Corvid Lorax

The marketing campaign for Corvid Lorax's newest album, anchored by the title of the album, would have you believe Encyclopedia of Insanica is an album of craziness. But aside from the guest appearances from the "lunatic fringe," like Tzadeka and Conspiracy, it's actually the least leftfield album the Edmonton, AB MC has released. It might just be the first rap album to open with back-to-back intros ("Intro" and "Intro cont…"), while songs about "Flakey Pastry," "Nintendo Thumb" and "Psycho Bunnies + Kids Cartoons" certainly give it a silly, fun feel. Still, Lorax rocks a pretty traditional flow and producer Madame Wang offers up some extremely accessible beats filled with readily recognizable samples, straight jacking the likes of Dennis Coffey and Luchi De Jesus's "Main Theme" from Black Belt Jones (used on LL Cool J's classic "Jingling Baby) for "Killin'em in the Car Wash" and Gershon Kingsley's infamous "Popcorn" for "Tonight I'm In The Mood." Wang also incorporates hip-hop ballads, acoustic jams, reggae and disco into the underground rap beats. The result is a playfully diverse rap album that never gets boring, although it could do with some trimming, especially the hidden three minutes of outtakes backed by the Benny Hill theme song. To use one of the song titles, Encyclopedia of Insanica was obviously a "Fun Creation."