In 2007, west coast rapper and producer Aesop Rock sent a fan letter to singer/songwriter Kimya Dawson, a Grammy winner and a platinum selling singer/songwriter, who is mostly known for her work on the JUNO soundtrack and from her former band – The Moldy Peaches.
Dawson met Aesop Rock a few years later during the creation of the arts-and-oddities blog 900Bats, which in turn sparked the pair’s collaborative musical efforts.
Dawson and Aesop then decided to work with one another on their respective solo projects – Dawson’s Thunder Thighs and Aesop’s Skelethon. Now, the two are collaborating under the moniker The Uncluded.
The Uncluded’s debut album Hokey Fright (May 7th release) was recorded by correspondence over a year using voice memo recorders and various recording studios. Though the two artists have two divergent sounds – Hip-Hop and Folk – Dawson and Rock’s oddball humor plays an integral part in Hokey Fright. Aesop and Kimya wrote, performed, and recorded the whole album, with the exception of the drums on “Delicate Cycle”, which were played by James McNew of Yo La Tengo.
This unlikely pair are able to make things work on Hokey Fright, because Rock’s “Suess” like rhymes which work perfectly with Dawson’s child like singing and her whimsical guitar play.
