Danger Doom The Mouse & The Mask Epitaph Records Grade: B+
Rapper MF Doom, the former member of the group KMD, wields a metal mask as a tribute to his brother's death. He and innovative producer Dangermouse do not fit the typical appearance of today's conventional hip-hop artists. It would only be natural that their first full-length collaboration be anything but "ordinary," as is the case with The Mouse & The Mask.
Inspired by Cartoon Network's late-night lineup Adult Swim, the album joins MF Doom's unpredictable flow with a landscape of eclectic beats from Dangermouse. Dangermouse is the beat-maker best known for The Gray Album, a widely acclaimed project where he laid lyrics from the a capella version of Jay-Z's Black Album over beats he created using samples from The Beatles' White Album.
The joint effort on The Mouse & The Mask results in an entertaining record with guest appearances from Ghostface, Talib Kweli and Cee-Lo from the Goodie Mob that supplements MF Doom's irregular delivery and unusual but inventive lyrics. On the production side, Dangermouse single-handedly laces the album with his signature style that crosses musical boundaries, using obscure sounds and amusing sound bites compliments of Adult Swim's cartoon characters, especially on songs "Benzi Box" and "Basket Case."
First-time MF Doom listeners might notice it takes time to get used to his erratic rapping style but he reveals his ability to construct complex rhyme schemes that most rappers avoid. On "Sofa King," Doom spits, "Scared of a bunch of water? Then get out the rain/ Order a rapper for lunch and spit out the chain/ Then kick a lungie of the tip of his Timbo/ Trick a honey dip into a game of strip limbo."
On the whole, MF Doom and Dangermouse's collaboration is a great listen for any open-minded music fan and a satisfying album with no standard to which it could be compared.
-- Domenic Callocchia
Sam Ashworth Gonna Get It Wrong Before I Get It Right Emergent Records Grade: B-
The cover is alarmingly similar to that of the latest Shins albums in terms of style and all-around friendliness. Are we to believe that somewhere, some little indie pop darling has surrounded himself with neat little album covers while he soaks up the sounds of modern day guitar heroes? In terms of content, Mr. Ashworth will fit nicely into your Shins and Iron And Wine collection, if that's your game. As annoying as it is to make room for yet more sensitive and catchy guitar heavy numbers in the world of popular music, that's precisely what the album does. In his debut full length Mr. Ashworth takes all you pop acoustic lovers exactly where you need to be. Though losing points for a few lyrics that hurt the discerning brain, it's at least nice to hear a new slow indie pop release that isn't too pretentious - remember Arcade Fire? - or too sweet and bubbly to actually be listenable - go to any open mic on any given night and pay attention. If you like the Shins you might already own this album based on cover alone, if you like Ben Folds or something similar, Sam Ashworth might be worth checking out.
-Collin Marchiando
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