[4][5] In assembling the band, frontman Green was more concerned with finding musicians who could follow conceptual, not technical, direction.

"[13] The Chicago Tribune determined that the band "swaddles hip-hop rhythms in a Technicolor dreamcoat of cool jazz, metal ax riffs, ambient sound and tape mangling.

"[14] The Los Angeles Times thought that "titles like 'Black Helicopters', 'Roswell Crash' and 'Fall of the American Empire' seem to be all of one mood, with only the occasional trumpet solo emerging from the hypnotic beats.

"[10] The Times Colonist noted that "Milesian trumpet floats like a spooky echo above Zeppelin-inspired guitar and a textural framework that marries Public Enemy's apocalyptic noise to Tricky's spaced-out, transcendent grooves.

"[16] AllMusic wrote: "Time and changes in sampling/hip-hop aesthetics rendered the Grassy Knoll's work less cutting-edge and more representative of a phase but, for all that, Positive succeeds as an enjoyable if slightly stiff exploration of jazz-meets-breakbeat culture.