Time

Few artists have explored the theme of paranoia as thoroughly as Time does on this latest release. In “Naked Brunch,” conspiracy-theory icon William Cooper is woven into that story about Paul McCartney being dead and Billy Shears acting as his stand-in for one of the most deft lyrical and conceptual exercises of recent years. Musically, this is a dark affair tonally reminiscent of There’s a Riot Goin’ On, with a similar socially critical agenda. Even though Time collaborates with C-Rayz Walz on the edgy “Paraghnoid” and Sole on the stridently urgent “Trouble With Kids,” what stands out is the richly dense literary quality of his consistently brilliant and mordantly humorous turns of phrase. Thought-provoking, harrowing and sonically panoramic, Naked Dinner challenges its listeners to think beyond their pedagogy of desire.