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18/30 rock singer-songwriter

a.a.williams – as the moon rests

This is certainly a release. A.A. Williams lashes out at, unveils, rallies through destructed love at shifting paces and with predictable reflections. Melodically, the tales evoke a dramatic, old-timey folk now forced upon monumentous backing. The expanse between much of Williams’ vocal work and the enormous rock is distracting. Her writing better orients around the […]

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18/30 experimental hip-hop

the koreatown oddity – ISTHISFORREAL?

‘ISTHISFORREAL?’ sounds like it came from the back rooms of a nightclub with flashing light fixtures. By assuming the seedy, neurotic gristles of the issues he addresses, KTown comes to embody them with an irony undercut by stone-cold seriousness. That said, while tracks like ‘MISOPHONIALOVE’ contain a smart premise, they would be more proportionate in […]

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18/30 jazz latin

sessa – estrela acesa

The pool that Sessa draws on here is life-affirming, colourful, and zesty. The execution, however, leans towards a jam-style vibiness that sadly tails off into an innocuous blur. ‘Dor Fodida’ especially possesses pleasant tools, but Sessa layers them in such a way that each has its soul cooled by a flavour-deficient tone. There are instances […]

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18/30 indie/alternative pop

jerry paper – free time

I have a problem at the moment and it’s in knowing how to feel about talented, goofy indie artists making heartfelt, silly tunes. Jerry Paper knows what good music and good comedy are—they often make both and many of the hooks and themes on ‘Free Time’’s singles are bitingly pleasing. But if brevity is the […]