Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.: “Morning Thought”

Over the course of a calendar, KUT features 260 songs of the day from a wide range of artists, each one catching our collective ear. For the last two weeks of the year, we’ll be highlighting the best songs of the day from 2011, featuring big names, new discoveries, Studio 1A exclusives, and some tunes that might have gotten lost in the shuffle in the past twelve months.
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OK – it’s kind of a dumb name. But don’t let Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. fool you. Honestly, Daniel Zott and Josh Epstein aren’t the first band to find success almost in spite of their moniker. After releasing a few sporadic EPs, the Detroit-based duo conquered the indie-pop universe with this year’s It’s A Corporate World.
And despite the NASCAR references, Zott and Epstein aren’t all that concerned with straight-ahead, Motor City rock and roll. Their sound is more of an electronic indie-pop – smart and often times, sweet. Pitchfork noted that “Epstein and Zott have the sort of warm, softish indie-dude voices that carry their tunes without stepping out in front of them.”
“Morning Thought” is the lead single from It’s A Corporate World and incorporates a mix of vocal harmonies, electronic blips and bells on top of a catchy guitar groove. This exclusive version of the song was recorded live in KUT’s Studio 1A.
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