Average Metacritic score 80 (30 reviews):

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=am ... f0escqe~T1


DangerDoom
The Mouse And The Mask (Epitaph / Lex)
US release date:October 11, 2005
Score: 4 1/2 stars (90)
by: John Bush

Rapping with cartoon characters was artistic suicide until Gorillaz dropped a bomb in 2001 with a platinum album and what turned out to be a surprisingly long shelf life. Next out of the box is Danger Doom, the stunning and welcome collaboration of two of hip-hop's most innovative artists, both of whom already have close ties to the world of animation -- Danger Mouse not only named himself after a cartoon but is also a part-time Gorillaz beatmaker, and the rapper MF Doom has imagined himself variously as a comic-book character and fire-breathing monster-movie hero (not to mention, he's rarely photographed without wearing an iron mask that makes him look like an early version of the Marvel supervillain Doctor Doom). Their partners for The Mouse and the Mask are the characters of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block, a cast whose creators share with Danger Mouse and MF Doom the same influences (obscure '70s superheroes, some making a resurgence on Adult Swim) and motivations (a parade of surrealist fantasies intersecting with real life, like the crusading happy meal that airs on Cartoon Network as Aqua Teen Hunger Force). Granted, none of these cartoon characters are rappers, and they're wisely given only backgrounds, transitions, or samples (all of them hilarious). No, it's the experts who handle nearly all of this record, and they're at the top of their game. Doom's dense flow and ciphered allusions have much in common with Adult Swim; both presuppose a large body of cultural knowledge to appreciate what's going on and both rely on a series of bankable eccentricities presented at light speed with high artistry and innumerable subtleties for later parsing by fans. Danger Mouse's productions have the same punch and catchy flair as on Gorillaz's Demon Days, but they're even more impressive here with the absence of Damon Albarn's interference and need to court a pop audience. He calls on the same type of rollerskating pianos, brassy fanfares, flutes, vibraphones, and cavernous drum loops that anyone of a certain age will recall from Fat Albert or Electric Company. It all adds up to the best album of the year in the hip-hop underground, and perhaps the best with any degree of popularity.

first few times i hear it i thought it was on par with madvillain, then i realized what made madvillain so special was the universal feel the whole album had, this doesn't even touch it. it's doom and dm, so its still a great hip hop record, but has nowhere near the staying power of doom's more "themed" albums.

I heard this streamed on myspace and liked it, but haven't persued it since. I'm a huge doom fan, but i haven't listened to this much for some reason. I need to at least download it.

One of my favorite rap releases of the year. Solid yes, spectacular no, but still a good album.

Decent, but not great.

Wont make my top 20.

Benzie Box is still awesome.

i always really like how dangermouse's beats sound, but they have a tendency to get a little repetitive and generic. it's the same problem i have with automator. there's only so much you can do with drums and a 4 bar repeating loop.

Well said. Madvillain is a better album musically, but this will make my top 10 for the project as a whole, specifically the Adult Swim cameos.

Other than Run the Road, the only hip-hop album I bought all year. Since I've yet to hear Madvillany, I think it's great, but there were just too many excellent albums, IMO, for it to be in my top 10.

a fun record, I'd say it's a top 10 hip-hop release this year.

good album, but not madvillain by any stretch. the cameos both help and hurt the record, depending on how and where i'm listening to it.

agree with this but mince meat and benzie box are some of the best hip hop i've heard this year.