There are very few acts pushing these kinds of buttons these days. D.C.'s Model Home blend rap, avant rock, and electronic textures to wonderful, unsettling effect. The duo's newest compilation, Saturn in the Basement, is out now, and it's bold in the way that remains impressive in an indie enviroment full of the same old same old.
While "Pidgin" uses a set of smooth samples to create something like neo soul, the harder "Keep Pushin'" rides on a skittering beat-bed, and an almost compulsive sense of momentum. Elsewhere, "Big Deluge" is clamoring though sort of catchy, while a collaboration with Japanese noise pioneer Phew, "Naked Intentions" is brighter still. A sense of experimentation runs through everything Model Home touches, but ultimately the duo favors the DIY energy of early hip hop. And that sense of homegrown propulsion keeps everything interesting and energetic, even if the material collected here sometimes seems schizo in focus.
Saturn in the Basement is out now, with more details via the Bandcamp link below.