It's the year 3030...And here at The Corporate Institutional Bank of Time, we find ourselves reflecting...Finding out, that In fact, we came back...We were always coming back....And thus begins the intergalactic journey of Deltron Zero (Del the funky homosapien), The Cantankerous Captain Aptos (Dan The Automator) and Skiznod the Boy Wonder (Kid Koala) on their journey to reclaim Earth's Music.Spanning 21 tracks, 9 of which are quick interludes to help push the story along, and just over 60 minutes worth of music, the trio must be commended for maintaining such a consistent vibe and structure throughout this musical piece. The album is extensively produced, not only in the sense of beat-composition in which Automator has done a splendid job with, but in which everything is presented; the story wrapped and maintained, the mixing of sounds so preciously placed. The album evokes a sense of awe; a truly believable tale, undoubtedly meant to be played from beginning to end. It's wondrously layered with topics such as virus', turbulence and apocalyptic visions of the world, right on down to mass confusion from which of course leads to madness. One can not help but be taken aback by this finely crafted and conceived visual tale.The album's aura is wrapped in a dark and desolate feel, where everyone is still bent on becoming an emcee, and old Canadian beer commercials are considered visual masterpieces in art. Helping in the creation of the album are a bevy of guest artists such as Damon Albarn, lead singer of Blur, as well as Prince Paul lending his creative talents on 2 of the interludes. Mr Lif kicks it right-quick on track 06, and Peanut Butter Wolf makes a brief appearance as well on that same track. Old Beastie Boys' producer and DJ, Money Mark is found on the "New Coke" interlude and Paul Barman is introduced as Cleofis Randolph The Patriarch on a song all-to himself. Sean Lennon lays some extremely potent vocals on "Memory Loss" and fans of Bjork's solo material will be happy to hear that long-time friend and producer, Mark Bell, in fact, produced 6 of the interludes on Deltron 3030. This is a brilliant, brilliant album, extremely well thought out and executed, with a production value seemingly immeasurable in originality. Pairing Del up with such a diverse range of talents brings back thoughts of his teamup with Dinosaur Jr. for the "Judgment Night" soundtrack. Once again, that formula works, and Automator is to be commemorated for taking such a step.Dan's beats range from extremely funky (see "Time Keeps On Slipping") to futuristic techno funk ("Positive Contact") right on down to some bastard-child/Orwellian/Beach Boys something or other ("3030"). There's a general vibe of goofiness laden throughout the album's interludes, but they seemingly only add to the madness present in Del's lyrics in regards to the overall story. This is a world where music has been run-amuk, and the insanity of such a world comes across extremely visual. Koala does a lovely job lacing scratches and vocal samples throughout every song, and goes so far as to scratch many of Del's very own, older records. It's dope to hear a Del line from "No Need For Alarm" being re-used in a more futuristic context. This is a brilliantly composed album and, in fact, an instant classic.
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