This slippery debut from Odd Future’s Syd the Kyd and Matt Martians embarks on a journey into Twilight Zone pop, with a lovelorn story arc that transitions from giddy crushing (“They Say”) to it’s-over melancholia (“The Garden”). Syd’s voice, tempered with light vibrato, is reservedly sensual, and deepens the album’s textures, which are psychedelic, loose, yet technically proficient. The duo dabbles in stuttering, outré hip-hop beats, as well as free-wheeling jazz — Aquemini isn’t too far off as a touchstone, but neither is Brazilian jazz jewel Flora Purim, or even Herbie Hancock (on the politely truncated “C*nt”). Certain guest raps from kewpie-sounding cutie pies bring the duo’s more advanced tendencies back to earth, or at least to the double-dutch cipher. But with increased confidence, these nascent super-producers could forge a new path for tripped-out, sparked-up music that’ll get you lifted and uplifted.
