Hey, you remember that review I wrote for the Happy Tooth & Dug single Lie Awake a few months ago? No? I'll wait while you find it... Yeah that's it. So you know UGF and those dudes are homies for real. They've blessed us with dope music ahead of the release dates a few times now, and I'm glad they did because I now consider myself a fan. I've picked up their solo stuff as well as some of the random collaborations and such they've been involved in. It's all fun music with original beats and clever lines bursting with sincerity and integrity. I highly recommend you check them out here.
I had the good fortune to hear some new tunes from Dug & Happy Tooth recently, and wanted to share them with you. It may seem like UGF is starting to seem a bit Happy Tooth & Dug heavy, but I want you to notice this isn't Happy Tooth & Dug. This is Dug & Happy Tooth. I will repeat, this is "Dug & Happy Tooth", not to be confused with "Happy Tooth & Dug". Same people, but different.
In all seriousness, D & HT differs from HT & D by the absence of a live group on production. No crunchy guitar, smooth bass, spacey synths, the occasional banjo. Just the vocal talents of two emcees from Columbus, true fans of the art and hardworking musicians. I was actually very interested in this release for that reason, because a huge part of what I like about HT & D is the live instrumentation on songs like "Smoke, Steam, Dust" and the aforementioned "Lie Awake". I enjoy the rhymes as well, but I was curious to see what they could offer without the live band to set them apart. I've listened to their 2016 EP as D & HT entitled If You Can Hear This, and while it was good after hearing their work as a whole band I know they can do better. They make a very solid combo as a live act, but on The Signal Glittering Inside the Storm we get to see what kind of magic HT and D (I mean D & HT) can conjure up alone, with a half a decade more of experience and maturity to draw from.
I'll spoil this whole thing now by saying I enjoyed this album. Not to go overboard on these guys, but as far as songwriting goes I believe this is some of their most solid work, and I mean that in a good way. While it doesn't have the highly unusual flavor and energy of HT & D, it does show the versatility these guys display as poets in the form of well written songs and catchy deliveries. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but I also want to let it be known that I went into this album without bias, just because HT & D (dammit D & HT) are cool ass comrades doesn't mean I'm going easy on them. They've been nice enough to offer us previews of their work, and I review it if I like it, which so far I have. With that let me back up a bit.
The Signal Glittering Inside the Storm is entirely produced by Evaridae, a Madison, WI based beatmaker who approached the duo with 14 instrumentals ready and waiting for concepts and raps to finish them off. That makes the writing process somewhat unusual, almost a Bike for Three, "Let's Never Meet" type of affair, for those who understand what I'm talking about. With the internet age in full swing I guess this is becoming more and more common, although I wonder if these beats were intended to feature D & HT's vocals, or if the producer realized how well they would work after the fact? Either way, they've been crafted into some good rap songs. Sonically these beats are spacey, melodic and run the gammut from upbeat to somber although with a melancholy atmosphere predominating. I find they work best when they have a decent balance of rhythm and melody, as both rappers tend to deliver rhymes in a sing song tone, and it's amazing how effective an unexpected melodic line can be from HT at the right time.
Contrary to the HT & D material, these are straight up no frills indie rap beats. While not always as unusual as the live production from their band, Evaridae is a very competent producer in his own right and crafts some truly beautiful instrumentals ("Nothing to Nobody", "Up") as well as a serious banger or two ("Z's", "At a Bar in My Nightmares"). I actually appreciated the subtlety of his production as it allowed the two rappers to really carry the album themselves through virtue of their lyrical and vocal talents, creating a nice background upon which the rappers and guest singers / vocalists (some really great hooks here from a variety of vocal talent) were able to craft engaging and catchy tracks that stick in your head.
Here's a fun little music video for the track "In Public", just to get a taste of what sound I'm speaking of.
I said last time I talked about HT & D that the duo are especially effective because of the contrast between their styles. In my experience Dug goes for a laid back, strictly lyrical approach, with an unusual voice and a penchant for whimsical lines and left field deliveries. He's got this one song about bats that really proves my point. Check it out it's damn fun. Happy Tooth has a great singing voice as well as one for rapping, and I feel like he uses this especially effectively to craft their tunes into catchy and listenable tracks, as on this song from his latest solo album. As a duo they have that unusual chemistry, and I've listened to enough of their solo material to really feel that while it's all at least pretty good, there's something great about their collaborative efforts. From my conversations with them I feel like it may even be as simple as they enjoy working together and it translates into something listenable.
I find myself especially drawn into the music of these dudes because of the lyrical content as well. Neither of these emcees is pretending to be anything they're not, they obviously love the same music as us. They speak honestly about the issues that we all struggle with, including self doubt, depression, anxiety, loneliness alcohol abuse and disillusionment in a culture that fosters it like wildfire. Even on songs like the above "In Public" which reference the life of professional musicians, D & HT still have to deal with questioning themselves and their purpose. Their willingness to speak about insecurities and fears really endears me to their work, and I think it makes them uniquely relatable as people just doing what they love and REALLY hoping you love it too.
One thing I used to tell people when I introduced them to this duo is that their music isn't for everyone. You need to be open to something different as neither of these guys sound anything like what most people expect rappers to sound like. That said, I believe that this album could win over some of the less open-minded rap fans, especially anyone who can identify with some of the honesty on display here. I feel like milo (R.A.P. Ferreira I guess now) fans and Doomtree fans alike should find something to like on this release, and it doesn't hurt that there are beautiful tunes and catchy hooks abound. I'm really stoked to think that these dudes could get some real recognition outside of the weirder fans like myself. They've been super supportive of Trylemma and my efforts here on this blog, and it's been a lot of fun to offer what support I can back. Hopefully they won't forget UGF if and when that happens...
Get The Signal Glittering Inside the Storm here, available on 3/14 and only $5! In a world where some dudes are asking $3 or more a song, that ain't bad, and it's definitely worth it. Trust me.
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