songbender part #48 – The Crystal Method – Wild, Sweet & Cool
Ok, this time i’m just NOT going to, OK?
much time, blablabla, who the F cares. You didn’t even notice. I did though. But does it matter.
It does NOT.
So let’s come back this time with one that is actually not one of my absolute favs, but just HAVE to appreciate, because, you just HAVE to.
So in case you guys don’t know, which i’m sure you don’t, but that’s just because you forget stuff ’cause you’re old and unreliable and don’t care about the important stuff, so basically, I did something that I rarely do, and that was that I downloaded the Crystal Method’s latest album which I believe was from 2022 or something like that, I’m not exactly sure, I was setting myself up for a quick disappointment and a quick delete. But then.
It’s actually, as Davie504 would say, OO EMMM GEE, I’m calling the police. I mean guys. WTF. This is actually good. There were stuff (please hold on to something) – that i HAD TO COME BACK TO. I mean really. The F.
What is this world coming to. Music that is not 20 years old that is appealing to me. It’s near the end, I tell you.
But this time, we’re going back. And this one is from 2001, and this was actually featured in video games and a lot of places in those times, but the reason I’m selecting this one is only one thing. And that is a thing that corresponds with what i’m trying to do these days, and that is, nailing the bass. And there is noone (except maybe for Orbital, but those guys are aliens anyway so they don’t count), so there is NO ONE nailing the bass exactly the way they should be. Noone. Sorry.
I’ve seen all of the sidechained bass tutorials for all DAW-s on youtube, and those pathetic trance-wannabies trying to get to nail the GROOVE, but what are you going to do with a four-to-the-floor? Nothing? Yes, that’s exactly what you’re doing. And this one, is AGAIN, a four-to-the-floor, or a 2/4, depends on how much you understand rhythmic theory, doesn’t matter. The point is: please, come and make a groove that is simple as shit, and will make even the pop music fans move to your groove.
Is that normally something we would like? No, not really, I’m sure that’s not the case. But if you do, and if at the same time it’s good enough for the PROPER audience, well, THEN you got something on your hands, my friend.
And these guys from the crystal method just, i don’t know, just KNOW how to do this. They make chicken salad out of chicken shit, if you know the saying. But this one here has a very special addition: no other than the great Tom Morello, which I personally was surprised to learn just this fucking evening, as I’ve been listening to this shit for 20 years but had no idea this was Tom. But turns out it actually is. Well, in my defense, I always thought the guitar was sick in this one, I must have been wrong. Haha. This is just some 14 year old sampling his stuff he got from his divorced dad and the only thing is (insert heroic musical epic conclusion here)
yeah, NOT.
Morello is not his absolute best here, I must admit, but hey, this is 2001, 2 years after the Matrix came out, for fuck’s sake. 23 years ago. It all makes sense, and that guy is a national treasure. So I have no problem imagining him just giving these tracks to these unknown (or as specified by the record companies: marginally could-be-able-to-make-money-from-them guys) to use his recordings for creating the song. So what? Who didn’t do this back in the day? I sure as hell would have done it myself. If I was asked. But I was so talented I decided otherwise. Yes. That was it.
So anyway.
Let’s make a comeback now with this one, and let me ride Tom’s back for this one, and again, I’m not going to say this was not the one I planned, I actually deleted a full post that was in the draft because you fuckers nice people don’t deserve it. Yet.
So this post is about the old song, OK?
But in case you’re wondering what these guys are up to these days, I honestly almost stopped the car to just roll this back and have a proper listen. I mean, COME THE F ON, what is this, this is fkin brilliant.
right?
let me do my thaaang!
(you just got a 2-in-1 post for the same amount of money: NOTHING! deal of the century!)
ok, so back to this one: just how PHAT the bass sounds, dear god, I need to make some research.
please enjoy.
and perhaps we’ll be back with something else pretty soon. or not. who knows.