Tical (*another* word for weed) is Method Man taking his turn to spread his Wu-Tang style over the full length of an album with the Wu's Prince Rakeem (aka The Rza) at the controls, fresh from his exploits in the Gravediggaz.
Tical is one long hazy nightmare - darker than the darkest moments of Cypress Hill's Black Sunday. West coast hip-hop conjurs up images of sunny days and warm nights with the sounds bumping in low-rides. This East coast sound reeks of dark alleys with moonlight catching the glint of steel amidst muffled conversations. Slow muffled beats and droning hammer-horror keyboards meander through the songs with little bits of funk buried deep in the mix, the unstructured feel creating an atmosphere of menace. Method's voice heightens the discomfort, sounding more like a 40 year old gangster than a 20 year old 'gangsta'.
At times, all this is magnificent. The Rza's production sounds like little else in hip-hop at the moment: almost buried menacing vocals in the title track; "What the Blood Clot" with Method's vocals right up in the mix so that it feels as if he's scary, flowing inches from your face; and "Stimulation" with what sounds like the theme to a 50's romance ebbing in and out of the mix. Genius.
But at other times the mood is lost and you're reminded of the poorer moments from the Wu-Tang Clan album. The creeping approach is completely unsuited to Method's ode to his girlfriend, "All I Need" (it sounds more like he's stalking her rather than telling her how much she means to him) and "Release Yo' Delf" re-interprets Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" but comes out silly and unconvincing.
Tical is far more consistent than the patchy Wu-Tang Clan debut, although perhaps *too* consistent - sacrificing variety for the creation of a mood. By the time you get two-thirds of the way through your praying for some surprises that never come - just more creeping menace.
Scary.
- Martin Bate
