TranscendNoise

40. Yohuna – Patientness Having a washed-out aesthetic is something that works quite well with female vocals, and Yohuna hits the sweet spot right away. Patientness is shoe-gaze with a very singer-songwriter mindset. The washed out sound, the effect-laden guitar, and the reverb-soaked vocals never overpower you, never fall into purely ecstatic moments, but leave nuance and especially enough of the vocals intact. Not that you necessarily get everything that is being said, but on tracks like “Steel Skins”, when the vocals are layered and harmonize with each other, the words are comprehensible enough to give meaning to them, which is equally true for high pitched “Golden Foil” and the sunrise attitude the song carries. The whole album has enough ideas and variations, to digress from any pinpointing and the band´s performance is set on stressing the mood of the vocals rather than creating it on their own. The best moments even recall something like Cocteau Twins or Imogen Heap, ...

40. Frank Ocean – Nikes ( Blonde ) “These bitches want Nikes” might be one of my favorite lines of this year. I Can´t give any rational explanation akin to the depth of such a statement, it just sounds incredibly good especially in the auto-tuned madness of Frank Ocean. While Blonde is full of great songs and an emotional and introspective ride that only someone like Ocean could pull off, “Nikes” is the perfect intro and re-introduction through the unfamiliar. If someone doesn´t need to pitch shift his voice, it is Ocean, but when he does, it becomes something as surreal, as the world “Nikes” introduces us to. This fashion of rnb melancholy still is something fresh and evocative and Ocean is truly a master of this craft. Frank Ocean - 'Nikes' from DoBeDo Productions on Vimeo . 39. Drake – U With Me? // Controlla ( Views ) Drake´s latest album was the first to receive deeper criticism of some flaws, his music has had throughout his career, but which became...