Baauer – Aa (LuckyMe, 2016)
American DJ Baauer first came to prominence in 2013 after his song hit song “Harlem Shake” went viral. Although Aa does not contain any songs that have the same viral potential, his debut album is a well-balanced feast for the ears. The track “Temple,” which features M.I.A. and Korean rapper G-DRAGON is a stand out song, wasting no time pulling the listener in. The whole song feels like an out-of-body experience at a temple with two whacky monks rapping at you. The catchy beat mixed with the Oriental sounds creates a crazy sophisticated sound. The album feels like a progressive attempt to pull in listeners who aren’t fans of electronic music. It contains catchy tracks that become quite addictive like “Sow” and “Body,” as well as hard-hitting true trap style songs like “Day Ones” and “Make it Bang.”
Trial Track: “Temple”
7/10