The Recommender

During interviews and Q&As people often ask us what type of music The Recommender writes about. Our answer is always that we cover anything, so long as it’s awesome. OK, so we don’t cover much heavy rock, jazz, or speciality dance genres, so it is perhaps easier to list the type of music that we don’t cover, but as for everything else it gets on if its good, very good. One genre that we’re perhaps guilty of ignoring, although not entirely, is hip hop. If The Recommender is about trying to reward your curiosity with a selection of music that has genuine potential, both critically and commercially, then you today’s example can definitely be considered awesome enough.

Oddience are a trio from Los Angeles, claiming themselves as a collective. They’ve only been together a couple of months, so we are introducing you to an extremely fresh stream. They sound the part, they look the part and seeing as they pitch themselves somewhere between Gnarls Barkley and Outkast they should appeal to a broad audience upon both sides of the Atlantic. This may just be the start of something that can succeed on a global level, so what might start as a stream will surely become a flood as it whips around. Like all the best pop, or in this case, hip pop, their songs have a timelessness and a warm, comfortable familiarity, almost like you’ve heard them before. They blend soulful grooves, with flopped, summery hip hop beats, stylish hooks and adorable mantras, whilst laying gorgeous female vocals and slick rapping over the top, so the mass-market will love them and radio will surely follow suit.

Eddington Howard seems to be their main protagonist, (he is also the one that we’ve been in touch with and he seems front and centre of the photography and videos), combining the twin abilities of sweet male vocals and a tidy style of rapping, all through his fantastic beard which should have TV On The Radio’s Kyp Malone checking the mirror to see if anything had been stolen from his face. Howard’s sister, Miche Maya, sings the female vocals in such a seductive soulful style that you’d be forgiven for plunging your head into a bucket of cold water after hearing her. The production is designed masterfully by Tulip Pezley, surely completing one of the best-named trios in music’s history. With Eddington, Tulip and Maya, this isn’t just a collective, it’s a set of hip hop super-heroes.

When we enquired as to what they mean by a ‘collective’ they explained how they’ve been involved in releases under different guises, but also that they count Jimbo Stewart in their ranks as a “muse“, (whatever that actually means!), as well as Pablo Balderas, who seems to shoot their videos. Howard is also one half of PRJCTS, alongside Daniel Lamour, who deliver urbanised tracks as schizophrenic as anyone (we also list an example of their music below). In a rather similar fashion they also channel the range of uplifting hip pop familiar with Gnarls Barkley, or the ultra-cool duel you get with Outkast, but one listen to their tune, Let It Bang, and you also hear them embracing a form of comfortably camp disco-infused house music. One thing is certain they are always accessible and inoffensive. As if trying to juggle two undertakings, PRJCTS and Oddience are both still in their launch phases, with PRJCTS due to have their debut EP out later on in June and Oddience still involved in the release of their first single, Yes Sir.

Oddience is currently unsigned but is apparently in the process of negotiating a contract with an American music label. We can’t imagine a label would ask for much more than this lot are delivering and their debut single, Yes Sir, will be a perfect introduction. At the point of writing this article the track had just over 100 plays on it’s SoundCloud with just over 50 downloads, which is a significant percentage, proving that most people will like this enough to want to own it. It’s pornographic basslines, positive summertime vibe and vocals that pour out like honey on silk will ensure popularity. It reminds us of the badly-named Grinny Grandad somewhat, a team of British purveyors of hip pop who seemingly disappeared without trace, but what stands Oddience in good stead, apart from a vastly improved moniker, is that they’re American, from LA in fact, and Californians will always do this style better, particularly with the hip hop elements. Their quality and their appeal show off a package as complete as any we’ve seen on these pages, so if there was ever a band that didn’t actually need our official ‘awesome stamp’ then this is it. (MB)

ODDIENCE – YES SIR

PRJCTS – STANDING IN THE MIRROR