u/TraditionalReturn390

With the new rules I gotta add more to this so let me just shout out the last 6 here because they're mad underrated and people should check them out ASAP (the first 4 are all amazing but I think they've definitely gotten their flowers).

Slide by George Clanton: Heavy recommend this album to Magdalena Bay and vaporwave fans, this album is insanely creative and super ahead of its time. I know calling this underrated is sketchy but it truly deserves AT LEAST an 85, I think so many people can find something to love in this project.

Expedition 331-5A by Muspelheim: I will always shout this project out, it's super creative and super underrated. It genuinely sounds like a completely new genre.

Mahashmashana by FJM: This should have been an instant classic IMO for 2024, it is absolutely up there with Imaginal Disk and the New Sound. The title track is a masterpiece but other songs like Mental Health and Screamland are genuinely genius. Even the "mid" songs here like Being You I love, this is an album for driving through the mountains.

Drive Home by Portraits of Tracy: 80% is criminal, this should be like a 90. There's no skips outside of the interludes, everything about this project is so groundbreaking. She does so much on this album and everything hits, it feels like floating.

the thorn in monte carlo by Quadroon and monk on fire: This is a top 5 hip hop project OAT. Quadroon is such an underrated rapper and monk on fire was a great duo while they lasted. The lyricism here is just incredible.

superstar baby by sundiver ca: There's 0 skips here, and it's one of the few projects where the most streamed song is the worst. The last two tracks here are crazy good (and the first two are also amazing).

A while ago I got recommended this 2026 project on AOTY and it seems to have picked up some traction within the slushwave community (100+ ratings on a 2020s vapor album on AOTY is pretty rare + it's like the 8th highest rated slushwave album of all tome on that website right now), but what's weird to me is I feel like while this project MOST relates to dreampunk and slushwave within vaporwave, I feel like this sound is kind of distinct from those two genres. It's, for the most part, sample rich in what sounds like asian classical music and sounds very unique from every other slushwave project I've heard.

I think this could be a new subgenre, but I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on this—whether it's like a new weird neoclassical vaporwave subgenre (would probably need a better name than that) or more of just an artist trying something creative within an existing genre. It would seem like I'm not the only one who heard this project and thought it was unique based on feedback so I'm curious if anyone has heard it and if so their thoughts. I haven't found a Muspelheim Instagram or social media to ask the creator what their intended genre was when they released this, but I'm happy to hear new standout releases within vaporwave.

aoty link (contains bandcamp and spotify for those interested i recommend bandcamp): https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1724954-muspelheim-expedition-331-5a.php

What's an artist/band you feel has the most underrated discography of all time (i.e 2 or more classics that get underlooked by the AOTY community). For me it's either monk on fire or maudlin of the Well. monk on fire genuinely has such a solid 5-album run that I think deserves way more attention within the hip hop space. Their self-titled is close to a solid 10 and probably top 5 instrumental hip hop projects for me, Falling Into Saturn genuinely has some incredible songs (Freefall, Supernova, Titan), A poem is such a well-done concept, the thorn in monte carlo is a masterpiece (this one ESPECIALLY should have more attention, this release should have a rating at least of 80 imo), and Shinigami X is generally just an overhated release that would probably be appreciated just fine if it wasn't a day one drop.

What are some (preferably recent) albums that you believe were innovative enough or have a unique enough sound to think they created a completely different genre?

Here are 3 of mine that I believe could have done that:

Expedition 331-5A - While I have been impressed by all of the monk on fire outlet this year, especially on Muspelheim's end, I feel like this project is on a different end of things in terms of quality and I'm happy it was recommended to me because I probably would have missed it otherwise. While I think slushwave, utopian virtual, dreampunk and new age are probably the best descriptors for this project, I can't help but think with the completely unique sound this project produced that it could create a new subgenre of vaporwave if it gains more recognition. I hardly hear slushwave projects that use rich, classical samples like this in the way it does, truly has such a majestic sound to it. If you want to check it oit though I'd definitely recommend the Bandcamp over the Spotify version, Bandcamp's audio quality displays way more of what I'm talking about.

My Ghosts Go Ghost - This definitely is experimental hip hop but I feel like "experimental" in general is super hard to define, and this album produced a much more cinematic sound that to me if it gains more popularity it could be a new genre within hip hop. I feel like some people may disagree with this one but IDK I just feel like this project was so fresh within the hip hop space.

Nexus - Super underrated project, I think this album defines what I would call "Renaissance Rap" after the artist Hidden Renaissance. The rich samples, often stemming from European classical or jazz pieces makes that name feel appropriate to me. It's not super unique to other underground rap release, but I feel like the sound and style is different enough to where a more fleshed out version of this sound could produce a new genre.