Give
Rjd2 credit -- he certainly couldn't have moved from undie rap to indie pop without believing in the music he's making. It's no wonder he felt he had to move from Definitive Jux, the home of
Aesop Rock and
Murs, to XL, the home of
Thom Yorke and
Lemon Jelly, to have any hope of being taken seriously. And while there's no hint of hip-hop anywhere here,
The Third Hand is a surprisingly natural mix of his beat-heavy productions and kaleidoscopic tastes with reflective songwriting and plaintive vocals. Sample spotters beware, everything on the record was written, produced, and most importantly, performed by
Rjd2 in his home studio. So, after the gigantic mind shift required to reflect on a record that needs to be compared to
Broadcast rather than
Blueprint, it has to be admitted that
Rjd2 is onto something here. His vocals are thin but tuneful, and he has a knack for good harmonies. His productions still overwhelm the songs, reflecting the requirements of hip-hop instead of pop, but they're far better than what's found on the majority of indie pop records. Two skills he has mastered in the past, mood and texture, make this record especially good; witness the transitions from the quiet short-form piece "Someday" into the wide-ranging instrumental "The Bad Penny" into the highlight of the record, "Beyond the Beyond." [An instrumental version of the album also appeared in 2007.] ~ John Bush