In the year that followed , 's travels nearly took them to a major label; unlikely as it might have seemed at one time, the trio's cerebral yet down-to-earth sound had become one of the hottest things in the underground, thanks in large part to rapper 's charisma, and surprising vulnerability. But the group pulled back, deciding to retain control and assign the album they'd completed to label . That move made sense on a few levels, not least because bristles with the independent spirit that put both and on the map. There are any number of disgusted references to the mainstream; coldly observes a drunken star and notes, "This is a career, not a hobby." And producer 's varied and effective trick bag sometimes even includes a raw, uncompromising sound miles away from any imaginable chart action. But has always resisted the art-for-art's sake strain that has infested in recent years; as himself says early on, "I'm trying to find a balance." The beats seduce with richness as often as they snarl, and instances where lyrical abstraction runs wild ( ) are the exception, not the rule, because is as much a storyteller as diarist. is another of his pickup-gone-wrong tales, ending in giggles in front of the toilet, and dissects a slice-of-life moment with a guy and a gun in unexpected fashion. Just as remarkable, though, is the optimistic commercial for small-town living that follows, as observes, "Minnesota is dope/if only simply for not what we have, but what we don't" and leads a shout-out that goes in part "If the playground is free of stems and syringes/If there's only one store in your town that sells 12-inches/say shhhh." Now that's keeping it real. ~ Dan LeRoy