When quirky indie rock acquired taste
Kimya Dawson meets enigmatic hip-hop acquired taste
Aesop Rock for a project, it sounds like an idea to just roll around the head or maybe an announcement to light up the blog, but it hardly seems like something that would stick to the bones. Jump to the 38-second stomper "Superheroes" included here, where the
Uncluded members trade off some of their favorite snacks (
Aesop: "Fluffer nutter!";
Dawson: "Shwarma!"), and
Hokey Fright is a moldy peach to forget about, but it's only an interlude, and any old curmudgeon who clues into the album's hook might very well find it vital and charming.
Hokey Fright explores unexpected interactions and reactions as an "Earthquake" shakes
Dawson out of her home, just because the damn power is out. That journey out of the cocoon blossoms into social interaction with the neighbors and the reconsideration of a young local boy and all that the poor kid's been through. Tambourines, strummed guitars, and kitchen utensil percussion drive the beats underneath the lyrics of "The Aquarium," a sneaky song that's all about viewpoints and how any given ecosystem can be observed. Other songs are harder to decode -- and with that
Moldy Peaches style of nursery rhyming, it's easy to wonder if it's worthwhile -- but they give up brilliant ideas, like
Aesop's "If a uniform man knock-knocks with his document/You shouldn't have to walk out to the mailbox for the other shit" ("Delicate Cycle") because a stern "sign here" would be easier to take with an "and here's the rest of your mail." Expect the expected with plenty of xylophones, campfire guitars, and
Dawson's breathy cuteness mixing with
Aesop's serious severity, but expect to be thrown as well, mostly by ideas of community and how strangers can leave lifelong impressions, and also by "Tits Up," the electro-loving winner that closes the album. ~ David Jeffries