Lav's Music Corner

Rhye is the R&B project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mike Milosh. The project emerged mysteriously about a decade ago uploading their earliest singles online with very little known about who was behind them. Home  is the projects 4th album and third in just the last 4 years.  Review By Lav: I ended up not doing a formal review of the 3rd Rhye record back in 2019 since it was so short and came so quickly after Blood  that it felt like an afterthought but in retrospect I wish I had covered it. Not because the record is incredible or anything but because I knew Rhye was an artist I was going to keep up with even though it took me a little to get to Home . Given my enjoyment of the first two albums from the project I was excited for what this record might offer, and while it all feels very familiar, well, it all feels VERY familiar.  The first two singles we heard from the record were obviously the most up-beat and accessible but I was mixed on the ...

Erick The Architect is a member of acclaimed hip hop trio Flatbush Zombies. He's served as producer for much of their material but his solo material since breaking out has been reserved to beat tapes. Coming off a pair of acclaimed singles last year Erick saw fit to drop his first collection of fully fleshed out songs on this 5 track EP. Review By Lav: Even though the Zombies studio material hasn't completely knocked me off my feet like some of their early mixtapes did the trio have consistently released plenty of quality tracks nearly every time they drop anything, which included a solid EP and pretty great single last year with James Blake on production. Erick has always been a prominent voice in their music as a rapper and as a producer so I was excited to hear what he had to offer as a solo artist especially after enjoying his singles last year. While nothing on the EP totally blew me away it is a solid set of tracks that manage to cover a variety of thematic topics with pi...

Bicep are an Irish electronica duo who first emerged in 2017 with a self-titled debut record full of punchy, involved, house parallel bangers. After receiving critical acclaim and achieving commercial success they embarked on a major tour and last years trilogy of singles was the pairs first new music since 2018.  Review By Lav: I wasn't among the first wave of fans of the original Bicep  album even though it's normally the kind of record I would stumble across. Despite coming around to it late by the end of 2017 I was all in on the records unique exciting sound. While I haven't thought much about the pair in the last few years where they've released very little music as soon as they returned I was all in for a second helping of their sound. While this record features a number of solid tracks and cool experiences it's a change-up from the bands original sound and struggles to find a new sound that's as definitive throughout.  The record had 4 singles leading up ...

Nyck Caution is a New York rapper and long time member of the Pro Era hip hop collective. He released his first mixtape back in 2016 but attracted much more attention on collaborative projects like his mixtape alongside Kirk Knight, Nyck @ Knight , or the Pro Era, Flatbush Zombies and Underachievers super group Beast Coast. Those projects led up to this, his debut album which features numerous Pro Era and Flatbush Zombies members in its tracklist.  Review By Lav: While Nyck Caution has never been one of my favorite Pro Era members he does have plenty of standout moments and consistently shows up to contribute solid material to nearly every project he appears on. Most of my favorite Nyck Caution moments thus far come on the Nyck @ Knight  mixtape where he and fellow Pro Era member Kirk Knight deliver sharp introspective hip hop dark intimate instrumentals to great success. Given how many years its been since Nyck's last solo mixtape I was hoping we would see improvement and whi...

Frank Iero is the guitarist of former/current pop punk legends My Chemical Romance. After the bands initial break-up Frank transitioned into a solo career slightly changing his bands title with each release. After the switch to The Future Violets he released his 3rd solo album in 2019. Legendary hardcore producer and member of Big Black Steve Albini was brought on to handle production on the tracks.  Review By Lav: I loved My Chemical Romance in my youth and unlike some other bands I grew up enjoying I still enjoy most of their catalog to this day. I've been mixed on the solo material Frank has put out over the last few years. I didn't love his death spells project and I was pretty mixed on his solo debut stomachaches . His 2nd solo record Parachutes  in 2016 hit me much more directly with passionate emotional highs all around and raw energetic performances that turned back the clock to his aggressive early MCR albums. That momentum didn't quite carry into his 3rd record an...

