Album Review: Kid Cudi - Indicud

There have been few urban artists in recent memory as hard to pin down as Kid Cudi; from his early hip hop-based mixtapes, to his brilliantly emo debut album to his WZRD rock experiment of last year, Kudi has constantly dodged pigeonholing. His latest album, and last for Kanye West's GOOD Music, is another bold advance, combining all his previous incarnations with a heavily synthesised sound and an unpredictable choice of guests. Either unsure of itself or unwilling to commit, Indicud flits between hip hop, indie and nu-wave, Cudi often exhibiting a punk-like refusal to bother with traditional song flow or structures. Still riding the indie rock wave, many tracks are entirely sung; Cold Blooded brings a fabulous raw soulfulness while Red Eye, a duet with folk chicks Haim, takes things in a not-entirely-so-welcome direction. To this end Cudi sounds more at home on the hip hop-based tracks; the trippy, weed-soaked Just What I Am finds Cudi playing Beavis to King Chip's Butthead, Beez is dominated by a suitably surreal RZA while the untouchable Kendrick Lamar brings a snippet of his genius to Solo Dolo Pt II.

It's not all smooth sailing, though. On Girls Cudi sports a feature from Oakland veteran Too Short, like an ironic t-shirt whose joke has worn thin, and while the same should have been the result of Michael Bolton's (ask your mum) appearance on Afterwards, his AOR vocals work surprisingly well. Lyrically, Cudi is still the insecure, tortured dreamer/artiste, his attempts to convince us otherwise (Immortal, Unfuckwittable) seeming more like a cry for help than your everyday rap braggadocio. With as many missteps as triumphs, Indicud leaves us wishing Cudi would just sit still for a minute to deliver on his prodigious talent.