By
Ian Caruth
Grade: A-
Though 1996 was a watershed year for innovative hip-hop, perhaps no other album of that year had as much impact on the then-nascent production renaissance as Dr. Octagonecologyst, a collaboration between San Francisco-based Dan "Automator" Nakamura and noted lunatic "Kool Keith" Thornton.
Combining Automator's atmospheric, spooky production with Thornton's unparalleled rhyming skill - in the character of an unethical, scatologically obsessed gynecologist who is possibly an alien from the future - the album won raves from critics, sharp-eared rock fans and hip-hop heads alike, even as radio ignored it.
Though both artists have claimed responsibility for the album's brilliance, the release of an updated, expanded version of Automator's mostly instrumental A Better Tomorrow EP - released a month before Dr. Octagonecologyst - should clarify Automator's status as the wizard behind that album's dark sound.
With six additional tracks originally recorded in 1996 - all with MCs, including four tracks with Thornton - the material on A Much Better Tomorrow still sounds fresh and unique, even four years after its creation. Rife with echoes, strange noises and muted screams, the tracks are often evocative of some lost, futuristic horror-film soundtrack.
Unfortunately, the new LP also reveals how critical Kool Keith was to the direction of Octagon. A Much Better Tomorrow sags somewhat during the two instrumentals, and Keith's raps are by far the high points of the album.
His singular presence particularly comes through on "King of NY," where his twisted, hilarious metaphors ( Sample befuddling lyrics include: "Back/Stab/ Never mind, bacon slab/Count my green/Now tell me where's the other half?") and head-spinning rhythm reveal him to be a rapper truly without peer and the perfect match for Automator's production sensibilities.
While not as essential as the revelatory Dr. Octagonecologyst, Automator's latest release is nevertheless a vital document and the work of a true hip-hop visionary.
