The Kottonmouth Xperience, Vol. 2

Album Review

You can accuse the Kottonmouth Kings of being overly prolific but you can't really accuse them of milking their fans, at least not when their fringe releases are as packed as this. The Kottonmouth Xperience, Vol. 2 features remixes of some of the Kings' most popular tracks, seamlessly blended together into a laid-back journey that will do the trick when the band's regular, more aggressive releases threaten to "harsh your mellow." Drum-n-bass, breakbeat, and hazy ambient dub all help chill out their usual rap-metal style into a soundtrack for getting baked, or whatever, although 90-percent of the band lyrics are about marijuana so be advised. The straight-edgers and squares probably won't be able to tolerate the frequent references to "cheeba," "ganja," and "mary jane" and they probably won't enjoy all the electronic noodling either, which drifts and echoes like an amateur Orb. Even if the Kings' electronica seems about ten years behind, it works on its own level and provides an interesting enough atmosphere for what is essentially background music for getting high. The bonus DVD features the entire mix album with accompanying visuals. Pot leafs fly, shots of the band in concert melt into pools of computerized manipulation, and bits of their official videos get twisted into a psychedelic dreams. Nothing here will convince their detractors but their legion of hardcore fans will appreciate all the effort and good vibes.