Lav's Music Corner

Two weeks of early posts, one week late. As it comes, so it goes.  Enjoy <3 5.  Touch The Sun  - Cryalot If Sarah Bonito's second solo single as Cryalot doesn't click with you on purpose, try sticking with it because I had the exact same reaction and it's growing on me. The allegorical comparisons to Icarus start to add up and the hook is much stickier than it might get credit for on first listen. But it's really the song's dramatic sonic build-up to a sun-kissed and heavily distorted finale that sold me on its effectiveness.  Listen 4.  Copening  - Benjamin Clementine There aren't many artists who I was more excited to hear from in 2022 than Benjamin Clementine and what he delivered was a pair of songs that feel very within his wheelhouse. The first is this eerie chamber ballad with echoing piano and gentle but utterly commanding refrains. It may not be as expansive as his best work but it proves exactly why it was such an anticipated return.  List...

Jack White really needs no introduction. He's a Detroit guitarist, singer and songwriter who made a name for himself as a member of The White Stripes and has since found success with his solo work as well as bands like The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. Entering Heaven Alive  is his second album of 2022 and was billed as the more reserved counter-part to Fear Of The Dawn . Review by Lav: I'm obsessed with Jack White that's no secret. While I've found something to enjoy in pretty much all of his projects I can't say that his solo work is one of my favorite ventures of his. Though I don't think he has a BAD solo album I also can't say that any of his 5 solo projects are among my absolute favorite moments of his career. That includes Fear Of The Dawn  which came out earlier this year and featured many bold experimentations that didn't really translate with me, as well as this album Entering Heaven Alive  which takes a much more digestible sonic approach ...

Lolla is this weekend and while the line-up feels kind of weak compared to other years there are still some artists I was looking for an excuse to cover, so here they are.  7220  - Lil Durk When you review as much music as I do there are literally hundreds of artists that come across your desk in a year and it's part of the job to determine what is worth picking out and covering. In terms of genres that drown in this over-stimulation, the worst offender is probably the endless parade of singer-songwriters who get a brief amount of clout from major publications, but not far behind are contemporary trap rappers which feel pretty dime a dozen these days. When I first heard Lil Durk I lumped him into that pile and I need to remedy that decision by covering him here. While I didn't have any reason to believe he would turn around and drop a classic with this album, he certainly deserves coverage more than some of his faceless contemporaries as he's now proven beyond a doubt both ...

Joey Bada$$ is a New York rapper and member of the Pro Era collective who broke onto the scene a decade ago with a now-classic debut mixtape 1999  which was released when Joey was still a teenager. After pivoting from his NY boom-bap style into a more conscious and political focus on is 2017 album All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ , Joey is returning with 2000 , a sequel to his original breakout mixtape. Review by Lav: Despite a discography that is pretty slim compared to some of his contemporaries, largely due to the 5-year gap between studio albums, Joey Badass has carved out a place for himself among the top-tier artists of today. He did this by emerging as an extremely talented individual at a very young age and continuing to impress with both his music and his far-reaching collaborations. Even though I've enjoyed some of his side work ultimately this is what I was waiting for, not only a full-length return from Joey but also a project that's thematically connected to his still legenda...

This weekend's (or possibly week's by the time I finish) rapid fire reviews will cover a few records I've really wanted to talk about mostly because they have something strikingly unique about them that at the very least you won't hear anywhere else in 2022.  Enjoy <3 LP.8  - Kelly Lee Owens I think both of Kelly Lee Owens first two records are both quite solid but in the back of my mind I've also always held onto that belief that she has a classic record in her. Her willingness to adventure into compelling sonic directions compared with her vocals talent which thrives over sparse electronic landscapes makes for a great combo that reminds me a lot of what initially made James Blake so appealing. This album is far and away Kelly's most experimental yet trading a lot of conventional song structure out for atmospheric haze and methodically repeated phrases that echo out into the void. It's an artistic choice that I think makes a lot of sense coming off a rec...

