Producer K-Murdock paints lush soundscapes where organic drums, guitars and pianos go head-to-head with space age bleeps and blips. Tempos and moods run the gamut from slow and contemplative to rapid fire and bouncy, all thickly textured. Emcee Raw Poetic handles the vocal work thoughtfully. His rhymes are often conversational, always fresh. With their sophomore effort, The Scenic Route, the group has crafted a genre-bending concept album that brings much-lacking musicality and depth to the world of hip-hop.

Panacea’s sound has drawn comparisons to Outkast and The Roots, but their style is truly all their own. A few years down the line, emerging artists can only hope for comparisons to Panacea.