I wanted to call this the most literate album since Quadrophenia, but it's only the wordiest--the gatefold featuring two pages of half-sized, double-spaced libretto. The album's apparent subject is the symbolic quest of a Puerto Rican street/hood rat/graffiti artist named Rael, but the lyrics neither shine by themselves nor provide any unusual thematic insight I'm eager to pursue. For art rock, it's listenable, though, featuring Eno touches and a hook that goes (I'm humming) "On Bro-ad-wayyy." B-

I wanted to call this the most readable album since Quadrophenia, but it's only the wordiest--two inner sleeves covered with lyrics and a double-fold that's all small-type libretto. The apparent subject is the symbolic quest of a Puerto Rican hood/street kid/graffiti artist named Rael, but the songs neither shine by themselves nor suggest any thematic insight I'm eager to pursue. For art-rock, though, it's listenable, from Eno treatments to a hook that goes (I'm humming) "on Braw-aw-aw-aw-aw-aw-dway." B-