An album filled with contradiction, but that is one of the reasons it's such an intriguing listen.

'black mirror' is a great opener for the album, I love the beat and the rapping is great. "Driftin' in and out of consciousness like the rappers do" is a standout line towards the end of the track. The following 'hold me down' is also another highlight, I love the beat and there is a sticky chorus. This track also has a bunch of lyrics I like (e.g. ... read more

A really enjoyable record, even if it occasionally feels too brief in places.

I love the harsher sounding guitars on the opener 'Doorway' as well as the subtle electronics that are worked into the production. I also adore the instrumentation on the following 'Poison,' especially after the first chorus. 'Rewind' features a fire chorus and great vocals. I like 'Shady,' although it does feel somewhat too brief.

'Dior' is definitely my favourite ... read more

An album which embodies many of the feelings of being a teenager, even if this sometimes limits my enjoyment of the album.

I love the drums and guitars in the harder hitting portions of the song 'brutal.' I also like a lot of the lyrics on the song, especially "'Cause who am I if not exploited?" Whilst the chorus is decent on 'traitor,' I'm not too big on the production and lyrically the song does make me feel like a teenager with a silly crush, which ... read more

James Blake smashes the concept of friends breaking your heart on this album.

'Famous Last Words' is a great opener for the record, I love the instrumental. His vocals are as beautiful as ever, the "I should have lost it" lines are impeccable, and the strings towards the end of the song make for a great finish. 'Life Is Not The Same' is another highlight for me. The vocals before the chorus are incredible and there are many great lines on the track. I like the ... read more

A fairly solid album.

The record opens with 'In a Lake' which is one of my favourite songs here. I love the production - especially the organ - and the vocals match the song well. I am pretty torn on 'Where's My Phone?' I like the guitars and verses, but I am not the biggest fan of Mitski's vocals on the chorus, I wish they had more bite to them. I think the censor in the second verse matches the song well and although I find the demonic ending on the bridge to be ... read more

An amazing record where I only have minor complaints.

The title track is a perfect opener for this album. Between the fantastic production and incredible vocals, the song introduces a sensual vibe which is consistent throughout the album. The progression of this song is also great. The guitars and outro are the stand out for me on 'Girl Feels Good,' which also features a good beat. I really like the lyrics of 'Perfect Stranger' (e.g. "Let's love in words unspoken ... read more

One of the most overhyped albums of the last year.

'Midnight Sun' is a great track, I love the production of this track, the beat drop is great. I think 'Blue Moon' is just alright, the production is decent but as I find with the majority of this album feels like a watered down version of something potentially harder hitting and more interesting. 'Pretty Ugly' is a highlight, I like the production quite a lot and the shouted chorus is good.

'Girl's ... read more

A great debut album, even if it shows that there is room for them to grow at certain points.

'3CAG' is a cool instrumental intro that transitions perfectly into the title track, which is an absolute banger. The production is incredible, I love how the news broadcast interlude is sampled during the drop. The rapping is also really charismatic, which is the same for 'IbhFiacha Linne.' I love how aggressive the production is on that track. The high energy continues onto ... read more

A solid comeback.

'No Security' is a good intro setting up many of the themes and narratives of the record. I'm not in love with it, but the rapping is solid. I have similar opinions for the title track which has a good beat, although I find the beat switch to be just alright. I am quite a fan of 'Birds & the Bees', I really like the beat on this track, the vocal samples work really well. I also love the chorus on this song.

I'm not too big into Baby ... read more

A compilation of cutting edge singles.

'BIPP' features killer production and I love the vocals on the track here, they are so catchy. However, 'ELLE' is probably my least favourite song here. I like the pitched up synths but I find the rest of the production to be weaker, and the progression of the track isn't as strong for me. The sounds on 'LEMONADE' are so satisfying to listen to and the vocals are catchy. The switch up for the verses on this track is ... read more

I was hoping for more bangers.

