Rhye seems lost in a loop of the same song but what a gorgeously long song it sounds like at times. I think when its all said and done Rhye will be a figure similar to that of Sade, an artist whose mood and vocals at the best of times outshines the shape of their records.

Favourites: My Heart Bleeds, Helpless

Baekhyun and his fellow members of EXO (Kai and "Exo-Sc") have been creating a new space within R&B for K-pop artists. The jump from Pop to R&B is admittedly pretty easy compared to that of Pop to Hip-hop or acting. This record is good when being compared to K-pop records. I've enjoyed Baekhyun's records more than any K-pop record I've heard in the last 3 or so years (this might be hyperbole but I really can't recall). This is Taeyang's formula reimagined and its a great sign ... read more

A record that does nothing new but is still quite enjoyable and that's saying a lot for a pop record. "Fabric" is an especially lovely closer showing there's a little more here than the rest of the record shows.

Starts poorly, ends strangely but the parts that make the whole are worth mention:

Rosario has a gorgeous guitar loop and a brilliant Zico verse.
Leica and In Self-Defense are the highlight of this record and are two stunning back to back tracks
True Crime is well woven so much so that it somehow makes its odd sonic choices work
I wish, Wish You Were was how the entire record sounded, instrumentally at least

Here's to Part 2

Update:
I think the biggest issue for this record is the ... read more

Crooning in trap, he has vocals just dying to fuck up your next record. As a singular artist though, he struggles to carve out his identity, always a shame to hear a voice unutilised.

Honestly, it is honest but it's missing the poetry of words found in its "tales". The translation of words from tale seem lacking passed the opening "Pick Up Your Feelings" response. Perhaps I'm not the target audience but it never reaches any real heights for me.

let it run, in the background as intended. (fades to an interior shot of your favourite dream)

My favourite Doom record is not an official record but I feel it's part of the villains' fanbase to mashup his verses with other artists. RIP metal face, back to where your brother went.

Jesse Draxler is among other things a visual artist, you'll probably know him from his commissioned works: Especially the album covers he did for Daughters "You Won't Get What You Want", Poppy's "I Disagree" , Zola Jesus "Okovi" also a myriad of other works for artists including NIN, Prince, Chelsea Wolfe and even one of AOTY's resident poets.

Needless to say Jesse thrives within collaborations and that's how this album has been constructed. Jesse sent a set of ... read more

A debut record that spirals in its acoustic spells.

Mokyo was first a producer, creating some of my favourite popular tracks in the indie Korean scene (Before joining You.Will.Knovv Mokyo was signed to H1ghr Music (Under the producer name Thurxday) where he produced hits such as Jay Park‘s “V”, Joo Young’s “Prada”, G.Soul/Golden‘s “Tequila”, PH-1‘s “DVD”, Loco‘s “Party Band”)

What makes Mokyo different ... read more

Dial, each track is interwoven and gorgeously pieced together as if shaped from one piece of cloth–this cloth being an introspective look on jazz, R&B and soul coming together to produce Samuel Seo’s most immediate body of sound. This small batch of five tracks moves and instantly gratifies listeners with its soundscape. Here, Samuel Seo has managed to combine his entire discography into a fluid EP only 14 minutes long.

Conceptually, Dial, as suggested by its title, lingers on ... read more

Yun Hyong-keun is a record crafted in honor of the Korean monochrome artist, Yun Hyong-keun. This therefore is seeing monochrome meet jazz. A new layer added to the formula of Kim Oki, each string pensive in its sound, every note a declaration of inspiration.

It is a marriage of two masters, a moment worth exploring much like most of Kim Oki’s discography. He is slowly building himself into an artist such as Ryuichi Sakamoto with music unaffected by time. Jazz has slowly re-emerged in ... read more

Quietly, this group never disappoints

So happy with this record as always Cudi has something for me here. Much like Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' this record has a grouping of absolutely stunning soundscapes and vocal inflexions that has come to be the Cudi sound. But much like Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' there are a bunch of tracks that serve as offerings to Cudi's experimentation, this time he is experimenting with his rap verses.

His rapping ability is solid don't get me wrong, but again, Cudi's psychedelic pocket is ... read more

Made me fall in love with Arctic Monkeys music again,

Y'all really got me about to, maybe listen to a Miley Cyrus record, damn

Update: starts off as a "ahh" moment on the opening first three tracks, Miley has a voice so suited to rock instrumentation. The rest of the album, however, reminds me more of The Weeknd's instrumentation at the best times, at the worst, it is an awkward mix of pop-rock. The record is held up by Miley's vocals while the instrumentation and lyrical content really disconnect from one another. It is a fun record ... read more

Basinski has earned his name as one of the greatest ambient composers living today. If you find this too boring or unchanging but want to see if Basinski is any good you're better off checking out this (https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/260316-sparkle-division-to-feel-embraced.php) its a side project he did working with more immediate bodies of sound.

"Lamentations" is just another chapter to add to his core body of sound, its the sound of decay, the unravelling of music. You ... read more

Damn, this one surprised me. Omarion returns and doesn't miss a step. Definitely check this out if you were curious/on the fence about whether or not to waste time on an Omarion release. "Mutual" is an especially good place to start.

"Hop In" definitely spins into one of the best tracks of the record, as someone here for the features I didn't find much outside of that here. Mino much like the Bobby feature are examples of Idols who have pushed into the Korean Hip-hop scene. The result is a strange approach to hip-hop but leads to interesting moments like "Wa" but mostly just leaves a lot to be desired in the cadence and delivery sections of each "Take".

"Click/ Han River View" is ... read more

Highlights of this record: Methuselah: IV, VII, VIII, IX and X.