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CRITIC REVIEWS
90
UK pop singer Rina Sawayama teams up with Clarence Clarity for the most vibrant, colorful, and instantly catchy pop EP of the year.
85
RINA is bursting at the seams with bona-fide pop bangers and quirky interludes.
80
Sawayama might be keen to pay tribute, but she’s proven she can shepherd pop into the future, too.
Behind the glitter, a two-way mirror
Björk had screamed in 2015, when "Vulnicura" was released, because people kept on praising her male producers (Arca, The Haxan Cloak...) and minimizing her own contribution to the album's sound. Furious, she launched herself into a diatribe about the way women artists are considered in our patriarchal society which sees them as subordinate to men. And I, despite the echo I can find in that statement, I'm going to find myself doing something ... read more
Björk had screamed in 2015, when "Vulnicura" was released, because people kept on praising her male producers (Arca, The Haxan Cloak...) and minimizing her own contribution to the album's sound. Furious, she launched herself into a diatribe about the way women artists are considered in our patriarchal society which sees them as subordinate to men. And I, despite the echo I can find in that statement, I'm going to find myself doing something ... read more
"Take Me as I Am" brings me back sometime in 2000-2002 where I would confusingly observe my two older sisters proclaim themselves to the family as "SUPASTAHhhhs" as they would (poorly) belt out Sting's "Desert Rose" - yes, even Cheb Mami's part - and whatever else would play on MTV (primarily Britney Spears' best hits). Spice Girls sadly broke up at around this time so it was an especially difficult time around the house, but the passion for achieving ... read more
Clarence Clarity and Rina Sawayama find the future in the past, and as a result, we have what is to me one of the most enjoyable and gorgeous-sounding projects of the decade. Not a moment is wasted, with Sawayama's rich voice being backed up by equally textured glitchpop compositions throughout. I honestly can't get enough and hope it doesn't take the duo long to follow up, preferably with something longer.
Favorite Tracks: Alterlife, Ordinary Superstar, 10-20-40, Take Me As I Am, Cyber ... read more
Favorite Tracks: Alterlife, Ordinary Superstar, 10-20-40, Take Me As I Am, Cyber ... read more
One of the coolest pop records of this decade, It's basically a pop album from the early 00's but then brought into the future through Clarence Clarity's incredible glitch pop production. Rina and Clarence work incredibly well as a pair on here to create something which feels fresh and new yet familiar. This has me really excited and hyped to see where Rina will go next.
Best Track: Ordinary Superstar
Worst Track: Through the Wire - Interlude
Best Track: Ordinary Superstar
Worst Track: Through the Wire - Interlude
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Rina Sawayama - XS (Official Video) 
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Year End Lists
| #10 | / | Dazed |
Track List
- Ordinary Superstar
- Take Me as I Am
- 10-20-40
- Tunnel Vision (feat. Shamir)
- Time Out (Interlude)
- Alterlife
- Through the Wire (Interlude)
- Cyber Stockholm Syndrome
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Added on: October 28, 2017