Two weeks of Best New Track being released early/on time, it must be a miracle. Enjoy <3 5.  A Foul Form  - Thee Oh Sees On this brief new Oh Sees track they really only need around a minute and a half to make this crushing distorted haze of a song which somehow also manages to have nearly chant-along refrains. It almost sounds like it's coming from another band with another sound entirely but if this is just a taste, it certainly feels like a worthwhile direction to explore.  Listen 4.  TV  - Billie Eilish Billie dropped a pair of new acoustic cuts this week, the better of which is TV  a gentle meditation on how a romantic relationship can pull you away from your friends. It's honest and raw both sonically and thematically and represents a the climb up a mountain for Billie acoustic songs from being the real duds of her debut album, to some of the highlights on her sophomore album and now some of her best work.  Listen 3.  Orange County Punk R...

Steve Lacy is a singer, songwriter and producer who has worked with dozens of artists over the past decade and been a part of numerous already classic tracks. He's also been a member of Odd Future off-shoot band The Internet since 2015. Despite his long-running prescence in the music industry Gemini Rights  is just Lacy's second studio album and follows 2019's Apollo XXI . Review by Lav: While I like Steve Lacy quite a bit and am more than aware of many of the wonderful contributions he's made to songs and records I love, I've never been crazy about his solo work under his own name. I gave a pretty harsh review to his previous album which came up again recently when I talked about it in my " Great Songs From Bad Albums " video. Despite not loving his last record I did think that his bassline talent plus a single I really enjoyed was enough to warrant hype for this record. Unfortunately, as it turns out, Lacy's ear for rewarding sonic direction is prett...

Black Midi are a London post-punk band who introduced themselves quickly a few years ago with a massively acclaimed debut in 2019. Hellfire  is the band's third album in just four years and shows a continued journey into the sounds of progressive rock.  Review by Lav: A lot of my reviews start with the phrase, "It's no secret that I like *band or artist* a lot". Well, it's no secret that I like Black Midi a lot. I dished out glowing reviews and high placements on my year-end lists to both of their first two albums. Even with all that context in my back pocket the band managed to get me even more excited for this record with a trio of absolutely excellent singles. While I do have one main complaint about the record, one I never thought I'd have with this band, it is still easily one of the best albums I've heard this year so far and anybody with any interest in experimental rock should do themselves a favor and check this out.  After a short but very exciti...

Look at me. After almost being late two weeks ago and being late last week, this feature is actually coming out on time. Not just on time but even a few hours earlier than usual.  Enjoy <3 5.  Aquamarine  - Black Thought & Dangermouse (Feat. Michael Kiwanuka) One of the gifts that keeps on giving this year is the upcoming Black Thought and Dangermouse collab which delivers one single after another with not only great instrumentals and Black Thought's lethal delivery, but some awesome features as well. This time they team up with Michael Kiwanuka for a dramatic and totally intoxicating hip hop jam. Listen 4.  get high, breathe underwater (#3)  - teen suicide The return of teen suicide has been one of the more welcome additions of 2022 and Sam Ray's project is now two for two on new singles. This lo-fi indie cut is breezy by design packed full of swirling pianos and charming vocal harmonies. While it doesn't rewrite the book on this concept clearly the proj...

  Icons  EP - Two Shell Two Shell is an electronic music project that has been turning heads this year with their new EP and also their anonymity with controversial live performances and evocative interviews. I've seen many, including myself, compare their early buzz to that of Sophie, A.G. Cook and the early P.C. Music scene, though projecting them to have that level of quality or impact is more than presumptuous. But all of that was mainly just to draw attention to the music and once you actually crack down into the songs on this new EP of theirs, they're pretty good. While I wouldn't call their loud and brash take on house music and electronica all that groundbreaking there is a distinct industrial and garage messiness to their style that stood out to me immediately the first time I heard a song like Pods . I will say that once I got to listen to this EP in full I was surprised by how much more polished the rest of the songs were as they take a much more wonky and humoro...

