I picked up DJ Spooky's "Object Unknown" and Unkle's "Psyence Fiction" over the weekend and thought I'd chime in with a few first impressions. The Spooky record contains six versions of "Object Unknown" and the main version features Kool Keith and Sir Menelik. Its a strong hip-hop piece with weird touches. The "Piano Blue Roll Instrumental" and the "Placebo Effect" versions are worth the price of admission. "Riddim Warfare" should be a really strong release.
"Psyence Fiction" is simply a DJ Shadow record with a bunch of famous people guesting. James Lavelle's name barely even shows up on the credits (perhaps he was smart). Some of it is just plain bad ("Celestial Annihlation" and "Lonely Soul") but there are about 5 good tracks here, including (surprisingly) the collaboration with Thom Yorke. Was "Entroducing" just a fluke? I hope not.