Spaceships and acid trips

RJD2’s independently released “The Colossus” is a colossal mess of confusion.
In this case, it’s not necessarily a bad thing – it’s just that the tracks don’t stick.

Once a person is done with the freshness of Black Panther-style espionage on turntables, the listener may be left wondering what was just listened to.

It’s hard to tell with RJD2, a DJ whose last release, 2007’s “The Third Hand,” found him crooning about eating meat over live instrumentation and pop-rock sampling.

“The Colossus” is at times territorial — reflective of RJD2’s hometown pride in Columbus’s musical and cultural eclecticism — and at other moments eerily extraterrestrial.

“Games You Can Win” is a gorgeous space narrative featuring the underrated vocal talents of another Ohio product, Kenna. “The Glow” and “The Shining Path” are velvety numbers that Brit-soul producer Mark Ronson may have had a hand in crafting.

But “Giant Squid” is bizarre, and “A Spaceship For Now” is enough to make E.T. phone home.

Warning: This album may inspire intellectual discourse about the ’70s and an occasional shuck-and-jive. And just maybe, you may feel abducted.