When the narrative behind an albums release is continuous delays spanning the better part of a decade, upon release, the obvious question is whether or not it was worth the wait. If you had asked me back in October, when it was released, my answer would have been an emphatic "no". I may have even gotten a little mouth froth on you, such was my disappointment. I even set out to write this review back then, so that I might enlighten the world to the travesty that was Event 2. Luckily, laziness prevailed and I've come to appreciate Event 2 a bit over these last few months.
"Banjo, what got you so upset on your first listen?" you're probably asking yourself. It was something that I touched on in yesterday's Marshall Mathers LP 2 review. Namely, finding the sweet spot where your sequel album manages to capture the same tone or feel to the previous installment, without coming across as a copy. My initial reaction to Event 2 was that it was just a worse version of Deltron 3030, a cheap knock-off, the Dr. Thunder to Delton's Dr. Pepper. In retrospect, I may have overreacted. Event 2 definitely adheres too closely to the formula of the original album, with a few tracks that are just shameless knock-offs (looking at you, "The Return") but it's a very respectable album in its own right, as well.
Del the Funky Homosapien had been floundering for ten plus years leading up the release of Event 2 Conflict with his record label kept him from releasing anything for the entire middle third of the 00's. Once that was sorted out, he put out a slew of releases to lukewarm, at best, receptions. As somewhat of a Del fanboy, I was hoping (but not particularly optimistic) that he had just been squirreling away his best verses to use on Event 2. After all it, it is the sequel to his most popular and most highly esteemed project. I can't speak to how long it actually took Del to write and record his verses for Event 2, I can confidently that he sounds better here than he has on anything since Full Circle, in 2003. The bored, monotone, drawling vocals that made so many of his 2008-2012 releases such boring chores to listen to has been greatly dialed back on Event 2. Del actually sounds like he's enjoying himself somewhat, again. He still doesn't carry quite the same exuberance that he once did, but rather than sounding bored or disinterested, it feels more like he's just relaxed, somewhat. He feels comfortable.
Much like in Deltron 3030, Event 2 features the vocal talents of several others besides Del. Joseph Gordon-Levitt catches us p on what all has happened in the universe since between the two albums on the album's introductory skit. David Cross and Amber Tamblyn appear in a pair of skits featuring a married couple griping about all the "conveniences" that future technology has brought, while not-so-subtly taking jabs at the lifestyle and mannerisms of Millenials. Celebrity chef, David Chang's skit is definitely the worst of the bunch. The concept of having someone talk about the future of how food is prepared and what the tastes of the general public are was sound enough, it just sounded like it hadn't been rehearsed.
As far as musical guests, The Lonely Island get a track all to themselves smack in the middle of the album (much like Paul Barman did in the original) where they play the role of a group of old men who burst into verse about how much better it was "Back in the Day". It's a track that would be a lot funnier were it not for the ham-fisted attempt to make it about the plight of the homeless tacked on at the end. Other stand out musical guests were Rage Against the Machine's Zach De La Rocha, and actress, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Winstead shows surprising singing chops on her two appearances, handling the choruses on two the album's standout tracks.
Dan The Automator is someone who I, honestly, haven't kept particular track of as of late. I couldn't testify as to what hes been up to since the last Handsome Boy Modeling School album back in 2004. As such, I was a bit concerned about the production coming into my first listen. I will never again question the credentials of Automator. Even when I completely despised and resented this album, I couldn't help but acknowledge that the production was top shelf. A big part of what made the original Deltron 3030 such a success was the the tone set by Automator's beats. They did more to establish the setting of the album than Del's vocal's ever could; the crowded cities, the ever-present threat of government agents, the limitless vastness of the galaxy in which the story takes place... none of it would have been nearly as engrossing if not for Automator. No other producer could have made Deltron 3030 a more effective album than Automator did. To put it shortly, Automator hasn't lost a step. The environment he's portraying is a bit gloomier, and the situation our protagonists face is a bit more dire now than it once, but he captures that just as well. Some of the beats come across as a bit Jetson-y in 2013, that is, the way people thought that the future (today) would sound in the 60's, whether or not that was a conscious choice by Automator, I can't say.
Therein lies the biggest fault in Event 2. Where Deltron 3030 told the story of a scrappy group of freedom fighters and their adventures through a futuristic dystopia, Event 2 throws all of its eggs squarely into the social commentary basket. Yes, Deltron featured a hefty helping of social criticism, but it was a side dish to the journey, itself. The commentary was interwoven so that it was a part of the story, it wasn't intrusive. Event 2 tackles social issues in a much more heavy-handed way. With the story taking a back seat to the message, Event 2 loses a major part of what made Deltron 3030 so successful, the fun. Yeah, there are a handful of chuckle-worthy skits dispersed throughout the whole affair, but they feel out of place when wedged between tracks about the loss of childhood innocence and the Earth being reduced to a barren wasteland largely due to corporate greed.
So, that brings us back to our original question. Was Event 2 worth the wait? Not in my opinion. It just doesn't hold up to their first release. Does that make it a bad album? Absolutely not. The biggest mistake that Deltron 3030 made with Event 2 was billing it as a sequel. They tasked themselves with having to pick up a story where they left off 13 years beforehand. That story shifting in tone somewhat and coming off a little disjointed was inevitable. Event 2 remains an atmospheric album featuring some of the best production I've heard in years, and a legendary MC in his best form in over a decade. This album didn't deserve nearly the hate that I, and many others gave it on release. Unfortunately, first impressions are hard to forget, so Event 2 will likely wind up being an album that never gets the appreciation that it deserves.
Best Tracks: Nobody Can, Melding of the Minds, The Agony, Look Across the Sky, Do You Remember
Overall: 82/100
