Lav's Music Corner

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are an Australian psychedelic rock band known for both their prolific output and the wide variations of their sound. After releasing two moderately acclaimed albums last year and a vinyl only project earlier this year Omnium  is a highly anticipated return to numerous fan favorite sounds. Review By Lav: For a long time I was a very big fan of King Gizzard. While some of their albums are conceptually misguided their ability to execute consistently with such a variety of sounds is incredibly impressive. Unfortunately it's been a few years now since I really enjoyed one of their projects as they released not one but two sequels to their desert rock era, one of the most uninspired sounds they've ever explored. I was a bit more positive towards Catching Smoke  last year but it still didn't come near the bands best work. I think they knew that fans were feeling a bit underwhelmed because they made it a point to return to some of their classic ...

Pusha T is a Virginia Beach rapper with a history in the genre that rivals almost anyone. He broke out as a member of Clipse alongside his brother and was a frequent Pharrell collaborator throughout this era. His solo career took on a new life alongside his association with Kanye West and his G.O.O.D Music label and this is where some of his most acclaimed records show up, including his most recent in 2018, Daytona . Review By Lav: If you know me, read this blog often, or follow me on any social media you know how much I love Pusha T. That admiration comes first and foremost from a long running and extremely consistent creative output across his entire career. While I've only gotten to review Pusha T once so far it was a hell of an album and perfectly representative of his consistent execution and unmatched lethal delivery. So I was obviously very excited for what was coming next and after two singles I really enjoyed, wall to wall production from Pharrell and Kanye and some positi...

This was a busy week full of big announcements, highly anticipated singles and the start of some promising new eras. For the second week in a row I had quite a tricky time putting this list together. 5.  Down  - Hot Chip After one of the more unconventional eras of their career a few years ago Hot Chip seemed to announce a return to the basics with this bright, catchy and incredibly dancy lead single. With punchy percussion and irresistible synths all built around an earworm sample it's very easy to explain and experience the great things about the track.  Listen 4.  Hips  - Warpaint This new era of Warpaint tracks has been defined by a gentle but sleek sound and this song is no different with playful basslines and ethereal vocal melodies. The percussion continues to be a huge highlight and the circular jam it goes on throughout the final 30 seconds is like icing on the cake. This is quickly becoming one of my most anticipated projects of the year.   L...

Kae Tempest is a British poet and spoken word singer who has been releasing albums for almost a decade now. Their debut album Everybody Down  in 2014 was a massive critical success and since then they've expanded into writing across numerous mediums and in 2020 came out as nonbinary.  Review By Lav: While I've never been a Kae Tempest super fan I've always been aware of their music and stop in every few years to check out the new albums, which usually have some highlights to be found. This time around I was more interested than usual for a few reasons. Early on in the cycle Kae showed off a huge change in look and era aesthetic that seemed to serve an entirely new artistic vision for themselves. What had me even more excited was how much I liked the crop of singles which came out one after another with interesting features that lived up to my hopes.  Lets cover those first, three of the four tracks released before the record are great. More Pressure  might be the cat...

I like to think of me trying to keep up with all the EPs that come out in any given year like a terminal Sisyphean game of whack-a-mole. The moment I think I'm free of the medium suddenly more projects appear in bulk. Side projects, new artists, bonus track they come in many forms. But week after week I take aim to strike down the massive list of EPs so that come years end I can say that I have accurately assessed the field to make a best of the year list. Each of these three EPs for one reason or another may come off as slightly challenging, at least to your average listener. That's about as close to a theme as I'm able to deliver right now . Enjoy <3 comfort noise  EP - umru If you know your hyperpop and have a general awareness of underground music then you're certainly aware of umru. You're probably also aware of the impressive roster of features he pulled for this EP including Hannah Diamond, Fraxiom, Rebecca Black, Cecile Believe, Tommy Cash, 645AR and the ...

Camila Cabello is a Cuban-American pop star who got her start as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony. Since going solo she has maintained a steady presence on the charts often with high profile collaborations. Hits like Havana  with Young Thug, My Oh My  with DaBaby and Senorita  with Shawn Mendes have wracked up streams and kept Camila in the light of popular music. Review By Lav: Somehow over the years even though I have never given a Camila project a truly great review, I've somehow become some kind of Camila defender. I think it's because the collective of pop music critics and the critical underground have completely thrown her to the woods and trashed nearly everything she's released. So when I dish out any praise to her music it feels drastic by comparison. I think Camila is a moderately compelling pop artist who makes decent albums, Familia  included. If the greater music reviewing community would like to bully me for saying that, so be it. <3 This re...

While I've been doing a lot more of watching Coachella sets than listening to new music this weekend, I still took the time to lay out some of the best new songs released this week. Enjoy <3 5.  About Damn Time  - Lizzo Lizzo had quite a big weekend releasing this highly anticipated new single which came with an announcement of the similarly titled album and a performance of the song on Saturday Night Live . While the song itself may not quite live up to those expectations it is a catchy and dancy flavored piece of throwback funk pop with more than a spoonful of confidence mixed in.  Listen 4.  Something Changed  - Interpol After a rough lead single Interpol are back on track with this song which does their methodical and creeping brand of post-punk much more justice. When the slick guitar riff and kick drum open up the chorus it makes for a wonderful moment that harkens back to so many highlights from Interpol's discography.  Listen 3.  Hatefuck ...

