Insane Clown Posse Calm CD

Personnel: Insane Clown Posse (programming).
Additional personnel: Esham.
Audio Mixers: Fritz Da Cat; Insane Clown Posse.
Recording information: Lotus Pod, Detroit, MI.
The Calm, as in the calm before the storm. Shaggy 2 Dope's spoken introduction to Insane Clown Posse's 2005 EP refreshes the group's ongoing self-mythology. "After this short calm, a vicious storm will arrive," intones Shaggy, "We call this storm the tempest" -- and a haunted house organ creaks as he describes towering winds peeling away forests to reveal spooky crop circle messages. Hey, is that Carnivŕle's Brother Justin behind all that wicked clown makeup? Whatever Shaggy and Violent J have planned for the future, ICP's lyrical and musical tenets are mostly unchanged. J and Shaggy continue to follow the gangsta method of amplifying street-level grit into a violent hyper-reality, and their production is often just a serviceable frame for whatever social bile they want to spit. The Cypress Hill-ian "Rollin' Over" boasts equally about bodies in trunks and bodacious bedroom prowess, "Rosemary" is a dark murder fantasy with a twist at the end, and the Esham-guesting "Deadbeat Moms" hybridizes blaring apathy, gutter humor, and unscrupulous sexual politics. The Calm even satisfies the hardest-core Juggalos with screams about hatchet chops to the dome. In other words, it's a pretty typical Insane Clown Posse release, catering to a thriving niche and caring little for the rest. Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J are stridently self-promotional and unfailingly proud -- "Like It Like That" says as much over a cut-up Jimmy Walker yelling "Dynamite!" -- and "Crop Circles" sketches their intriguing-enough new storyline with talk of mysticism, star charts, and chariots of the gods. ~ Johnny Loftus
As 2004's HELL'S PIT was the last installment of a concept piece spanning over a decade's worth of Insane Clown Posse albums, juggalos and juggalettes (the band's hardcore fans) anticipated the next missive from their fearless ICP leaders perhaps even more eagerly than usual. While the new theme presented on THE CALM EP is typically obtuse, the ICP does seem to be exploring new avenues. "Intro" boasts an eerie hockey-rink organ sound that appropriately sets up a mystic/sci-fi thread. Not to worry, though, Posse mainstays of over-the-top profanity and violent imagery are still in abundance, albeit with a somewhat more varied musical backdrop. "Rollin' Over" takes a laid-back roots-reggae groove, and pairs it with enough curses to make George Carlin blush. While "Crop Circles" offers a brief respite by combining G-funk, New Wave, and some philosophical ruminations, "Like It Like That" is classic Insane Clown Posse, full of horror-movie samples and a boastful chorus. Employing all the familiar ingredients while adding some welcome spice, THE CALM breaks just enough new ground to please even the most discerning among the faithful.