Monday, September 16, 2013

The Uncluded, Hokey Fright

The Uncluded is the unusual pairing of rapper Aesop Rock with singer/songwriter Kimya Dawson. Their debut, Hokey Fright (CD or 2-LP, Rhymesayers) is so peculiarly expressive of a younger generation I am not a part of that it grabbed my attention.

It's somehow a combination of articulate rap/hip-hop, slacker chick indie rock, nouveau folk and ice cream truck music...somehow. There is a sort of disarmingly innocent nursery rhyme this-is-it quality conjoined with an all-too-knowing and insightful world weariness here.

And there are interesting instrumental touches that set this apart too.

It's something about frustration and courage in the face of a self-alienation, sandwiches, candy, hitting rock bottom and yet realizing it's becoming a common thing, that it's what needs to be gone through. And it's all that in a real-poetical way, with blunt sophistication. Hey. And it's about prevailing because that's what you must do. So it's not just a generation thing either.

I found I could get with this, though it's not my usual thing. I'm not sure I'd want to hear it another 1,000 times, but it's about right now. Right now.

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