there was a four year period in between albums. Tweekend has a definete style to it, a more hip-hop, rock approach than the outer spacey Vegas. ... A definetely different sound. Although a few of the songs on Tweekend resemble those on their first album, much of the content is original and creative.

(...)

Why do so many people hate this alubm? It's great! Everyone song on this cd is really good, and the only reason I gave it four stars is because I wasn't really addicted to it like I was to their first cd, Vegas. Nonetheless, I will proceed to explain: Tweekend sounds NOTHING like their first album. It's so different, I can't even begin to describe it. When I first started listening to the first track, PHD, on the cd, I could hardly believe this was TCM I was listening to! And yet, now I'm craving PHD, along with every other track on the cd. EXCEPT FOR: Ten Miles Back. This song sounds alot like Jaded, from their first album, and I really don't like either songs!!
Best tracks: PHD, Name of the Game, Ready for Action, and Tough Guy. These are the BEST, 10/10 tracks on the cd's. All the other tracks are averaging at 8/10.
Worst TRacks: The Winner and Ten Miles Back. I already told u why I don't like TMB, and the winner isn't that great to begin with, as it seems like the Method don't really even do anything with the track. Winner sounds like a mix of a few of the others songs on the cd, and the lyrics aren't really catchy either, not like READY FOR ACTION!
Yet, it's still a great cd, well worth my money.

Deathsmith

I place Vegas near the top of my electronica list, so I decided to give Tweekend a try... It reminded me of listening to the Beastie Boys transition from Licensed to Ill & Paul's Boutique (IMO the best BB album, btw) to Check Your Head.

Most of the tracks have a very muddy, distorted mix. The "cool synth" sound of Vegas has been replaced by thrashing distorted guitar sounds, augmented with the sounds of turntablism. Track 8 is one exception, and it's probably my fave track on the album.

After listening to it a few more times, it gets a little better and grows on you a bit. Overall, however, I think it falls short due to excessive repetition and poor song progression. Yes, Vegas was repetitive as well, but it had a definite "cool" factor that is painfully absent from this album.

I've waited a long time for this album to come out. I'm so glad I purchased it. The first album (Vegas) is one of my all time favorite electronic music albums. This album (Tweekend) is a bit different but "The Method" proves that they have not lost any of their unique talent. Taking random sounds that don't much sound like music at all and blending them into this ultimate noise extravaganza! The second half of this album pleases me the most because it's a little more dark and industrial. A real treat!