Customer Reviews

MOUSE & THE MASK, THE [Vinyl]

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The fact that this album is titled The Mouse and the Mask highlights the growing popularity of two of hip-hop's most respected connoisseurs, Danger Mouse and the mighty MF Doom. Years ago, such a title would have drifted right past the awareness of most hip-hop fans, but with MF's credibility in both the underground and mainstream NYC scene, and Danger Mouse's much sought after production skills, these two have managed to put out an album with actual anticipation across the world of hip-hop.

And folks, the anticipation is completely warranted. With the consistent use of the Cartoon Network Adult Swim characters Brak, Grandmaster Shake, and Harvey Birdman, and guest appearances by the other Iron Man: Ghostface Killah, the conscious wizard Talib Kweli, and dirty south eclectic extraordinaire Cee-Lo, this MC and DJ dynamic duo unleashes a refreshing and downright fun hip-hop album.

Fans of MF Doom will be neither blown away, nor surprised by the delivery and lyrical output on this release. Possibly the most consistent MC in hip-hop, Doom sticks to his mouth-full, Rakim-relaxed flow which could easily have folks mistaking him for the long lost 10th core member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Never seeking to impress his fan base or new listeners with obnoxiously abstract content, or spell-binding flow/speed, MF forces you to hit the rewind button to hear the almost juvenile, yet mostly creative tongue-in-cheek disses which harkens to the battle days of old school hip-hop.

And for the most part, Danger Mouse matches the output of his partner. At times, the beats can only be described as the perfect offspring of Ghetto Pop Life/Grey Album era Danger Mouse, and that well-known MF Doom vibe. Tracks like "The Mask", "Old School", "No Names", and "Space-Ho's" (my favorite) justify this match made in heaven, and oftentimes find Doom sounding his best with backing from one of the finest producers in the game.

Unfortunately, a number of tracks are lackluster, and they will quickly earn the "I always fast forward through this track" badge. "ATHF", a nice ode to the already classic cartoon, never succeeds in providing memorable moments, and "Basket Case" could be used as a prime example of album filler, despite its use of the prototypical "villain" samples which have become a staple of Doom's style.

When this new superhero/villain (?!?!) tandem hits the mark though, they show exactly why, despite no mass-market airplay, this album has been so hyped up in the hip-hop community. While I think this release is largely Doom in its style, the brilliance we have come to expect from this man has finally matched itself with a production/beats style which, no offense to Doom, is more of what the modern, technologically advanced hip-hop fan has come to expect. With the abundance of Adult Swim samples, these two have created a sound which, without doubt, can be found nowhere else. But hey, do they really even need the samples to achieve such a sound? Of course not. While you should not expect a start to finish display of rap transcendence, you can expect the same beats and flows which have made the two separate entities of this musical mutant two of the hottest commodities in hip-hop today.

This is it. This is the album that will introduce MF Doom to a monstrous fan base.

While his other albums -- mostly four-star classics in my book -- are admittedly less accessible to the average hip-hopper (I'll be the first to admit that I was disappointed at my first listen to "Operation: Doomsday." Now I think it's fantastic), this is easy for anyone to get into.

Regardless, this album is an instant classic. My little SISTER even liked it. The beats are all bouncy and catchy (but still with a gritty edge to them), and the rhymes have just enough subtext to appeal to the discerning underground head as well as being nonsensical enough to be funny to anyone.

But the album as a whole is nothing to laugh at, however.

Right from the understated loop at the start of "El Chupa Nibre," it's clear that Doom is running the show. Danger Mouse's beats are basically all winners, from the chunky guitar on "A.T.H.F." to the Latin loop on "Crosshairs," the beats bubble under Metal Face's raspy flow.

The best moments come when guests are involved, and I'm not necessarily talking about guest MCs. Just about every Adult Swim character makes an appearance SOMEwhere, from Brak asking "Why did you buy this album? I don't know why you did, you're stupid," to Master Shake's series of messages asking why he hasn't been included on the album, "Because you KNOW my rappin' is the s***!" he says.

