This joint effort from MF Doom and DJ Danger Mouse, two of hip hop’s most respected artists, has the cartoonish sensibility one would expect from an album inspired by Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming. With quirky samples and a song called “Vats of Urine,” The Mouse and the Mask is likely to elicit a smirk from listeners. Ultimately, if you buy this album for your love of Doom, you will get your money’s worth. If you’re a diehard fan of Danger Mouse, you might not be so enthusiastic.
The album showcases exceptional rhymes from Doom, who consistently manages to make intelligent rapping seem easy. The fast-paced complexity of his flow is balanced out by a nonchalant tone that makes his rapping seem almost like an afterthought. As an MC who is still relatively underground, Doom reminds me of that slacker kid in physics class who slept through lectures but always managed to get As and had everyone else thinking, “I wish I could do that!”
Fresh from producing the most recent Gorillaz album, DJ Danger Mouse provides unremarkable beats as a background for Doom. Though some detractors of Danger’s 2003 Grey Album criticized him for being too experimental in his mash-up of The Beatles and Jay-Z, here he plays it too safe. There isn’t much that’s distinctively Danger about The Mouse and the Mask, but if it’s ear-catching beats you seek, check out “Crosshairs” and “Old School,” which has the added bonus of a guest appearance from Talib Kweli.
I like to think of this album as a bowl of sumptuous beef stew. Danger Mouse is the beef stock: bland, but a necessary base for the meat of the dish, provided by Doom. Throw in some paprika and cumin (Kweli and a Ghostface Killah cameo, respectively), and you’ve got yourself a delicious meal.
