cLOUDDEAD - Ten download free

cLOUDDEAD’s second album, TEN, picks up where their debut left off with its dedication to abstract hip-hop rhythms and lyrics that kind of make sense, but really don’t. “Pop Song” is white suburban angst distilled into a rhythm that slips on as easily as a Carhartt trucker cap. They thrive on being unique and avoiding hip-hop clichés, and on tracks like “The Keen Teen Skip,” it’s something to admire. Have you ever heard a hip-hop dirge? “Rhymer’s Only Room” might be the first, then. Indeed, the vocals are meant to add another texture to already-dense sonic compositions. The nasal delivery and sing-song voices of Why? and Doseone perform a contrapuntal elegy on “Dead Dogs Two.” The melodies and near-catchiness of “Physics of a Unicycle” give way to twisted carnival ride. Fascinating and bizarre.