The album's cartoon-y theme carries over to its best song as well. "Old School" loops (what I THINK) is an old Hanna-Barbara music snippet. I recognize part of it from the opening frames of "Kill Bill," where Tarantino used it as music behind the "Feature Presentation" graphic.

Regardless of the source, Doom and Talib Kweli ride the beat like a brand-new Harley, waxing nostalgic about eatin' cereal and watchin' Saturday morning cartoons.

There's not much to dislike about this album. Even parents will enjoy the fact that they bleeped all the cuss words, although they did leave Doom's line about "fellas grab ya nutsacks, chicks squeeze your breastesses."

Good stuff. Get this NOW.

Haha...I love this album. Since I heard it first a few months ago, it's been one of my most played and most loved albums of 2005. It's been consistently moving up and down my ever-changing Top 5 of '05, right now it's sitting in the #4 spot but that's sucjected to change. It's fantastic, Daniel Dumile delivers brilliant flow and lyrics once again, but the different this time is the production. The first 10 seconds of "El Chupa Nibre" (barring brak's introduction) are a large departure from Madlib's recognizable style on Madvillainy. It's simpler this time around, the focus doesn't seem to be on the complexity or the layers as much, but that doesn't mean the beats are any less fantastic. I would say Madlib produces like Radiohead, where Dangermouse produeces like Weezer (horrible simplification) but it makes sense following the fact that The Mouse and The Mask is really a 3 man show: MF Doom, Dangermouse, and Adult Swim. I give it a perfect score because, it's not as striking or fresh as Madvillainy, but it hasn't left my playlist in months and that's as much of a recommendation as I can give. Also, it must be said I adore Master Shake so there are brownie points there. Don't let the skits cloud your judgement though

Easily the most highly anticipated underground hip-hop album of the year -- "The Mouse And The Mask" is a flawless record that succeeds at every turn. After the sampling of Danger Doom we heard on the Gorillaz record "Demon Days" ("November Has Come"), fans have been eagerly waiting for the duo to drop a classic. Well, the day finally came, and I'm truly a believer. The always-on-point MF Doom returns to the scene with the enthralling production of DJ Dangermouse. As you've heard, it's a concept album that incorporates the cast of several cartoons from Cartoon Network's [adult swim] series (which includes characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Brak & Zorak, Harvey Birdman, the cast of Sealab 2021, and Space Ghost). I originally thought that they would just take samples from these cartoon shows...not so. These are custom samples specifically recorded for this album, which really brings the concept full circle. Overall, the album is quite flawless.

The album starts off with a disappointment on "El Chupa Nibre". The song is excellent; but is rudely interrupted with bleeps from censoring. This song must've been recorded before they knew that they couldn't have a parental advisory album that's promoted by Cartoon Network. Thankfully, there isn't another *bleep* on the rest of the album. Which brings your attention the next track "Sofa King"; which leaves the listener puzzled as to how they got away with this lyric - "I am Sofa King Retard Ed" (say it fast). "The Mask" featuring Ghostface Killah from the Wu-Tang Clan, is definitely one of the best on the album. Dangermouse's production is equally enjoyable. The streak continues with the immaculate "Perfect Hair". "Benzie Box" featuring Cee-Lo and "Old School" featuring Talib Kweli possess something that most MF Doom songs don't - choruses. They work work very well to keep the album flowing. One of my favorites is "A.T.H.F" which boasts some hilarious samples from Meatwad and Karl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Doom spits some crazy wicked rhymes. My favorite track as of now is "No Names" which boasts one of my favorite lyrics - "As a few good men set sights to link with your chick / You have to find a new hen fight to drink your liq / Ten years later, see how Enzyt'll shrink your...wallet". As the album moves along, Doom just settles into the flow beautifully in the last half, bringing the best tracks to the table ("Crosshairs", "Mince Meat", "Bada Bing").

