Cities Aviv - Man Plays the Horn ALBUM REVIEW
Based on the title alone, that man can do more than me.
Throughout nearly two years of writing and reviewing music on this site, this is the first time I was actually hit up by random people on Twitter to review something. To my knowledge, Cities Aviv is a rapper and producer from Memphis. He’s been around for about a decade now, and it seems like this album here is finally going to be his breakout album. Right out of the gate, the cover art for Man Plays the Horn stands out to me. I can’t really make anything out of it, so if there’s an official description or reason said by Aviv about it, I’d love to see it. Either way, let’s get into Man Plays the Horn.
Given the cover, I had a general idea about what this album could sound like. It’s an abstract rap album in the vein of MIKE and Navy Blue, but there’s something very unique about this one. The production on this is incredibly immersive and lures you in so much that it eventually becomes suffocating. It’s also taking much more inspiration from vaporwave, which is just a cheat code to me, at this point. This has the rare credit of an album that takes cues from other artists in the same lane without directly wearing them on its sleeve. Aviv’s voice is laid back and relaxed. I think it’s a good comparison to closing hours of a nightclub and Aviv is the final act of the night, a little more tired and chill but still full of life. I’d end it there, but Aviv slides A TWELVE MINUTE AMBIENT/VAPORWAVE/ABSTRACT HIP-HOP piece in the middle of the album. That track really helped with the immersion and is yet another unique piece of this album. In my opinion, Man Plays the Horn is a staggering achievement for hip-hop. Cities Aviv cements his place in rap with a must-listen for any experimental rap fans.
10/10
Listen here
YouTube
Bandcamp (to support the artist directly)
Man Plays the Horn is a Total Works release.
Throughout nearly two years of writing and reviewing music on this site, this is the first time I was actually hit up by random people on Twitter to review something. To my knowledge, Cities Aviv is a rapper and producer from Memphis. He’s been around for about a decade now, and it seems like this album here is finally going to be his breakout album. Right out of the gate, the cover art for Man Plays the Horn stands out to me. I can’t really make anything out of it, so if there’s an official description or reason said by Aviv about it, I’d love to see it. Either way, let’s get into Man Plays the Horn.
Given the cover, I had a general idea about what this album could sound like. It’s an abstract rap album in the vein of MIKE and Navy Blue, but there’s something very unique about this one. The production on this is incredibly immersive and lures you in so much that it eventually becomes suffocating. It’s also taking much more inspiration from vaporwave, which is just a cheat code to me, at this point. This has the rare credit of an album that takes cues from other artists in the same lane without directly wearing them on its sleeve. Aviv’s voice is laid back and relaxed. I think it’s a good comparison to closing hours of a nightclub and Aviv is the final act of the night, a little more tired and chill but still full of life. I’d end it there, but Aviv slides A TWELVE MINUTE AMBIENT/VAPORWAVE/ABSTRACT HIP-HOP piece in the middle of the album. That track really helped with the immersion and is yet another unique piece of this album. In my opinion, Man Plays the Horn is a staggering achievement for hip-hop. Cities Aviv cements his place in rap with a must-listen for any experimental rap fans.
10/10
Listen here
YouTube
Bandcamp (to support the artist directly)
Man Plays the Horn is a Total Works release.
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