The mixtape opens with a pretty decent victory lap in the form of 'Dolce & Gabbana.' I don't love the track - I wish there was more variation across its runtime - but the beat is decent and Rico sounds enthusiastic. This contrasts with Rico's rapping on 'Treason' which is just ok and the beat isn't that great either. EsDeeKid features on this song, but his verse isn't even that good on the track. 'Risk' ... read more

I'm glad this record blew up in the way it did.

'Trinidad' is an incredible opener. I love the way the track explodes on the chorus, the vocals are so manic yet induced with anxiety. The third verse on this song needs its own shoutout as well. In comparison, 'Cobra' is a lot softer with gentle instrumentation which suits the lyrics well. 'Husbands' is probably my least favourite track here, I like the chorus but I find the production to be a little weaker on ... read more

A really catchy album even with the crazy production.

I love the opener 'TWICE REMOVED' so much. The production is fantastic and there are so many quotable lines for me: "Shit was 0-3, '03 bitch, I'm Avril Lavigne" and "Speak on me and kill yourself or go home." 'Psychoboost' features absolutely insane production, and also proves once again that Danny Brown can rap really well over pretty much any instrumental. Definitely another highlight for ... read more

I'm so glad I gave this album the chance to grow on me.

'DANCE...' is a solid opener. I really like the production on this track and the catchy chorus. I'd say 'BEAT UP CHANEL$' is one of my favourite songs here, I adore the production. I also like how the tone in Slayyyter's voice changes on the chorus from the more aggressive sounding verses. I'm not that into 'CANNIBALISM!,' it still sounds well produced but I find the production less ... read more

At least we are greeted with some bangers after a first disc of boring, cookie cutter ballads

[For reference, I am only reviewing the tracklist shown here on AOTY, even if that means I don't get to talk about 'Why Don't You Love Me.']

'If I Were a Boy' is by far my favourite ballad here, with decent production and great vocals from Beyoncé. Still, I'm not rushing to relisten to it anytime soon. I think 'Halo' is one of the most overhyped ... read more

I hate to be that guy but I feel like this album has an annoying tendency to insist upon itself.

The album is already fighting an uphill battle for me with the intro track introducing a storybook theme; my least favourite album trope. The first full song, 'I Will Overcome.' shows grand instrumentation but I am not really a fan of it nor the chorus. 'Beware... The South London Lover Boy.' has lyrics as bad as the song title would suggest and I also find the production to be ... read more

The bangers outshine the rest of the album.

'HYPERYOUTH' is one of my favourite songs here. I adore the vocal sample in the beat at the start and JVB have so much charisma vocally. The 'Bangarang' vocal sample towards the end is great. Another one of my favourite songs is 'BUST DOWN.' The production sounds so snappy and there are some pretty funny lines on this track which are sold very well by the vocals. I really like "I'm half amazing and half Asian / ... read more

A masterpiece.

'One More Time' features such an iconic intro to an iconic song. The song itself is everything you could want, an impeccable beat with great vocal effects. I have to mention the breakdown on this track which provides such a vibe that the song perfectly bounces back from. The production on 'Aerodynamic' is comparatively a lot wilder. I especially love the more abrasive rising sounds on this song which provide a strong tension. The transition to the outro of ... read more

A solid debut, even if I often wish the vocals had a little more bite to them.

I think 'Beatback' is a good opener that features a great beat and a catchy chorus. 'L.U.C.K.Y' is definitely one of my favourite songs here. The chorus is great, especially the production on it which sounds so satisfyingly crunchy to my ears; which definitely doesn't even make sense. I love the production on the verses of 'Butterflies' even if I wish the singing on them was more ... read more

I'm surprised over how much I enjoyed this album considering that none of the singles clicked with me until now.

'Really Real' is a great opener. I love the beat here and I think Robyn's vocals a great. I have to shout out the guitar towards the end of the track. 'Dopamine' has grown on me a fair bit even if I'm still not massive on it. I really like the lyrics on the chorus, but I find the song itself just a pleasant listen. I much prefer the next song, ... read more