Collaborative efforts between artists are often a very hit or miss proposition. Not every two musicians are going to be able to gel in the studio and turn out a solid product like Snoop and Dre, so the results are often less than impressive. Take for instance the collaboration between Nelly and Tim McGraw; both are pretty terrible in a solo setting, so working together only amplified that. "Under Pressure," the teaming of Queen and David Bowie turned out quite well, minus some theft by a certain white kid named Vanilla. A Gun Called Tension is the collaboration of rapper Sean Reveron of the Beta Band and Dan Gallucci of Modest Mouse. The result is as captivating as it is different, and each of the duo manages to coerce a few of their friends to help out with the effort, including Roots Manuva, Airborne Audio, Morgan Henderson of the Blood Brothers, Spencer Moody of Murder City Devils, and Pretty Girls Make Graves lead singer Andrea Zollo. An eclectic mix for sure, but what's more surprising is just how well they all gel together in their various spots.
The most successful aspect of this album is its ability to forge solid song structures between the crunch and melody of the guitar, the grit of the hip-hop beats, and all the ambient textures infused here. That description makes this record sound like one jumbled mess, but it works surprisingly well. The guest spots by Zollo and Manuva fit in terrifically within the grooves during their respective appearances. "Gold Fronts," an obvious shout out to Flava Flav, contrasts some solid post-punk fuzzy riffs with Reveron's off-kilter delivery. "5+1" has a somewhat more traditional hip-hop beat to it, with Reveron snidely taking shots at the one and only George W. between verses.
As was mentioned earlier, one of this album's highlights is its guest appearances, and on "Electric Chair" it's the collaboration between Reveron and Zollo that grabs your attention. Half rhyming, half chanting, the duo put their words over reverb and a bubbly synth beat. The beeps and blips don't so much drive the song, but offer an -- if nothing else -- interesting take on a back and forth collaboration. "7th Of May" offers up Reveron in a traditional hip-hop setting, letting his flow do just that. Reveron is a skilled emcee, and be it the start and stop of fuzzy post-punk guitars or traditional beats that back him, he feels right at home among it all. While Reveron does monopolize microphone duties for the majority of this record, Spencer Moody takes things over for "Treason," with his scruffy vocals shouting over some bouncy chord progressions.
Airborne Audio closes out the album on "Thelonious (Remix)," where their spliced beats set the background for the repetitious but deep groove that their flow provides. It's a good send-off for the album, in keeping with the great flow already set in place by the Reveron, Gallucci, and their myriad of fellow collaborators.
A Gun Called Tension's self-titled effort manages to throw different variations and styles at you song after song, but maintain the necessary uniformity to actually give the record flow. From the dub beats to samples and electric guitar, it's a strange but effective trip through twelve very different songs. Crossing genres like picket lines, Reveron's often politically-charged rhymes and the music that backs them is anything but ordinary.