Vince Staples is a California rapper who first emerged more than a decade ago and has bounced between being a critical darling and cult like rap artist in the years since. Ramona Park  is Vince's 4th or 5th album depending on who you ask, though some of the EP's in his discography are just as acclaimed and popular releases. Ramona Park Broke My Heart  is a sister album of sorts matching Vince's self-titled project last year.  Review By Lav: I've been a Vince Staples fan for quite a long time, but that doesn't always manifest itself with unanimous praise. I absolutely loved his debut album Summertime 06'  but as we work through his discography to the most experimental but inconsistent Big Fish Theory , then the short and simple summer tape FM!  and finally to last years kind of forgettable Vince Staples , it feels like there's a downward trend. While I wasn't crazy about these singles I was still anticipating them to forecast a step in the right direction...

Let's go babes, Coachella starts today. Whether you're in the desert yourself or watching online it's an exciting time for music fans of all kind. So rather than the monotony of collecting artists by their genre or stylistic choices to make these rapid fire reviews, this time I'm just covering three artists with records I haven't touched on this year that you can hear at Coachella this weekend. Enjoy <3   Bronco  - Orville Peck Canada's own cowboy king is back in action with a second studio album following up 2020's Show Pony  EP. I've always enjoyed Orville Peck even though I agree with the major complaint about his music, that it's built around a gimmick. But I honestly really like that gimmick. His adaptation of country aesthetics with a heartland flare paired with his trademark deep vocals is a winning formula in my book. On top of that his interpolation of gay themes is a hilarious subversion of a genre that has always had difficulty with out...

Jack White is one of the most admired and acclaimed voices in all of music. Over his 20 year career he's been involved in projects like The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. He also has a catalog of solo work and a robust discography behind the scenes as a producer, curator and as the founder of Third Man Records. Fear Of The Dawn  is his 4th solo album and follows his most experimental project yet, Boarding House Reach  in 2018. Review By Lav If you've known me for any amount of time there's a good chance you know how much I adore Jack White. He's one of the premiere guitar innovators ever really, and his musical footprint is visible in all kinds of different places throughout the industry. This means that he garners attention and varying level of appreciation from different fanbases in the music world. While his mainstream fans weren't crazy about his last record where he turned to much more experimental sonic elements, it attracted a whole new f...

Father John Misty is the pseudonym of singer-songwriter Josh Tillman who has spent the last decade releasing some of the most acclaimed records in the world of indie. His satirical and comedic style is often a source of acclaim from critics as well as fans and his smart and conceptual style of writing is instantly recognizable. Chloe And The Next 20th Century  is an instrumentally versatile concept album soaked in old Hollywood aesthetic and loosely following a character, the titular Chloe.  Review By Lav: I like Father John Misty even if I've been trying to shake a reputation as a hater among my friends for years now. The origin of that is that I didn't lump as much acclaim onto his fan favorite record I Love You, Honeybear  back in 2015. I preferred his next project Pure Comedy  which while hefty in length, was his smartest and most conceptual album to date. So seeing the defined aesthetic in the singles and music videos had me really excited for this project. Ulti...

This was yet another busy week for both new singles and new album alike. While I've been sorting through hours and hours of music I have to say that I'm quite impressed by the collection of singles we got and narrowing it down to this list was actually pretty difficult. Enjoy <3 5.  First Class  - Jack Harlow For the most part up to this point Jack Harlow has impressed mainly with his larger than life bragging, catchy hooks and general ability to avoid doing anything problematic. Not only has this song established him as a force in commercial music but it also set a kind of new bar for his level of creativity with this track being built around a sample of Fergie's  Glamourous . While it still has the scope of a simple pop rap song he pulls it off very well.  Listen 4.  Water Table  - Cola This might be the best single Cola has released yet and it looks back to some of the best Ought songs for its foundation. The steady drums and gentle echoey plucks of g...

Latto is an Atlanta rapper who has broken out in recent years with tracks like Big Energy  and Bitch From Da Souf  as well as being named to the 2020 XXL Freshman Class. 777  is her sophomore album and follows 2020's Queen Of Da Souf . Review By Lav: While I don't think Latto has a particularly impressive back catalog thus far, I have always seen the appeal of her music, in particular her uncompromising personality. On tracks where she's lean into her confidence and demeanor she has been just as good as some of her best and most popular contemporaries, so it was no surprise to me to see her developing some more acclaim and commercial success. I wouldn't say that had me anticipating that 777  would be some kind of major breakout record, I was just hoping she would lean into that personality. Turns out she does, and the results are pretty solid.  A lot of discussion surrounding this record starts with one song, Big Energy . It has sort of become Latto's true comme...

PUP is a Canadian punk band who have generated quite a bit of critical success with 4 albums across the past 10 years. Their 2019 album Morbid Stuff  in particular was a critical darling and a huge fan favorite. THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND  is the follow up to that project, and a loose concept album about the band spending all of their labels money and then going bankrupt.  Review By Lav: While I've never been quite as big of a fan of PUP as some critics I have been enjoying their music for years now. Morbid Stuff  was my favorite of their releases to date but since then I've been a little iffy on their output. I wasn't crazy about last years This Place Sucks Ass  EP even though I still love its lead single Rot . Similarly I enjoyed the lead single from this album cycle, but the actual project itself didn't quite live up to that.  If UNRAVELING  is one thing, it's funny. The most consistent part about it is how the attitude and subject matter is hilar...