A trip through a series of "kinda like Endtroducing, but not as good" albums lead me to check out his followup.
This more or less falls into that category, except its not really all /that/ like Endtroducing. That album has a consistency to it, it has a wholeness and a timelessness. Despite all the sample sources, tempos, styles, and instruments, it all seems unidentifiably from a single, cohesive mind. I've heard it referred to as zoomed way in, its a uniform thing with devils in the details, the textures; its all about flows.
If Endtroducing is a circle, this is round but crowned with points - its the spikey eliptical starburst that says NEW! in it. The styles vary more, and each song feels like a gesture in a different direction outward from the core circle. Again, there is that theme, that feeling of a common origin, which is even more impressive given the variety. There's the usual dense breakbeats and slow, soaring, dense notes, with a more aggressive a rap flourish here and there, and some more adventurous sampling choices. Its really enjoyable, and I'm itching to listen to it again (I just haven't had the time lately with a visiting researcher in town all week), though I think that the sheen will wear off. Not every album can be a classic, but its at least an exciting listen 4/5
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