Overall, MF Doom and Dangermouse are in top form, creating something that will be a treasure in both artist's discography for years to come. At 40 minutes in length, the album is stripped of filler, and leaves the listener drooling for more (like most Doom albums). This is an album that is truly deserving of it's hype, and will please fans to great lengths. Definitely one of the best hip-hop album of 2005.

'The Mouse & The Mask' is the newest album from rapper/producer MF Doom (a.k.a. Zevlove X, Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah, etc.) and producer Danger Mouse (Gorillaz, the Jay-Z/Beatles blend project 'The Gray Album') presented by Catoon Network's late night block, [adult swim]. Based on buzz, and sales so far, it looks like this is going to be Doom's best selling album. After finally gaining some significant recognition with last year's 'Madvillainy', hopefully this album will introduce him to a whole new audience (with help from the [adult swim] ads, and much better promotion than any of his previous works).

"The fat is in the fire, a fryer made of chicken wire
Gettin sick and tired of a friggin liar
Pelican, with some very soft mangoes
A closet full of skeletons and terry cloth Kangols" Crosshairs

[adult swim] is actually one of my favorite things on TV. The offbeat, and a little more mature humor is probably the funniest thing to watch at 12:00 on a weeknight. The album features apperances from characters of the shows Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Master Shake, Meatwad, Carl, Inignknot & Err), Space Ghost: Coast To Coast (Brak, Zorkak & Space Ghost), The Brak Show (Brak, Zorak & Thundercleese), Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law (Birdman, Reducto & Mentok) & Sealab 2021. These little apperances may be brief, but they're a nice touch. Not only are there apperances from these characters, much of Doom's subject matter and song concepts are based off [adult swim] shows, which I think gives the album a cool theme. Overall, the [adult swim] addition is a positive, and helps the album for the better. They even have Meatwad remaking 'Beef Rapp' as the bonus track. But, an album can't live off a theme alone, which is where Danger Mouse & MF Doom come in.

"What's up with your boy? He's not a soft or hot drink
Whoever don't like it could suck his straw, it's hot pink" A.T.H.F.

First of all, the production here is top notch. I haven't heard much from Danger Mouse (only some tracks from the new Gorillaz album), but I was very impressed with the varying, but altogether dope beats he came up with for this album. When an albums production is handled by only one producer, it can get very repetitive, and take away from the overall quality of the album. Here, Danger Mouse provides different types of beats for every track. With original samples, all of which are flipped extremely well, to the great drum patterns, Danger Mouse keeps the same great feel the whole time, but without sounding repetitive. Now I'm starting to sound repetitive, but the point is, you won't be dissapointed with the production here.

"Everybody talkin 'bout pistols, gats is borin
He came with a new topic to flip you, vats of urine
All pro, check the stats, his style scorin
While you at it, double check that Cristal you're pourin" Vats Of Urine

As usual, Doom brings his unique flow, rhyme scheme and lyrics. This is top notch Doom, and one of his best performances on the mic. Don't get it twisted though, if you really dislike MF Doom, you will have a hard time liking this album. It's not like he's changed his flow or rap style, but this is some of the best material you will hear from him. If you're looking for the regular MF refrences to Fantastic Four cartoons and his numerous personalities, consider this as a break from the character of Doom (besides the references to his mask on a couple songs). Any fan of Doom knows he can carry an album (and usually ends up with a better product with less guest apperances), and like usual, its entertaining to listen to him for the full 40 minutes. The guests, Ghostface, Talib Kweli & Cee-Lo, are 3 of my favorite artists, don't have very big roles, but I really enjoyed the verses of Ghost & Talib, and Talib & Cee Lo provided some nice hooks, which are rare on Doom songs.

Unfortunately, all versions of the album are edited. This isn't a big problem, and isn't close to a reason not to pick up this album. There are very few words that need editing, and the only place you really notice it is the first track.

"Rappers suck, when they spit I doubt 'em
The crap they sing about you'll wanna slap the ____in' ____ out 'em" El Chupa Nibre

Top 5 Songs (In Order):

1. The Mask Featuring Ghostface - My personal favorite track, great job by Danger Mouse on this beat, and now I'm even more excited for the MF/GF collab album after hearing what they can do together.

