Ahem, I’ll be the first to get Daniel Dumile’s (aka MF Doom, Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah, Madvillain, and now Danger Doom) back. And Dangermouse, with his Jay-Z/Beatles mash-up The Grey Album, and subsequent work with Jemini and the Gorillaz, has already established himself as an A-list hip-hop producer. And hell, I’ve even been known to enjoy the occasional cartoon on Adult Swim (though my absolute favorite, “Home Movies,” is—thankfully—not represented here).

But you mix all three of these things together, and the result, The Mouse and the Mask, is one giant, rancid, unlistenable wad of meat. Dumile comes up mostly unscathed, coming up with just about as many clever rhymes as usual, but Dangermouse’s production is surprisingly tepid, and between Shake from “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” constantly trying to demonstrate his skillz, Space Ghost’s battle raps and Doom devoting entire songs to subtle plot points from random episodes of “Harvey Birdman” or “ATHF,” The Mouse and the Mask, though occasionally rewarding, never rises above a novelty.

Fortunately for all of us, Dumile will have another album out (a collaboration with Ghostface) in a few months, Dangermouse will easily be able to find a job at—oh, I don’t know—Itchy and Scratchy Land, Adult Swim will faithfully continue to entertain you every Sunday at 9 p.m, and soon enough, we will all be able to get on with our lives and put this mess behind us forever.

brent[at]saltshakermagazine.com