Tweekend

1	PHD 3:54
2	Wild, Sweet and Cool 6:27
3	Roll It Up 6:02
4	Murder 4:40
5	Name of the Game 4:15
6	The Winner 5:11
7	Ready for Action 5:01
8	Ten Miles Back 7:00
9	Over the Line 6:54
10	Blowout 7:57
11	Tough Guy 11:32

Barnes & Noble

After releasing their pumping debut, Vegas, in 1997 and earning the unofficial title of the American Chemical Brothers, the L.A. (by way of Las Vegas) duo Crystal Method toured for two years, which made sense because their big-beat-fueled tracks sound as good onstage as they do on the dance floor. The Method boys -- Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan -- spent the rest of the intervening four years in their home studio, uh, tweaking Tweekend, a body-grooving set that promises another couple seasons of sweat and elation. This time around, the pair invited a few friends along for the ride, including Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Stone Temple Pilot Scott Weiland (who sounds like a digital-age soulster on "Murder"), DJ Swamp (a Beck regular), and Jon Brion (knob-twiddler for Fiona Apple and Aimee Mann). Throughout the disc, Kirkland and Jordan fold their friends' flair into the tracks' beefy beats and dense web of sounds without ever getting overshadowed. Morello co-produced three tracks -- including the churning first single, "Name of the Game," which also features groovy vocals by Styles of Beyond member Ryu -- but the Ragester hasn't exactly turned Tweekend into The Battle of Los Angeles, since these tracks are more about the body than the brain. Morello also pulls out his hallowed guitar for "Wild, Sweet and Cool," which deftly incorporates an R&B vocal hook and shows that Kirkland and Jordan have their ears open to a broader set of sonics. Which ones they'll bring on the road for the marathon tour scheduled behind Tweekend is anyone's guess. Lydia Vanderloo

All Music Guide

The Crystal Method spent three long years proving their devotion to the dance underground, and in the meantime separated themselves from the 1997 big beat bonanza that pigeonholed their debut full-length, Vegas. Tweekend is still something of a crossover record for many dance fans; the frameworks of these songs, and the changes within them, are obvious and unsurprising to anyone who's seen a few soft drink commercials. Still, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland are solid, experienced producers, and that makes all the difference. The opener, "PHD," is an excellent piece of slow-grind electronica, flaunting a thick, heavily tweaked acid wash of funky breaks. The duo also dips into rap-rock for "Name of the Game," using guitarist Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) and some heavy metal scratching courtesy of Beck's DJ Swamp. Morello actually appears as co-producer on three tracks, and despite his lack of experience with electronica -- Rage records usually included the declaration that all sounds had been produced by only guitar, vocals, bass, and drums -- the tracks he appears on are the best on the record. The other big guest spot is reserved for another heavy rocker, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, and he also proves surprisingly complementary to electronica; deserting his usual sand-blasted croon, Weiland delivers an emasculated vocal more reminiscent of prime new wave than grunge. Though the mid-tempo beats and nearly shlocky rhythms are a bit passé for 2001, the Crystal Method have obviously come a long way since the heyday of 1997. John Bush