2. Space Ho's - One of the dopest beats of the year. The whole song is a parody of the concept that people will hate on anyone that's at a high place or has something you want.

3. A.T.H.F. - Whole song about Aqua Teen Hunger force, which is one of my favorite shows. Executed very well.

4. El Chupa Nibre - Again, one of my favorite beats of the whole year. Great way to start off the album.

5. Vats Of Urine - Features Inignknot & Err, 2 characters that make apperances on Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and 2 of the funniest characters you can find on [adult swim]. While the track is under 2 minutes, it features an addicting horn loop over a nice bassline & drums.

Worst Track:

There really isn't any song here that I can call the worst, because every single song is enoyable.

Lyrics/Substance/Subject Matter - 9/10
Flow/Delivery - 9/10
Production - 9/10
Overall Feel - 9/10

Guest Apperances - 8/10 - Ghostface Killah, Talib Kweli, Cee-Lo - As I explained above, they definately are positive contributions, but aren't pivotal to the overall product.
Overall Rating - 9/10 - If you're a fan of MF Doom, Danger Mouse, or [adult swim], or just someone looking for something new, pick this up. You won't be dissapointed

This album in all is a breath of fresh air to the now money driven society of modern rap. Instead of guns and violence DangerDoom use Adult Swim characters thet are heard throughtout the album. Danger Mouse has provided some dope beats for this album and unlike other collabos they stick to Danger Mouse production throughout the album, accompanied by MF Dooms left field raps. The only thing that got under my skin was the bleeping in the begining, but it was just going along with the Cartoon based structure of the album. Ghostface, Cee-Lo, and Talib Kweli make guest appearences on the album and all kill their verses. Some strong cuts on the album include, "Sofa King", "The Mask", "A.T.H.F.", and "Old School". If u dont know what Adult Swim is the whole album will go over your head. All in all this is a great album for '05 its not to long and not to short, and the creative juices from both artists was simply amazing.

I'm going to say right now that this is the hip hop album of 2005, albeit maybe even the album of the year period. I've been listening to a lot of hip hop lately, always been a big fan. When I say hip hop I mean the good, stuff not that 50 cent crap or whatever the hell they play on the radio and mtv now.

Anyways, I along with thousands of others downloaded the grey album when it came out, a mix between the black album by Jay-Z and the white album by the beatles mixed by DJ Dangermouse. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, because I had been hearing a lot of good things. I was not overly impressed and found it hard to get into, which is strange because I'm a fan of the beatles and Jay-z (to some extent). This was my first time hearing Dangermouses material and I was not overly impressed. Earlier this year, I acquired Demon Days by the gorillaz. Mixed by Dangermouse, it was completely different from their debut album, and I wasn't enthralled on first listen, but soon fell in love with the album. The beats were dark, mysterious, even grimey. My friend soon introduced me to MF Doom, and I soon became a fan of him as well. His beats had the same grimey, and fun undertone, and although his flow wasn't one of the most impressive I had heard, it was pretty good stuff. When I heard about this album I immediatley got excited, being a fan of dangermouse, mf doom, and adult swim.

Upon listening to this album I was thoroughly impressed. I wasn't sure what to expect based on the 30 second previews on iTunes not sounding all that impressive but boy was I in for a big suprise. This album has some of the best beats, and Doom's flow is witty, catchy, and fun. Some of my favorites include Sofa King, Benzi Box, Old School Rules, The Mask, Crosshairs, and Spaceho's. Sure not every song on the album is a hit, but most struck a tune with me. The beats are so different and experimental on this album, that if you listened to them without lyrics you'd question whether they would work as a hip-hop beat. Songs like Crosshiars, Space Hos, and Vats of Urine have awesome beats. The cameo appearances by Talib Kweli, Ghostface Killah, and Cee-Lo are all great. I can listen to this album all the way through, over and over again, and am satisfied every time. I love this album. The samples of adult swim are amusing, and add to the songs to make them a fun listen. Doom's lyrics are goofy, yet smooth. I could keep listing things about this album forever.

