Monday, August 23, 2010

Music Monday: The Odd Couple

This week's selections come from three artists who currently headline an expanding musical genre combining hip-hop with indie rock, two favorites of mine. Although I know next to nothing about hip-hop, I really dig how the clever lyrics are rhythmically layered over indie tracks familiar to me, resulting in something completely new and sometimes, quite fantastic.

The first track is by a relative new-comer to the music scene, Hoodie Allen, from New York. In addition to releasing his first album, Making Waves, available free here, he's currently promoting his killer new single, "You are not a Robot," featuring the indie group Marina and the Diamonds.



Although technically a remix, Wale's "W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E." is just one of several by the D.C. rapper where he performs over another artist's song. Here, Wale raps over "D.A.N.C.E.," a track from the French house duo, Justice, who admitted admiring this remix in an interview with Pitchforkmedia.



The last featured artist may very well be considered the "godfather" of this genre, Philadelphia's very own, Chiddy Bang. Consisting of Chidera Anamege, aka Proto, and Noah Beresin, aka Xaphoon Jones, Chiddy Bang arrived on the music scene and made an immediate name for themselves with their unique fusion of rap and indie songs from groups like Radiohead and MGMT. From the band's first album, The Swelly Express, the Sufjan Stevens based track, "All Things Go," is an exemplary example of just how novel and exciting this type of music can be when done right. Happy Music Monday!

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