Time Crisis – Time Crisis
Fameless Fam: 2010
While the formation of Time Crisis follows a somewhat conventional script (in this case that script called for Pennsylvania natives Will Brown and Jon Markson to meet at college in Connecticut, discover their shared love of music and blend their apparently diametrically opposed styles into a cohesive unit), nothing else about the duo screams conventional. Brown was schooled in the art of boom bap in Pittsburgh, while Markson was exposed to an eclectic mix in Allentown – with a focus on the guitar. But Time Crisis is much deeper than that – and their debut disc, Time Crisis, showcases the duo’s genre- bending tendencies.
The album’s 10 tracks serve as an exploration, of sorts, of genres that span from the obvious (hip-hop and rock) to the slightly more subtle (glitch-pop), with a number of stops in between. As such, the record also makes use of a lot of instruments beyond the obvious – including the sequencer, six-string, vocoder and violin. In the words of Fameless Fam (Time Crisis’ crew and label) “this record encapsulates the mosaic of our generation through collaboration and is sure to mark the start of a collective that will offer us honest and progressive music for years to come.”
The aforementioned collaboration isn’t limited to Brown and Markson; the album features DJ Emoh Betta on the turntables, Josh Gottesman on drums, EJ3 Robot on keyboards, Exquisite Corpse, of Fameless Fam’s partyboobytrap on glockenspiel, percussion and vocals, Amy Alvey on violin, and partyboobytrap member Virtue on the mic. It’s a testament to both Brown and Markson that they offer their guests the freedom to create and add to the tracks in a way that goes far beyond a normal album “feature.” This often leads to a mixture of electronic and organic music – with results that will, at the very least, get you thinking.
On “Heaven”, the album’s second track, Time Crisis’ multiple influences can be heard clearly, as the duo offer up a production that evolves from a relatively straightforward hip-hop beat into a combination of the many genres they enjoy. Virtue’s lyrics are clearly informed by what is going on in today’s society – and they serve to add another layer to a song already chalk full of them. Having said that, the track is the closest Time Crisis comes to “traditional” hip-hop and it’s a great jumping off point for the rest of the album.
The very next track, “Pen to Paper” seems to exist in stark contrast to the previous song, but the blend of vocals and instrumentation reveals another layer of Time Crisis. Both “Bricks” and “Blue Lips” seem to capture the Time Crisis sound – if there is one. The tracks, like the album itself, open in one fashion/genre but quickly build into productions that draw on multiple genres. They both feel like musical journeys – with the lyrics and vocals of Virtue and Exquisite Corpse acting as the only constants (which is a good thing as Virtue sounds completely at home over the Time Crisis productions and delivers both deep and dope lyrics throughout).
But the unquestioned stars of Time Crisis are Brown and Markson. The multiple layers in each and every track have room to breathe – and force the track to the forefront. The numerous instruments, sounds and creations only serve to push the track forward – and by the end of the album, the listener should be thankful he/she was along for the ride.
3 out of 5
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