Lav's Music Corner

I promise the rapid fire reviews are almost done. The next entire month is packed full of new releases I'm excited for and will be reviewing in full, but for the past few weeks I've mainly been playing catch-up before the year is halfway through. Euphoric Recall  - Braids Braids are an indie act that I've always been nicer to than most critics, at least dating back to their 2015 third album Deep In The Iris . Its follow-up five years later was even better and gave me plenty of reason to be excited for new music from the enigmatic trio, even if the four singles leading up to it didn't blow me away. Apple  is a song that grew on me over time. I love the beautiful vocalizations throughout but the short refrain it returns to over and over again never really did anything for me. The more I paid attention to the shifting tides of the instrumental the more I began to appreciate it. Evolution  has been the record's breakout hit of sorts and is already well on its way to bec

playing w/ fire  EP - redveil Redveil is a Maryland rapper whose music I first became aware of last year when his Learn 2 Swim  album picked up some traction in online hip-hop spaces. I thought this project was decent and flashed some pretty serious potential but nothing about it begged me to cover the record in depth. So this year when Redveil ended up as the lone feature on the biggest underground rap album of the year so far, Danny Brown & Jpegmafia's Scaring The Hoes , it felt like an endorsement too big to ignore and I wanted to be sure to cover his next project. That project is this new EP which runs pretty scant at just 15 minutes across 6 tracks. It was preceded by a pair of singles which when combined with the grand sweeping opener stuck  makes for a dramatic first half of the project. Across this EP redveil is trying to show himself as a versatile talent and lead single giftbag is no exception as he sings the hook in a very Juice WRLD emo-rap flavored demeanor just to

5.  Justify Your Life  - George Clanton Even though the issue I've always had with George's music, namely the songwriting, is still an issue on this song it might be one of my favorites he's made so far. I just can't deny the track's sunny, fuzzy disposition and rich assembly of instrumentation. Even if moments on the hook hit like a thud they quickly get blended into the gorgeous haze presented throughout the song.  Listen 4.  Time Ain't Accidental  - Jess Williamson This upcoming Jess Williamson album is quickly becoming one of my most anticipated of the year following last year's Plains  and one great single after another. This one isn't quite as instantaneous as the others but with each new subtle piece of instrumentation introduced accompanied by a string of memorable lyrics, it certainly worked its magic on me quickly.  Listen 3.  LIKED U BETTER  - Jeff Rosenstock The DIY king is back in action with a song that quickly ditches its acoustic demeanor

PORTALS  - Melanie Martinez A few years ago when I reviewed Melanie's long-awaited sophomore album K-12  I called her a cult pop star because her dark and thematic songs attracted a cult following with the way they tackled adult subjects through childhood imagery, but they hadn't broken into the mainstream. In the years since however, Melanie's music has repeatedly gone viral and her fans have gotten a LOT louder. One thing that hasn't changed is my opinions on Melanie's first two albums. Crybaby  still deserves its cult status and probably deserves a lot more recognition in retrospect for how many indie and underground pop artists of today were clearly influenced by it. While her sophomore record K-12  is more inconsistent it's also rewardingly conceptual and the plotless but heavily stylized movie it was attached to is equally fun. In combination with those two albums and the fact that I still enjoyed the lead single DEATH  a good bit, I was fully anticipating

KAYTRAMINE is a new collaborative project from producer KAYTRANADA who garnered massive critical acclaim for his electronica meets psychedelic debut album 99.9%  in 2016. and Amine a Portland rapper whose smooth flows and charismatic delivery have been charming fans since around the same time.  Review by Lav: To me, this album was a slam dunk. On top of loving the lead single, it also set me up with expectations that KAYTRAMINE  would be a collection of endlessly summery hip-house bops from Kay and Amine. While the actual album itself certainly isn't bad, it doesn't achieve the measure of consistency I was hoping for nor the specific style I anticipated.  In the album's defense, it does get off to a pretty strong start. Alongside the lead single 4EVA  is a strong opening song in Who He Iz  and a harder-hitting banger than I was anticipating in Westside . letstalkaboutit  is pretty much exactly what I was hoping for from the album with a glistening sunny vibe in the instrume

I think it would be funny if this piece just included me reviewing all THREE of the projects Youngboy has dropped in the first half of the year but I already ruined it by covering the first one back in January, RIP.  WON'T HE DO IT  - Conway The Machine Griselda rapper Conway The Machine is on a hot streak. The first of his projects I formally covered was 2020s From A King To A God  which I thought was just okay but it didn't take long for him to one-up himself on the next year's mixtape La Maquina . He then turned around the very next year and dropped by far his best project to date and one of the best Griselda projects period God Don't Make Mistakes , so despite his prolific release schedule there was plenty of reason to be excited for this. Unfortunately, it becomes pretty clear on this record that Conway is serving up some form of leftovers with this tracklist as the songs feel consistently undercooked. The easiest place to tell is on the instrumental side of things

