Syd tha Kid is a bit of an odd fit for Odd Future.  For a group that’s constantly maligned as homophobic and misogynistic, the presence of an openly homosexual female amongst their ranks has turned a few heads.  But she’s just as enthralling and rapturous as the rest of them.

The Internet, collaboration between Syd and fellow Odd Future member Matt Martian, is an ethereal, neo-soul group who wash their beats in ambience and morphine-infused R&B.  Their debut album, Purple Naked Ladies, sounds like Erykah Badu produced by Brian Eno.  It’s long and wide with Syd’s punk-drunk vocals pushing blissed R&B and soul production.

There’s a distinct lack of purpose surrounding many tracks, a feeling of wandering instead of searching.  Some critics have cited this as a fault of the album, but it’s really a circumstantial matter.  I admit sometimes, I have trouble concentrating on this album and the music.  Once while listening, I practically forgot I was listening to anything at all.  But I don’t consider this a fault.  It’s comfortable music that sticks with you, but doesn’t dominate.  It sounds great late at night, lying on the couch after a long day, lights low, shoes off, drifting quietly into tomorrow.

This isn’t to say though, that Purple Naked Ladies is devoid of jarring or intense moments.  “She Dgaf” is purely menacing and “Cocaine” can psyche a listener up as well as its namesake.  Some tracks will fall by the wayside to be sure, but several still stick out as imaginative singles, even if they have a somewhat mellow side effect.

A note to all the Odd Future fans: this doesn’t sound like anything else the L.A. collective has put out recently.  It’s blissed out, neo-soul with an out-of-this-world, flying-saucer-eyes ride through Neverland, and, chances are, not all devotees of the troupe will be down for the ride.