Recommendations from our readers and artists themselves.

Vietnam

Hồ Trâm Anh’s “The Poetry of Streetlights” is my best Vietnamese album this year. So beautiful, so emotional.

Sound-wise, her 11 tracks are situated in the alternative/dream pop area, or you could say they seem like surrounded by the mist, even her vocals seem to be hidden within it.

While she’s been playing dream pop for a long time, the dreamy feeling is the norm here. And the dreaminess is also in the lyrics (all in English): “Wish I could look in your eyes/ And let loose all that we hide”.

“The Poetry of Streetlights” redefines the concept of dream pop, at least in the context of the Vietnamese music, and what’s more important it shows Hồ Trâm Anh’s beautiful soul.

While it’s not available on streaming platforms for reasons she has explained here, you can stream this album on her website. (Nam Tran)

Stream “The Poetry of Streetlights” LP.

Door knocking, broken glass, and static noise accompany Quyech’s delicate voice in the beautiful 6-minute video “Doc Thoai”.