The Mouse and the Mask

It was inevitable that two of the most mysterious artists in hip hop -- MF Doom, who raps from behind an intimidating metal mask, and Danger Mouse, who got his start on the turntables by performing inside a mouse suit -- would eventually collide, forming the joint project known as Danger Doom.

Before Danger Mouse, aka Brian Burton, rocketed to stardom with The Grey Album, he did some work for hire creating sound effects for the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim shows, according to the Coyote Chronicle. This connection later paid off artistically. As a fan of both Adult Swim's surreal humor and MF Doom's growling lyrical wordplay, Danger Mouse approached Doom with the idea of teaming up for a concept album that would incorporate samples from Adult Swim.

Doom, also a fan of both the show and Danger Mouse's innovative beats, agreed. Danger Mouse whipped up some beats full of horn samples, piano and trombones, and Doom came up with the rhymes to match. According to an interview with Electronic Musician, the two musicians were able to get nearly all the actors from Adult Swim's top shows -- Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Sealab 2021, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law -- into the studio to contribute vocals.

The end result has an impressive 40 to 50 tracks on every song, as well as guest verses from hip hop heavyweights Ghostface Killa and Talib Kweli, and an ominous, unforgettable hook by Cee-Lo on Benzi Box. It was released on Oct. 11, 2005, according to Metacritic, where it earned a cumulative score of 81 percent from reviewers.

Listening to the album reveals Danger Mouse's playfulness on every track, from the triumphant horns of The Mask to the graceful piano on Benzi Box. And MF Doom again constructs rhyme schemes as creatively as any rapper out there, such as this verse from Sofa King: "Kaboom! / Doom is nervous large / You can tell by his blooming room service charge." The interludes by Adult Swim characters, such as Meatwad and Space Ghost, only add to the album's distinctiveness.

The Mouse and the Mask is available for download from iTunes, at a price of $1.29 per song or $9.99 for the whole album. A full track listing is below, courtesy of CD Universe:

  1. El Chupa Nibre
  2. Sofa King
  3. The Mask (feat. Ghostface Killah)
  4. Perfect Hair
  5. Benzi Box (feat. Cee-Lo Green)
  6. Old School (feat. Talib Kweli)
  7. A.T.H.F.
  8. Basket Case
  9. No Names
  10. Crosshairs
  11. Mince Meat
  12. Vats of Urine
  13. Space Ho's
  14. Bada Bing

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