True innovation is hard to come by, but Living With Hannibal & Owusu is the real thing. The Danish twosome of Philip Owusu and Robin Hannibal actually made some new and exciting music without changing any of the usual ingredients but the way the elements are put together constitutes a rare and perfect fusion.

'80s synth sounds, cinematic string textures, acoustic guitars and sweet, thickly layered harmony vocals massage the ears behind minimal electro-hip-hop-ish beats. There are countless recognizable influences (think Tears for Fears meets Prince on a Dilla track for starters, if you can manage it). And yet they blend unpretentiously into something simultaneously familiar and groundbreaking, accessible and edgy, pretty and dirty.

On "What's It About" they manage to be soulful while sounding like Paul Simon or The Beach Boys (whose "Caroline No" is covered on the album), while "Lonnies Love" is more like Metro Area or a mid-'80s Dexter Wansel synth-disco classic.

Their label, the LA-based Ubiquity Records, is on a roll with great new releases from Radio Citizen, Freddie Cruger and the upcoming CH review of frequent Alice Russell collaborator TM Juke.




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