Download: ApSci - "Under Control"

With their latest release Best Crisis Ever, Apsci is shaping up to be the best husband and wife duo since Ike and Tina (minus the abuse, of course). This transcontinental tag team, composed of Filipino-Australian Dana Diaz-Tutaan and boogie down Bronx native Raphael LaMotta, has perfected their own brand of electro-popped hip-hop. That brand is highly contagious and will take over all your auditory senses if you’re not careful. It’s like mind control. This is your brain on Apsci.

Written and recorded in Australia, New York and several cities in between, Best Crisis Ever crosses just as many genres as it does borders. It’s a blend of electronica, rock, industrial, and pop laid over a hip-hop foundation. The up tempo “Under Control” sounds like an out of control game of Milton Bradley’s Simon. The repetitive synth rhythms and thumping drum machine will have you hooked at first listen. “’Till the Windows Rattle Off” is one of a plethora of ridiculously catchy tunes. Dana’s warm vocals contrast nicely against the track’s harsher drum beats.

Unlike their previous release, Thanks for Asking, there are no guest verses on Best Crisis Ever. Instead, the couple decides to leave the music up to their own devices. Their opposite styles complement each other. Dana’s Bjork-like shrieks and operatic heights fill the void left by her hubby’s often detached delivery.

With the exception of their cover of R.E.M.’s “Swan Swan H,” only a few of the tracks crack the three minute mark. I suppose that shouldn’t be too surprising coming from a group that condensed their name (formerly Applied Sciences).

Just like a good vacation, Best Crisis Ever is over before you know it.

Kimberly Turner is Oh Dang!'s resident music critic and pastry fiend. And No!, she's not fat.