Jedi Mind Tricks "The Amber Probe EP" (1996)

It seems to me that most people either love 'em or hate 'em...myself, I'm in the middle. I honestly find most of their stuff pretty much unlistenable due to Vinnie Paz' rhyme style. This record - their first - deserves mentioning, though, as it is embedded in that early wave of indie records, and JMT has obviously made a name for themselves:

Jedi Mind Tricks "The Amber Probe" EP

Beats on this record are less polished than JMT's more recent shit, but all-in-all, a solid indie record. The conspiracy theory/apocalyptic vision of JMT doesn't bother me; hell, I think a lot of people could use more abstraction and theory. The problem I have is that when I listen to a song, I can't tell from the lyrics whether it's "Books of Blood: The Coming of Tan" or "Communion: The Crop Circle Thesis". Either I'm not as smart as I think I am, or these cuts are so abstract and fragmented that they lack a coherent narrative, and end up being as sensible as "They Want EFX" or "Mic Checka". Although it could be a little of both.

If you happen to be a JMT fan, though, and haven't heard where it started, you'll enjoy this. Includes "Neva Antiquated" (vocal and instrumental), "Neva Antiquated Remix" (vocal and instrumental), "Books of Blood: The Coming of Tan", and "Communion: The Crop Circle Thesis".