The Crystal Method – Community Service II

Keeping Hope Alive

The entertainment industry, in general, loves either a monumental failure or a comeback story. There’s rarely any room for simply “good” – good doesn’t do so hot for headlines and pizzazz. And that’s a shame because The Crystal Method’s new album, Community Service II, is just that – a good album. No new ground is broken here, just a solid collection of songs sure to please weekend warriors and the occasional listener of dance music.After some years under the mainstream’s radar, though still churning out material, TCM return with their second installment in their Community Service series. Community Service II is basically a mixed record in the same vein as the Back to Mine albums; Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland’s excuse to do what they were born to do – mix records. The duo’s selections are impressive, featuring their own material as well as those from electronic music notables such as Evil Nine, U.N.K.L.E., and Uberzone. The record is well paced, but like most dance albums, can at times lend itself to repetitiveness. This, however, is easily overlooked by their inclusion of rock tunes that make CSII truly stand out. Remixing The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues,” New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle,” and ending the record with the Smashing Pumpkin’s “1979,” TCM peculiarly, but happily, marries their own brand of breaks and beats with popular rock songs producing results which turn out surprisingly well.

While everything TCM do will surely always get pitted against their stellar 1997 debut, Vegas, let’s give credit where credit is due. Again, nothing revolutionary here, just a sound record from one of modern electronica’s most influential and important bands.