Pitchfork and newcomer Dusted both had good things to say about this one, and I liked all his Outkast output, so this was an easy pick.
There's an huge variety of styles going on here, and its an impressive balance of adventurousness and listenability. The rapping's deft and exciting, the subject matter is murder-free, and the lines are packed with surprising references and witty turns. All a good start. But most importantly, the production is wildly varied. Its dense without being distracting, and hits affecting, subtly emotional notes surprisingly often. I mean it in the best possible way when I say it sounds like a Girl Talk album at times, especially in the later parts. Shine Blokas in particular features agile changes in tempo and tone, always meshing excellent raps with affecting, out-of-place-but-not production (including my bff mellotron!). I'm a fan of this one, it stands to find a way onto my top of the year list.
Despite all this effusing, my gut isn't that its a 5 just yet. Still good for "gold" at 4.5/5
Edit 7/13/10: Its really that those last 4 songs are amazing. Its the most backloaded album I've heard in a while. I stand by my 4.5.
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