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Abandoned in the spotlight, Doom appears to falter, though again I think it’s just because we’ve grown so accustomed to cherry-picking his lyrical gems from a well-blended stoned barrage.
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Rather than detract from the funkified weirdness, the guest spots from the Adult Swim crew actually add to the craziness.
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Proof once more, that you can be experimental, extreme and eccentric but be excellently hip hop all at the same time.
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It’s not a bad album, and Doom’s rapping is damn near unparalleled; but when you come right down to it, The Mouse & the Mask kinda feels like a throwaway.
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It's not as revealing as Doom's other work, and Danger Mouse's big, Technicolor productions here are a little too trivial to be immortal. But for what it attempts-- which is basically a comedy record with no-joke skills-- it exceeds expectations.
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It's an excellent album if you're in on the joke.
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The best album of the year in the hip-hop underground.
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It might not be the underground hip-hop record of the year, but it is easily on the short list.
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The Mouse and the Mask’s levity is the antithesis of the dense Madvilliany, and it continues Doom’s steady march toward achieving legendary status.
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The Mouse and the Mask, while it may not be answering life's questions, is an enjoyable and highly original achievement.
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Though not really getting the joke can somewhat divorce the listener from proceedings, the slick, masterful production and real-life cameos from the likes of Ghostface and particularly Cee-Lo on the majestic 'Benzi Box' make up for the feeling of exclusion.
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The Mouse and the Mask's downfall, though, is its excruciatingly narrow scope.
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While this buoyant link-up is no disgrace, its main ingredients - copshow brass, cartoon flutes, professor voices - are fairly familiar rap tropes.
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[A] psychedelic rap reality worth wigging to.
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As subversive as it is weird.
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Both guys are so irrepressibly playful that they get serious at their peril--they're better off as a nonstop musical goof.
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Lyrically, Doom hasn't sounded this vital since Viktor Vaughn's "Vaudeville Villain."
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The beats on The Mouse and the Mask are remarkably consistent, satisfactorily complex, and surprisingly subtle.
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Like Paul's Boutique, The Mouse and the Mask is at times frustrating in its top-heaviness. Thank god it's got Doom.
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The addition of Adult Swim characters into damn near every track isn't always seamless or clever, and the album could do without "Bada Bing" or Meatwad's intentionally painful bonus-track cover of Doom's "Beef Rapp," but otherwise, this stellar collaboration threatens to give underground synergy a good name.
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Anyone intrigued by Doom should adore this album.
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Even though the album maintains a barely serious attitude from start to finish, it's impossible to doubt the talent and style present.
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Los Angeles TimesAn ingeniously clever album. [13 Nov 2005]
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Paste MagazineWonderfully askew. [Feb/Mar 2006, p.96]
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UncutThis is MF Doom's most accessible moment to date. [Nov 2005, p.108]
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MojoAn entirely silly album. [Jan 2006, p.120]
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Q MagazineDoom's bizarre raps prove a good match for Danger Mouse's eclectic approach. [Nov 2005, p.123]
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Rolling StoneIt's a fun ride. [6 Oct 2005, p.154]
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Alternative PressBoth participants' artistic weaponry [is] set for "stun" instead of "kill." [Dec 2005, p.216]
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BlenderSurprisingly pedestrian. [Nov 2005, p.134]
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FilterAn entire record of scorching wordplay, groovy soundscapes, jaw-dropping cadence and Aqua Teen Hunger Force cameos. [#17, p.93]
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Entertainment WeeklyA hip-hop tour de farce. [14 Oct 2005, p.152]
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SpinDoom's playing it safe. [Oct 2005, p.133]
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MagnetFinds both beatmaker and rapper at the peak of their powers. [#70, p.89]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 65 out of 69
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Mixed: 1 out of 69
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Negative: 3 out of 69
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Mr.E.S.PonyOct 13, 2005
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Dec 12, 2010
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DillonGJun 19, 2006