Viagra Boys are a Swedish post-punk band who first emerged about 5 years ago with a unique, funny post-punk sound. Despite how different they sound from some of their contemporaries within the genre they have been cited as one of many recently emerging bands under the "post-brexit core" sound of post-punk. Cave World  follows last years critically acclaimed sophomore album Welfare Jazz . Review by Lav: Even though there are some absolutely great songs on the first two Viagra Boys records like Creatures  and Sports  I wasn't really head over heels for their first two albums. So when I enjoyed the singles going into this record quite a bit I was still hesitant overall going into it. Turns out I should have given the band a little more credit because they've not only pushed their sound into a heavier and catchier direction but also delivered on their most conceptual and consistent project yet. Everything about Cave World  is Viagra Boys at their best yet. Let's talk ...

One day late, sorry, busy weekend. Not wasting any more time.  Enjoy <3 5.  Graveyard Love  - The Mars Volta While it's clear that we won't get the full picture of this new Mars Volta record until it can be digested in its entirety but these singles certainly seem to predict a change of pace. With clearer and hookier melodies, less overwhelming instrumentation and a short runtime it's a fine outing though one that certainly stands out for the band. Listen 4.  RUN  - Killer Mike (Feat. Young Thug) Killer Mike is back with his first solo single since Run The Jewels became america's sweethearts and it features a fellow Atlanta legend in the recently incarcerated Young Thug. For the most part the track is a parade of Mike's accomplishments as a veteran in the hip hop community who has been one of the definitive conscious voices in the genre for over 20 years. Despite its general lack of ambition that song is still an exciting anthem based on the charm and stature...

Moor Mother is a Philly poet and musician who has been on a streak of massively acclaimed underground releases across the past few years. Her solo studio albums, collaborative projects and dozens of notable features have made her one of the definitive critical darlings of the past five years. Jazz Codes  is her 6th true solo studio album and second for Anti-, as well as her second release of 2022 following her 700 Bliss collaborative album with DJ Haram last month.  Review by Lav: I've enjoyed quite a lot of what Moor Mother has done and she's on a particularly hot streak. Even though I wasn't as thrilled by 700 Bliss' Nothing To Declare  as I hoped I might be, the good faith from records like True Opera , Black Encyclopedia Of The Air , and BRASS  is still strong and it came backed by a handful of great singles in the lead up to this record.  Jazz Codes  is 18 tracks a number of which are quite short given that the full runtime fails to even reach 45 minut...

These are a trio of multi-faceted artists I've talked about before and wanted to make sure I reviewed before their records faded too far out of the lens of music fans, if that hasn't already happened. MAHAL  - Toro Y Moi I had high expectations for this record for a couple of reasons. The first is that I thought both of the last two Toro Y Moi records were pretty decent and that he might be building to his most substantial release in years especially given the more perceivable concept that runs through this one. I also liked the singles quite a bit as a general group but specifically the song Postman , one of the most infectious singles I've heard anywhere in 2022. Surprisingly given the personality of the singles this record is actually a lot more innocuous than I was anticipating and while it isn't exactly chill wave levels of cool, there's a sense of hesitation here to anything too sonically unpredictable. While there are certainly lots of good vibes and pleasant...

More big releases this week so lets not waste any time in sorting through them.  Enjoy <3 5.  We're Not In Orbit Yet...  - Broken Bells After teasing the return of Broken Bells for years, the duo of Shins frontman James Mercer and Danger Mouse are finally back with this meandering five minute piece of spacey indie rock. It's lackadaisical approach makes the drifting through these passages sometimes feel a bit monotonous but when they hit their stride pairing exciting instrumentation with good refrains it makes for some amazing moments. Listen 4.  Hot Shit  - Cardi B (Feat. Kanye West & Lil Durk) Cardi's long awaited and highly anticipated new single is a collaborative effort with features from Durk and Kanye alongside a booming Tay Keith beat and even an Electric Boogie  sample. It's a big swing for one of the biggest artists in the industry but does it work, sort of. Despite all the grandeur Cardi is actually right in her comfort zone with this extr...