CITIES AVIV / Black Pleasure [2012]

With a background in the punk rock scene and a post-punk industrial style of composing with hip-hop sounds and production styles, Cities Aviv is definitely an artist who stands alone.

2012's Black Pleasures is a baffling, if not brilliant record that's flooded with creativity and bold visions of something different.  Drowning his metallic reverberated voice in murky production that sounds like clouds of smoke refusing to settle in a twisted form of 90's R&B music.  CA certainly won't be winning any fans of either post punk or standard hip-hop but will without a doubt find a spot with the abnormal and curious.  

5 sexytimes with Joy Division & Psychic TV out of 5

Songs Of Note: Forever; White

CITIES AVIV / Digital Lows [2011]

Cities Aviv's debut album Digital Lows is a broody and seductive hip-hop record filled with intelligent and often smugly humorous two-liners.
It's chilled out and hazy production almost allows it to fall into the stoner-rap genre but Cities Aviv is much too alert and witty to go in that direction. With lyrics that go from the hopeful to the downright seething, Digital Lows is somewhat of an emotional mish-mash which is refreshing compared to a lot of one-note hip-hop acts.
There's no singles, hooks or repetitive lyrics here...just finely crafted songwriting that shamefully went largely ignored this year.

4 White Bitches That Like Mr. Bungle out of 5

Songs Of Note: Die Young; Sixsixsixes