Culled from a series of limited 10" releases, Clouddead's eponymous debut isn't so much a fully formed album as it is a well-executed exercise in seasick, proggist psychedelia. With background textures that rival Boards of Canada in pastoral, tree-lined opacity and an obvious predilection for boggy atmospherics, Clouddead handily distances themselves from the rest of their hip-hop brethren. Indeed, this is something more considered and sinister -- less about wayward braggadocio than it is about keeping your doors deadbolted at all hours of the night. Even their less-is-more approach to vocalism eventually starts playing tricks on your mind; when lyricists Dose and Why? emerge, it's usually to puncture the pleasant fog of some dulcet, wavering sample. The whole album reads like that; the sonic equivalent of your first legitimate drug trip as narrated by two jittery but triumphant kids who can't bear to keep their choice hiding place a secret any longer. While it's perhaps a tad overlong, Clouddead doesn't suffer from any shortage of great ideas. It's menacing, it's enthralling, and it's one of few modern-day records (hip-hop or otherwise) that honestly doesn't sound like anything -- or anyone -- else.(Clouddead - Clouddead)
Why's solo work(actually it's become a group now if I understand correctly, working under the why? moniker) is pretty darn great too, albeit not quite the same as the clouddead stuff, a little more structured. Also there's a one off album where he collaborates with Andrew Broder of Fog, called Hymie's Basement, that I'd thoroughly recommend hunting down. Dose has solo stuff too, and there's also subtle, themselves, and other related projects and collaborations... deep puddle dynamics, something of an indie-hip-hop super group if memory serves, in which dose partook...
ReplyDeleteI have Hymie's Basement on CD. Fantastic stuff; I may link to it soon. And Why?'s solo stuff is fun, too, especially Elephant Eyelash and Oaklandazulasylum.
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