Disco de The Crystal Method: “Divided by Night”

The aging electronic act dilemma: Your once trendy and relevant sound has been bypassed by new trendy and relevant ones. Do you maintain your base and play to those loyal subjects who have stuck by you through album after album of increasing mediocrity or do you make one last grab for relevance and either connect with a new generation of electronic music fan or embarrass yourself in the process completely alienating your die-hard fans?

I feel at odds writing a serious review of a Crystal Method album. I have been of the aforementioned loyal subject base since `Vegas' but have never really turned to the duo for substantive music. They've always been my go-to group for mindless, big-sounding, soundtrack-my-life music that wasn't so mindlessly constructed. And though nothing they've made since 1997 holds any real weight (as an album or otherwise), there have always been those two or four per album tracks that make it on to a personal compilation here or there.

With `Divided By Night', The Crystal Method have disguised a serious identity crisis as their fourth album.

While the title track and five others are standard TCM fare, the rest `kling' too much to pop-oriented vocal appearances rather than the actual music backing them. Having said that: the `standard fare' are solid, but sound too tech-heavy and over-produced to really leave any impression. The hooks are very few. The sound is very middle-of-the-road and ultimately unimpressive. I find myself wanting to like this album due to the great shows I've made it to and the memories I have of the old. That is not a good place to be with a new album

I'll take `Vegas' and the eight or so songs I really like from the following three albums and leave The Crystal Method to their own un-doing. They've done a great deal for me but it's time to part ways.

May 12, 2009

Bummer. That's all I can say. No serious killer cuts. Only a couple good tunes. Did someone just pick stuff out of the archives and spin some new loops into an "album"? Guys, c'mon. Put out something that either rocks our world with its progress, or does credit to past hits.

Long story short: they have to evolve as talented musicians they are. The other albums have a lot in common, where this one has all the others in it. If you do like all same music in all albums, I suggest you buy nickelback instead(I'm just being a bit sarcastic). You have to approach this album with open ears.

Like most people who bought this CD I thought it was really not Crystal Method's best work, but then I realized that the evaluation is based on what I've heard before. This new CD really breaks down some boundaries that the band seemed hesitant to cross in the past. After playing this CD on my iPod a few times through, there are definitely some five-star tracks on this disc. I'd have liked to hear more instrumental electronica, like "Defective" from the London Soundtrack, or "Acetone" from Legion of Boom. I'm missing those multi-layered electronic progressions of buzzes sweeps and synths. Most of the tracks have vocals. They've collaborated with a lot of other artists on this album. Definitely do a preview before you purchase but all things considered, Divided by Night does grow on you despite being a bit too experimental.

I only bought the album because I thought it would grow on me.

Download "Smile" and "Drown in the Now" and then forget about it. I was excited when I heard they collaborated a lot on this album. But I didn't know it was going to be with cheap vocals and awkward rhymes.

Way over hyped.

I liked Vegas the best. It's been downhill from there in my opinion.