Sound Advice: The hyped and the hyper-cool

15 December 2015 - 02:25 By Yolisa Mkele, Pearl Boshomane and Leonie Wagner

The year's most under- and overrated albums: UNDERRATED Jamie XX- In Colour:You might assume that this is the auditory equivalent of a heroin high. A ghostly valley of rolling bass lines wreathed in colour. It's the kind of album you can imagine playing in the background as you walk down a street turned iridescent by rain and lights at 3am. With the exception of I Know there's gonna be (Good Times), every song is gorgeous. - Yolisa MkeleOVERRATED Adele - 25:That Mrs Adkins can sing is undeniable as is the fact that she has a near unique ability to recall the wounds of lost love as if they were still dew fresh. The problem is that 25 is now the third time she has put out the same album. Sure there may be a tweak here and a twist there, but for all intents and purposes Adele is still 19. - Yolisa MkeleUNDERRATEDFKA twigs - M377155XPronounced Melissa, British singer FKA's latest EP is dark, menacing, creepy, delicate and beautiful. From the defiant and broody opener Figure 8, to the danceable halfway point of In Time and all the way to the closer Mothercreep, the EP explores what it's like to be a woman in a society that treats us as mindless sex objects to be used and disposed of. It's accompanied by an incredible 16-minute short film, which you should check out on YouTube. - Pearl BoshomaneOVERRATED Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too LateDrake's had a very good 2015. For one, he sold us a mixtape(mixtapes are usually free). The mixtape debuted at No1 on the Billboard chart, and Drake became the first rapper to top the Billboard 100 artists' chart. So, is the mixtape really that good? No. There are a handful of really good songs and the rest are fillers. - Pearl BoshomaneOVERRATEDMicasa - Home Sweet HomeHome Sweet Home is like a Leon Schuster comedy: Tried and trusted. It is 50 shades of grey, without a kink . But I' ll still turn up the volume every time Chocolat plays on the radio. - Leonie Wagner..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.