Greencarpetedstairs

Neil Ewing has long created some of the most innovative and adventurous hip-hop around. This self-titled album (due for release this Friday, June 15, at Rhinoceropolis) on Ceschi Ramos’s Fake Four imprint probably wouldn’t sound like a hip-hop album to most people. But Ewing’s synthesis of noise, hip-hop, electronic pop, ambient and glitch gives songs like “Birds and Bees” a spiky buoyancy that breezes through you with goodwill, like any song worthy of a listen should. Despite his penchant for delivering evocative, quavering vocals with a gorgeously moody melody, it’s obvious that Ewing was not asked to compromise on any of his signature experimental elements here; he also kept his knack for writing lushly evocative late-night-drive jams firmly intact. (Stop by backbeatblog.com for a full Q&A with Ewing.)