Beach Bunny is a Chicago based indie pop band who first blew up on the back of their song Prom Queen  in 2019. They transitioned into 2020 with a debut album on Mom + Pop records early in the year and are following it up with this 4 track EP of songs recorded during quarantine.  Review By Lav: I enjoyed Beach Bunny's debut last year quite a bit as a simple, fun, surfy indie pop record that flashed a ton of potential. I was hoping to catch the band at Shaky Knees Festival later in the year but it was obviously cancelled and I've been waiting since for more material from Beach Bunny. I was surprised it came so soon with the Blame Game  EP and a bit nervous that this was nothing more than a B-Side collection from the debut album. Whether it is or not may be hard to ever know for sure but it certainly doesn't sound like it because most of these tracks I really enjoy.  The EP had a lead single that came out last year and I quite enjoy it. Good Girl (Don't Get Used)  ...

Ashnikko is an up and coming rapper born in North Carolina and based in the UK. She blew up in 2019 off her song STUPID  and a number of other sexually raw and personality filled bangers. After attracting the attention of some other similarly unique artists she geared up to make her full length debut with this 10 track mixtape. Review By Lav: This was one of the trickier reviews I've ever had to piece together, calling my feelings on the album complicated would be an understatement. There is no denying that I love the character of Ashnikko, her hilarious demeanor and unique personality are infectious as a musical persona and has attracted me to her music since I first heard STUPID . Unfortunately from a songwriting and particularly from a lyrical stance Nikko has had her struggles. A couple of the singles leading up to the record predicted this and the result is a fittingly mixed bag of tracks with some awesome highs and embarrassing lows.  The record starts off decent with Da...

Shame are a British post-punk group who first turned heads in 2018 with their debut album Songs Of Praise . After it was first reported almost a full year ago the band have returned with their sophomore album which was teased with 4 singles during its lead up. Review By Lav: I wasn't a huge fan of shame's debut album a few years ago, it didn't hate the record or anything but it didn't stand out much for me and I don't think I ever properly reviewed it. I kept my eyes on the band though because of how much I've loved British post-punk in recent years and I'm glad I did because they dropped some seriously killer singles leading up to the record that had me pretty excited for it. While the lo-fi mixing can sometimes be a hindrance and not every experiment the band indulges with works perfectly, I still really enjoyed the record.  The record was 3/4 on good singles before it even came out and those songs all held up pretty well in the tracklist here. Alphabet  i...

Jazmine Sullivan is a Philly based R&B singer and commercially successful holdover from the 2000's era of R&B. The last time we heard from her was on her first project released with RCA records, the commercially successful Reality Show . After a 5 year absence she's returned with either her 4th studio album or her 1st EP depending on who you ask.  Review By Lav: Is this thing an EP or an album? It's 32 minutes long and 14 tracks, but half the songs are interludes. Wikipedia says its an EP but Spotify says its an album and so do most of the reviews I read on it. We're calling it an album for the moment just to fit in. I was always casually familiar with Jazmine and some of her biggest songs and I thought her last record in 2015 was solid but her back catalog is admittedly one I didn't have much familiarity with until this record came out. Given that I didn't even know this was coming out I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of R&B styles across...

Viagra Boys are a Swedish post-punk outfit who first emerged in the mid 2010's with a series of EPs that led up to their debut album Street Worms  in 2018. They released a series of critically acclaimed singles during the lead up to this, their sophomore album. Review By Lav: Even though I didn't totally love Viagra Boys debut album I saw a ton of unique potential and creativity in their work and was excited for what they would do next. That excitement only grew when the singles for this record started dropping and I enjoyed almost all of them. Once again I come away from this album satisfied with the record, but seeing room for improvement and excited for what the band will do next.  The lead single Ain't Nice  also serves as the opening track making for a groovy post-punk tone setter to kick the record off. It pairs snarling lead vocals with a punchy fusion of hard rock and jazz with some hints of kooky synths mixed in. The song is a balls to the wall jam that wastes no...

R.A.P Ferreira is the rapper persona of Rory Allen Phillip Ferreira formerly Milo who just last year introduced his new moniker with a critically acclaimed record Purple Moonlight Pages . Bob's Son  showed up on the first day of 2021 and features Rory on both vocals and production across the record. As a show of his innovation and creativity the album dropped alongside a virtual reality cafe where users could sit and listen to it.  Review By Lav: Rory really impressed me with last years Purple Moonlight Pages  not only proving to be a creative and innovative rapper but one that also clearly had a lot to say. I was surprised the turnaround into this record was so quick but given its short length and rough around the edges production style it feels like a spur of the moment type release. Even with parts of the record feeling rushed and songs that seem like randomly cobbled together segments Rory's creativity manages to shine through all over the record.  This record is...