Oddisee

So, I’m not sure if this is going to be too enjoyable for many people, but I love it, so I’m gonna tell you about it. The album I’m showing you today is an album of instrumentals. It’s Oddisee’s Odd Summer EP. Make sure you check out Oddisee’s official blog for all the latest info. DMV’s blowin up.

Not only do I love instrumentals, but more importantly, I respect instrumentals. I know how hard it is to make something creative and original, yet catchy and aurally pleasing, and if the artists manages to create an incredible instrumental, 90% of the time any sort of lyrical stylings on top of that will take away from the song. Now, there are those moments (though they’re few and far between for most artists) where the beat and the lyrics just blend and sound beautiful together, and trust me, when those moments happen, there’s almost nothing like it.

The problem is that creating those moments of beauty is an awfully tough thing to do, and sometimes you’ll find that when you create a great instrumental, it’s tough to lay down lyrics that do it justice… and that’s how I feel about Odd Summer. It’s a bangin’ EP, with some sick sampling, and because it’s so original, it’s not worth hearing lyrics that don’t fit with it. This album provides a wonderful soundtrack to everyday life, so I suggest snappin it up, throwin it on your pod or your laptop, and playing it while you’re doing your thing, whatever that thing may be.

You can find the free download of Odd Summer here. Check the MySpace for stuff from Oddisee and the rest of the Mello Music Group. The Oddisee selection on SadSteve is worth checking out, pretty good stuff. I’ve been trying to get my hands on Oddisee’s latest album, Mental Liberation, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere. I might end up buying it off Amazon.com. I’ve heard a few tracks, and I must say, the opening track (“Hip Hop’s Cool Again”) is probably one of my favorite songs as of late. Mad creative. Listen to the track.

Got suggestions? My ears are open. Get at me.