This past weekend I caught The Uncluded, at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson = The Uncluded. When describing their sound, I pretty much say, “Aesop raps, Kimya sings.” It’s simple, but bringing these two together is a bit more complex than riding the G train on a weekend.
This is my fourth time seeing Aesop Rock, all previous times he had Rob Sonic on stage, the most recent show he played a lot of jams off, “Skelethon” which grew so much on me after his set. Being an Aesop fan, I’d listen to him, and think, “What did he just say?” hit rewind, and listen again. To me, he defines hip hop, it’s supposed to be fun, you don’t have to be serious, ALL THE TIME. I’ve heard of Kimya Dawson’s material before this collaboration. Her songs remind me of lullabies, really deep lullabies where you have to stir up a moral for yourself at the end. “Hokey Fright” is a fun record, after a few rotations, however, after seeing them live, this record is more than fun.
The Knitting Factory is small and intimate and The Uncluded were in yo’ face! They also had, “James” along with them who played the bass and every other instrument, even the recorder, yes, the recorder from fourth grade music class. There was a part of me hoping to hear Aesop drop, “Daylight,” but I’m glad he didnt. It’s The Uncluded, and not their solo acts, which seemed to be repeated heavily when mentioning their upcoming shows through twitter.
Aesop and Kimya work so well together, on record, and on stage. Like I said, Aes’ raps, KD, sings. Their lyrics really settle down in your ears, and make you think, “Oh wow, this record is deep!”
Favorite lines:
“No checked bags, show up with the most baggage.”
“I couldn’t fight my way out of a wet paper bag if I was Edward scissor hands
“It’s easier to say, “oh hell” instead of, “hello,”
“I’m spinning in slow motion like a ballerina on top of a kid’s jewelry box when it’s about to stop.I’m spinning in fast motion like a motorcycle inside of a caged sphere of death when it’s about to shred.”
“Please don’t tap on the glass.”
“Hokey Fright” is solid, it’s amazing. There’s a different side that Aesop shows, you get to hear more of his intricate, mind-boggling verses that flow so well with Kimya’s words. The record has it’s fun moments as well, and they pull it off in the same way on stage. When collabs happen, whether it’s music, movies, even sports (the Los Angeles Lakers this year!) sometimes it’s a hit or miss. Aesop and Kimya, killed it though. Don’t sleep on this record, and please don’t tap on the glass.
J -THRILLLZ 