Thru

There are very few people making truly unique hip-hop. Even the scene's supposedly progressive elements mostly produce variations on a handful of generally accepted themes. Thavius Beck, on the other hand, creates soundscapes that are unusual enough that they regularly transgress the boundaries of the genre, which probably doesn't matter much to him either way but makes for a fascinating listening experience. That's not the same thing as saying "a consistently brilliant listening experience" — indeed, some of the most progressive and forward-thinking artists in the margins of the hip-hop world are also the most maddeningly inconsistent — but on his second album, Beck shows himself to be both adventurous and tasteful. The album opens with "Sonic Sound," a track that incorporates various traditional hip-hop elements without sounding much like traditional hip-hop, then proceeds to wow you in a wide variety of different ways, from the fresh and funky "Under Pressure" to the harshly attractive "Dedicated to Difficulty" (featuring 2Mex). "'98" (featuring Nocando) may be the first interesting rap ever written about someone's parents, and "Down" makes brilliant use of Mia Doi Tood's vocals and samples of breaking glass. "Paranoia" is a fittingly dark and jittery instrumental; "Storm Before the Calm" is a disappointingly bland instrumental. Overall, this is a brilliant sophomore effort from a major talent in modern hip-hop.