On "In the Shadow of the Living Room," Odd Nosdam and Why? of cLOUDDEAD showcase the potential of instrumental hip-hop as a template for high psychedelia. Blending late-Beatle synth swirls with marching beats and fragile vocals, they find a balance that's as moving as it is trippy.
why? and odd nosdam, two-thirds of the cLOUDDEAD dirt-hop massive, have produced a full-length of catchy bits that each maintain the mystique of a hidden track. A year in the life of two art school dropouts, In the Shadow of the Living Room finds the obsessive-compulsive duo fighting demons from the bedrooms of their parent's suburban homes. why?'s lyrics read like a list of secrets the world is keeping from itself; odd nosdam's production echoes the slow and low ghost of lo-fi past. Their first full-length release nearly killed them; it's the sound of Edison's ghost, a player piano, and a drum machine broadcast over a Ham radio; or Daniel Johnston and the Ghetto Boys rolling deep in a '57 Chevy with the top down in the dead of winter.