departments ::

Crystal Method :: Legion of Boom

V2, January 2004

by Yasmin Tabi

Crystal Method's newest, Legion of Boom, is something of an easy listen and pretty accessible. Relatively popular artists provide for a little name dropping; Rahzel, Wes Borland (former Limp Bizkit guitarist), Milla Jovovich and DJ Swamp appear seemingly by random choice but make for a decently planned album and track layout (though the cover art is pretty terrible, as usual). The album begins with "Starting Over" (Rahzel), a nice, slow buildup typical to the band's sound with a fuller, rounder beat setup and ominous synths. Vocals by John Farcia arranged a la Mick Jagger complete "Born Too Slow" (Borland), leading into the typical CM sound on "True Grit", with floating vocals that are somewhat redundant and mechanical but makes for a nice downtime track. Rahzel reappears with Swamp for an 80s hip hop combo of sorts, and later Hanifah Walidah, a social performance activist/artist (how did they come up with that one?) does vocals in "Bound too Long", and the "random-yet-somehow-it-works" flow continues throughout the rest of Legion. It's not the most original of albums, but it's a great complement to their last two releases.

2003 1-42 Online

Yasmin Tabi is editor-in-chief of 1-42 and director of 1-42 Productions, a branch of 1-42 Magazine that hosts fundraisers for npos and ngos nationwide. his fall she begins her legal studies in human rights at New York Law School. Write her at yasmin@onefortytwo.com