AMG Review of Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological, and Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human

Dean Carlson
All Music Guide

With a title like The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological, and Electro Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness, it's probably a safe bet that Jedi Mind Tricks won't be talking about cell phones and whores very much. Truly, amidst eerie choirs and Biblical samples, the album creates an angular, symphonic sweatshop of mid-tempo beats with just the right amount of over-accustomed anger and intelligence to keep things interesting (where in slick gangsta rap or retrofitted old-skool would you find songs about Plexiglas, the Illuminati, or Voltron?). The standout track is easily "Books of Blood: The Coming of Tan." Laying the conspiracy theories flat out, El Eloh helps steer the song into a sprawling narrative of scatter-shot rhymes and paranoid rhythms that actually sounds unique in the troubled rap scene. It might take some time for Jedi Mind Tricks' sound to fully mature, but their metaphysical peculiarity is a promising new glow in the dark hip-hop underground.