Deltron 3030

A decade has passed since the heroic Deltron Zero last surfaced. Conditions in 3040 have deteriorated, so Deltron has returned to fight the good fight in the future, but his narrative also serves as a warning to those of us in the present. Del reveals much about this dystopian future with a little exposition and a great deal of vivid imagery. Unfortunately, he often opts for a conversational style of storytelling, rather than straight-up riding the beat, as he does on the opening one-two punch of epic anthem "The Return" and the groovy "Pay the Price." Dan the Automator has repeatedly demonstrated he's open to adding anything to his hip-hop foundation, layering his samples so his cinematic boom-bap evolves and changes, while Kid Koala's subtle cuts add an extra layer of texture, getting to showcase his turntable talents a few times as well. Guests like Zach De La Rocha, Damon Albarn and Emily Wells add their unique flare to the hooks, and Black Rob and Casual drop verses, but the guest interludes contribute nothing to the story and have little replay value, aside from the intro narration by Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("Stardate") and the funny musical interlude from the Lonely Island ("Back in the Day"). Delete the rest of the interludes and you'll have a worthy sequel to Deltron's debut.