In short this is album is so different from any hip hop album that i've ever heard, and succeeds greatly. I'd recommend this to anyone who's a fan of rap or hip hop or even adult swim.

If you like this album, i'd recommend checking out Demon Days by the Gorillaz, and some more of MF Doom's work as well.

Simply put, MF doom would have to be one of the best rappers going around these days. His effortlessly rhythmic flows and smooth as butter delivery cannot be denied and his rhymes are stuffed full of clever metaphors, double meanings and wide-spanning pop culture references. This album sees the masked villain on top of his game as always. Guest emcee's cee-lo, ghostface killah and talib kweli all do a good job, but the best tracks in my opinion are just MF. My favorite tracks would be 'No Names' and 'Bada Bing' but there's nothing you'd want to be skipping over really.
I think Danger Mouse has put together a great set here. Great drum and percussion sounds, horns, strings, guitars, and woodwinds are all here with basslines that complement so well. If you were a fan of ghetto pop life or even the grey album then you will be impressed with the production on the mouse and the mask.
Basically this album will make you smile and nod from start to finish. The adult swim connection will be a bonus if you are familiar with the cartoons and if you aren't I suggest you at least try to watch aqua teen hunger force as there is an entire song dedicated to it's characters ('A.T.H.F.'). Meatwad even busts a rap a capella and Master Shake's interludes are pretty funny aswell.
The Mouse and the Mask is definately not to be missed by any fans of the hip hop genre who are open to a bit more than the same old boring cliches.

Hot on the heels of the critically aclaimed Gorillaz CD and Not very long after releasing the Indy Rap Album of the year with Madlib, Danger Mouse and MF Doom, respectively, get together for what could be the sleeper of the year OR NOT.

Even though this collaboration is inspired by the Adult Swim series of cartoons, you don't need to be a cartoon fan to enjoy the CD. The cartoon character skits are well placed and are short enough not to dominate the album (Unlike Mm...Food). Doom is back on top form after the some what dissapointing Food album and Danger Mouse proves the doubters (of which I was one) wrong.

The album kicks off with the excellent "El Chipra Nibre" where Danger Mouse steals the show with a haunting loop. Doom delivers his now famed single verse, gem packed, chorus free raps. A few listens is required to take it all in. The funny a*s skits complete the job. "Sofa King" keeps the momentum going and is just as hot as the opener.

"The mask" is every Doom fan's dream collabo... Ghostface drops by with a perfect verse, complimenting Doom's weird sense of humour perfectly. The rest of the album does not let up with Danger Mouse providing the perfect back drop for Doom's vocals and the standard cartoon skits. The closer "Bada Bing" is probably my favourite track, although that honour shifts around with every listen.

What makes this album so great is that none of the songs sound the same but they all fit the theme perfectly, also Doom's vocals seem to be at home with every beat and finally the skits are easily the best I've heard since....ever.

As is the case with most Doom albums this is too short but that means there is no space for fillers. This time around they do not squeeze 22 tracks in 40 mins. This means that the songs are a little longer ..

One must admit that our man DJ Danger Mouse has some serious skills in producing dope hip-hop beats. I hear people talk about "The Grey Album", where DJ DM mixed Jay-Z rhymes over beatles beats, not mentioning his 5+ star effort together with Jemini on the "Ghetto Pop Life" joint. Trust me, this CD is da bomb.

Now, finally Danger Mouse has made it. It's not only the new Gorillaz CD "Demon Days" and the now heavily rotating Gnarls Barkley project "St. Elsewhere", but especially this underground joint together with MF Doom that put DJ DM on the map. This record is hillarious, witty and packed with great rap and dope beats.

For those who don't believe me check out "Benzie Box", "Old School" and "Space Ho's". This CD deserves it's 4.5 stars! Don't hesitate to purchase!