ALBUM REVIEW: Deltron 3030 - Event II

     "It's the year 3030...." It has been over a decade since the iconic line has been spoken. Event II  marks the return of Del The Funky Homosapien, Dan The Automator, and Kid Koala as the collective Deltron 3030. With their highly anticipated sophomore release, Deltron attempts to create a worthy sequel to the cult classic released back in 2000. This time around the trio was able to enlist a slew of guest stars to be a part of what was to be high profile return and a contender for many best of the year lists. Unfortunately, after a year of waiting, this album is a victim of it's own hype.

       I remember when the first Deltron 3030 dropped. At that time, these boys were a breath of fresh air. I'd even go as far to say that they were the pioneers in creating what we consider to be supergroups today. With Del being part of the Hieroglyphics crew as well as an established solo artist, Kid Koala being a well respected DJ and turntablist, and Dan The Automator being a well known producer having worked with legends such as Kool Keith and Prince Paul, these three combining to become a musical act was something that hadn't been done on that level before. However, this time around, their sound just seems dated in comparison to a lot of this year's releases. For all the futuristic themes throughout the album, there is nothing that really separates it from other recent releases.

       Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad album. Standing on it's own with no comparisons, it's pretty solid. Like I said before, there are a ton of guest stars: Damon Albarn, Lonely Island, Casual, Zach De La Rocha, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Cross, Black Rob, Mike Patton, and more. Listen to the tracks City Rising from the Ashes and What Is This Loneliness. They're not bad, but they aren't hitting me quite like their first release did. The amount of guests does keep some variety going vocally. With some of the tracks clocking in at over 5 minutes the guests do well to break up what can be monotonous at times. If this album is your first outing with Deltron, then it's a good starting point. I'd highly recommend that you go check their first release since they both sound pretty similar. But with their first release being in 2000 and this album dropping in 2013, I'm not too sure that sounding similar is a totally good thing.

       The biggest downfall of this album is the fact that it took SO long for it to drop. Had this album, with this sound, dropped before 2006 it would have been one hell of a sophomore release and possibly the best release of it's time. Instead, it sounds like it is stuck in 2006. The skits sound forced and a little too over the top. From track to track I caught myself waiting for the featured artist just to hear something "new" on the album. Overall, I kept comparing Event II to Deltron 3030's first release and as much as I tried to stay hype about this album, I just couldn't do it. Like I said, it's not a bad album, it should just that it should be a lot better than what it is after a decade hiatus.

       I did watch Deltron 3030 perform their single  City Rising from the Ashes live on the David Letterman Show. They had a live band, a choir, 3 turntables, and Just Blaze on the keys. Check it out here. I have to admit, it was pretty tight. I just don't think I should have to see a live performance with all those goodies thrown in before I want to listen to a song, let alone an album, on a regular basis.