And finally the tweak...

Release date of Divided By Night - May 12, 2009

After what seems an insurmountable sea between Legion Of Boom, and even the last dj appearance TCM made publicly; finally news from the front... yes, Divided By Night is released. It seems like only yesterday that I was 'trippin like i do' at their last album driven gig in T.O. It seems like only a few hours ago I went to the Oakville Place HMV [Oakville, ON, Canada] and bought the ONLY copy they had there. Yes, it was left there for me. I have done my part for band and music. I love this band as I have only a few prior bands, lest they remain unknown at this time who have let me down...

And after all the waiting and writing to find out what was going on, I am now listening for the third straight time to this new work by the duo. As it was with "Legion Of Boom", the predecessor to "Divided By Night", I found myself no less than three hours ago, sitting in the car, driving home from the local HMV [the only time in 4 or 5 years I have been to a music store to buy anything - and only because I need to have the physical proof of their latest work to take its sentimental seat along side their previous turns on my shelf].

I already have favourites! After all the non-hype for Metric's new album, which I will add purely for ego's sake, I love and did call to be a hit, Emily Haines has proven her chops once again on "Come Back Clean". A solid turn at the mic and her key[board]s roll naturally with those of Scott and Ken. Amazing! Her vocals fit tight with the groove that Ken and Scott find so natural. Her tempered eccentric writing is wicked on this volume of work. She blends her licks as a 'synther' amazingly with the boys.

Jason Lytle? Who? Admittedly, I dont know everything about music but I am pretty well respected for my knowledge and tatses. Hell, in my [fairly big] circle of friends, I am the 'music' man. That said, I have never heard of Jason, yet here I am to tell you, 'Damn! What a song!' "Slipstream" kicks ass. The inevitable, superlative introduction of guitar into their trips - about time by the time this song takes shape. I have attempted on many occasions to introduce guitars into my grooves since beginning my journey, inspired by "The Meth", with little success to date, although I do continue to bother a guitarist friend of mine regularly - http://www.icompositions.com/artists/Badstone_aria.

Matisyahu. Yes, I do. I have loved this guy, and his skillz, since he broke late in the winter of 2008, with much thanks from me to 8BallRadio Rewind Podcast - Hosted by Scott Parent . Goddamn, "King Without A Crown" kicks ass, even for a hip hop wannalikee like me. Yet, even with that, I find myself moving in other directions now that I ham hearing what I could only imagine a day ago. Yes "Divided By Night" is an anthem, yet I am so intrigued by the new sounds and play TCM has intro'd into their collective, I am unable to clearly call it it to the front of the pack. Yet they do it again with Double Down Under. NICE!!

Being one who loves ambient and chill, I have for quite a while, loved the likes of Meiko, Natalie Walker, Morcheeba, etc., and the dozen or so other good female vocalists and chill outfits available on internet chill stations, all broadcasting to those of who know or want to, residing just off the map. Her turn with TCM marks what I believe to be a passage for them. They have now found their 'out' from being labelled profoundly as a club trip act always. I saw them in 1997 when they started and followed them very closely always from that point forward and made sure to be present at every single engagement they have made since they first dropped, here in Toronto [a hotbed for TCM supporters by the way]. This song exudes the maturity found with experience; and a new studio can always change your headspace - the reason for The Crystal Method's long absence from studio work this time around.

Surprisingly for me, a young professional [stoner-sic] in the 80's, Peter Hook provides what I believe to be the two worst turns on this collection. Such a shame as he was so ground breaking as the rhythmic anchor of Joy Division and New Order, both stalwarts and pioneers of the musical revolution out of disco and into new wave, leaving the 70's and entering the 80's. The rehashing of his trademark sound and riffs isnt enough to carry the body of work here, ear-marked by a set featuring, on whole, the shortest individual track times of all their studio albums to date. For Peter, only "Dirty Thirty" has a chance and only for the presence of TCM's heavy trademark groove throughout.

Let it be known I have never spent one dime on their mix work. No, I dont hate that about TCM. Quite the opposite, having seen every dj tgig they have done [here in T.O.], especially with the likes of Big Bad Bill 2004, here in T. O. It's just that having begun my journey into composing and producing my own music, I can really only get my head around original scoring nowadays; and they have always been such an inspiration to me, it has become more of a situation where, 'why by the milk, when you can own the cow?'

It, sometimes can be an altering and less than comfortable movement, from one album to another by TCM; just when you think you know what they are about, they go and change on you. It took me longer to get into LOB then Tweekend, OR Vegas before it, but with only the passing of hours, I am finding my place within this landscape of "Divided By Night". Thank you, Scott and Ken, for another surprising outing. You have never let me down... I am sure Van Halen is now pissed by that I have admitted as such. Hehehehehe.

Eric Alper, have you heard this yet? If so, what do you think? scottatmeridiancounty.com

Let me end this 'blog' with a sentimental hit from the past; an editorial I did for the "Tweekend" show at The Kool Haus on August 28th, 2001. For I was there!
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TCM show Aug. 28th, 2001‏

From:	(red5piranhaathotmail.com)
Sent:	January 13, 2004 2:36:07 PM
To:

The TCM concert last night will go down in history as one of my favourites of all time. I loved the venue (The Kool Haus - formerly The Warehouse) for that type of show!!! I have blisters on both feet from going crazy dancing. The crowd was all ages and absolutely cool. No fights from what I could see, and everyone was transfixed on the artists the entire time.

Show opened with a three member side-stage freestyle sampling session of some seriously sick grooves!!. Second act was UberZone out of BC. Kickass, and the graphix screen imagery was outstanding!! Then came The Crystal Method, opening with three to four traxx off the new album Tweekend, then into 5 straight off Vegas, the second of which was High Roller. Yeah!!  Probably 14 traxx total. They just tore it up, and of course today I am impaired in my left ear (side to which the speakers were closest). They encored with firstly, Tough Guy, off Tweekend, then for the finale, Busy Child, in an extended version that is better, if possible, than the original studio track. Outstanding!!!!

I saw the future of music last night. It was F@#$%?$ incredible!

Scott McNair
www.meridiancounty.com
scott@meridiancounty.com