3:33: 333EP-1
Let’s just get something clear, 3:33 is not a good name for a group. But if you are going to name your group 3:33, you have to handle it as 3:33 handles it. No one knows how many members 3:33 has. No one knows the name of any of the members. No one knows anything about the group except that they are called 3:33 and they are mysterious. I do, however, know that 333EP-1 is the group’s debut.
333EP-1 sounds just as mysterious as the group. The album is populated by murky instrumental hip hop that mix in elements of big beat, electronica, trip hop, and downtempo. The album’s best track is “333EP3.” The song sounds like a chopped and screwed version of The Chemical Brothers‘ “Setting Sun.”
But there are plenty of songs on the album that do not live up to this excitement. The main problem I have with instrumental albums is that they get a little too repetitive or there is not enough to hold the listener’s attention; 333EP-1 seems to suffer from both problems. Tracks like “333N5” rely too heavily on textures to create a mood that listeners can become disenfranchised with what seems like a steady drumbeat with not much else going on.
As a matter of fact, a lot of the album feels like there is not much going on. I know that is perception and is probably not true but the album is really not for the casual listener. 3:33 seem to have made a very specialized EP that can be enjoyed by beatheads and not by the average listener.
Rating: 4.6/10
MP3: 3:33 “333EP3”
Buy: Amazon
3:33: 333EP-1
