Vessel

Twenty One Pilots actually has two pilots: Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. But the complex, hip-hop–infused indietronica of their promising 2013 debut album plays like they have an army of producers and musicians at their disposal. Vessel is one of those rare albums that should leave a noticeable dent in the music world for years after its release. “Ode to Sleep” opens with distorted synthesizers buzzing over boomy beats and menacing bass lines. Joseph’s high-toned nasal inflections sound remarkably similar to those of comedian Aziz Ansari, but his airtight phrasings and unpredictable rhymes have more in common with the heady paranoid lyricism of Aesop Rock. When the song suddenly shapeshifts into a catchy electro-tinged pop song, we get a glimpse of the duo’s brilliance and penchant for taking risks. The following “Holding on to You” downshifts into a relaxed groove while maintaining Joseph’s dual personality of hyper rhyme-wizard and dynamic pop crooner. Twenty One Pilots must also be commended for using a Vocoder in the buoyant “Migraine” without succumbing to Daft Punk approximations.