Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson made an album together. Weird, right? After a year of working on the record, the duo released Hokey Fright on Rhymesayers Entertainment under the name The Uncluded. In the first moments the abrasive tonnage of Aesop Rock, the moniker of Ian Matthias Bavitz, coupled with the excessively cute and intentionally juvenile sounds of Kimya Dawson is a bit jarring. Actually, in the last moments and the middle moments it’s a bit jarring as well. The Uncluded has, however, made some songs and an overall record that really work; but, yes, there are also songs that definitely don’t.
It might be impossible for the sounds of these two artists to mutually coexist in full and the album reflects this. It exists as more of a dialogue between the Dawson and Aesop Rock, rather than a synced collaboration. There are moments when Dawson’s folksy aura is at the forefront and moments when Aesop Rock’s harder edge is. The best moments of the album, though, exist when the pair acknowledge (accept, even) this reality and play with their duality rather than attempting to overcome it and create some sort of harmonious union. When they do this, that initially jarring sound transforms into truly innovative music that makes you wonder why the two haven’t collaborated before this.
“Teleprompters” is one such song that just excels. Its vibe oozes Dawson, but Aesop’s interjections are the source of the track’s success. His rap adds a deeper, harsher dynamic that represents the loss both artists recently experienced (the reason the two came together in the first place). In this song, the jarring juxtaposition of the two artists just works. Others, however, are not so lucky. Songs like “Superheroes,” a track that simply lists off types are sandwiches, are funny and fine but just don’t sound that good. While silly tracks can certainly be appealing in their place, they seem almost like an insult to the potential of these two artists combined.
Lucky for us, the songs of success in this album outweigh the slight oddball misfires to create a listenable album that I’m very glad exists. If not only for the experience of listening, I’m happy it exists for what it did for Dawson and Aesop; what started as a joint effort in personal therapy for both musicians resulted in a cathartic album that has enough to be enjoyed by any.
The album is now available for download on iTunes and Fifth Element; you can also check out The Uncluded’s upcoming tour dates at Rhymesayers.
