Cities Aviv

"A stargazer's guide to becoming one with the sky"

Cities Aviv released two albums over the course of 2022, each one playing off of the other's mannerisms and movements. Though born months apart from one another, this pair of hip hop projects are nearly identical, tailored perfectly to the time of year in which they were issued. Man Plays the Horn was a blessing for those left freezing their hearts out in the earliest days of February, warming up the speakers with an eighty-minute tape full of looping rhythms and soothing samples. The late October production of "Working Title for the Album Secret Waters" is far more focused, making up for its sibling's hyperactive tracklist with a crowded yet consistent collection of its own.

Like an online bulletin board of satisfying images and GIFs, this record is a collage of uncanny autumnal energy and dark solitude. Secret Waters' soulful overtones are mentally stimulating and playfully lethargic at the same time, cutting and pasting Cities Aviv's central character into a well-edited slideshow of vintage soul vocals and string-swept instrumentals. Longer pieces like Chozen / The Prevalence of Issues and Mysticism Redesigned let the magic flow on for what feels like a peaceful eternity, but the fast-paced temparament of Knowing Is... and 4 Quarter Talks are just as important in illustrating the influences of jazz and ambient music that make this LP such a treasure.