This week had some VERY high-profile comebacks that I was pretty interested to dissect even though nothing sounded anything like I expected it to, for better or for worse. Enjoy <3 5.  Say Yes To Heaven  - Lana Del Rey Lana did the gays another favor this year by officially releasing a fan-favorite leak that's been floating around for a while. While this was never one of the Lana leaks I was totally head over heels for I'm glad she's putting it out in this capacity because it has the murky distinctive darkness of her Ultraviolence  era all over it. The gentle sway of the melodies and the practical visuals of the lyrics combine quite well.  Listen 4.  WHERE SHE GOES  - Bad Bunny I've been fooled too many times, I won't be late on Bad Bunny again. His new single is a pummeling cross-section of hip-hop and reggaeton that has hit written all over it, not just because of a star-studded music video either. Bad Bunny continues to use his beaming personality to distance

Since I Have A Lover  - 6LACK Despite having a pretty diehard fanbase of R&B lovers, 6LACK's music has often received a general shrug from most critics, if they even acknowledge him at all. Maybe out of my deep love for the genre, I've been the exception. Even though nothing 6LACK does drastically stands out from the crowd, I found myself enjoying his last album 2018's East Atlanta Love Letter  and the 2020 follow-up EP 6pc Hot. So even though there was plenty of reason to be excited for this project after hearing the singles and giving it a few listens I wasn't exactly in a hurry to cover it. The record runs nearly an hour long which isn't inherently a problem given how long 6LACK has been quiet. Unfortunately, though, the length of this record is a huge problem with 19 songs that are anything but consistent.  One of the more unique elements of the record is how much it feels like a fusion of the fundamentals of R&B with indie rock styles. We see this on th

Panchiko is a British rock band that first recorded music in the late '90s and early 2000s and ultimately disbanded shortly after. Years later a CD of the bands D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L  EP surfaced online after someone discovered it in a second-hand store. Even though the songs on the project had suffered from severe CD rot the band still became a sensation among music fans online who eventually found the original members who had properly mastered versions of the songs and have now returned for a tour and long awaited proper debut album.  Review by Lavender: The mystique of Panchiko had been working on me since long before I heard any of the material for this album. Listening to the rotted version of their songs and falling in love with the unique blend of physical and synthetic worked into both the music and story of the band, only to then hear the songs breakthrough with far more clarity than ever before was a magical experience as a fan. Getting to see the

5.  MOTHERLESS  - Killer Mike While all of Mike's new singles have been blunt, this one is straightforward in a different way with a hook that lays out the exact caliber of trauma that he's working through in song. While the sparse beat and occasional gospel interpolations do come off as pretty light, they're all in service of a worthwhile journey of self-reflection. Listen 4.  Momentary Actuality  - Pupil Slicer The closer we get to this new Pupil Slicer album the more and more I become convinced that it might be one of my favorite metal records of the year. This new track has a strong dichotomy of blistering verses marked by switch-ups in instrumental speed and intensity but pays it off with a dystopian-sounding hook that chills things in the absolute best way.  Listen 3.  Giddy Up  - Jenny Lewis If you think you've got Jenny Lewis' sound pinned down this song is here to come along and tell you she's got more versatility than you're expecting. While her so

The Clocktower At The Beach - William Basinski When it comes to ambient music, with the exception of Brian Eno it doesn't get any more legendary than William Basinski. The tape loop god is responsible for one of my favorite albums of all time The Disintegration Loops  which when combined with its three sequels have collectively soundtracked some of the most thorough dissociations of my entire life. But William Basinski isn't a one trick pony and his return to those droning impressions on 2017's A Shadow In Time  was a welcome one, as was it's much more difficult to pin down follow-up In Time Out Of Time  a few years later. But the real crown jewel of Basinski's recent output is 2020's Lamentations , whose haunting darkness came served with a Caretaker-esque nostalgia that still enthralls me from start to finish. That flirtatiousness with nostalgia returns on this 42-minute archival piece that has sat unreleased since 1979. I've expressed interest in the past

This weekend I'm away at Shaky Knees music festival so there's won't be many new reviews and the best new tracks might be late. To supplement I'm covering a trio of bands that will be playing at the festival this weekend. (Editor's note, when this was started Manchester Orchestra was scheduled to play at the event but had to back out before the show) The Valley Of Visions  - Manchester Orchestra 2000's indie band Manchester Orchestra recaptured the attention of indie fans, me included, with their 2017 album A Black Mile To The Surface  which felt like a fittingly dramatic and emotional blend of the styles of indie music both old and new. While I wasn't nearly as into their follow-up The Million Masks Of God  I do plan on seeing the band this weekend and part of that was giving this new shorter album a few relistens. The record's two singles didn't necessarily impress me but they also didn't give me any reason to look away. The first of which Capi

I'm a day late, sorry I was at Shaky Knees. Enjoy <3 5.  Four Kinds Of Horses  - Peter Gabriel In the ongoing march of new Peter Gabriel singles each coming with multiple versions this specific track may not stand out the most. Once again it's a little longwinded and Gabriel seems to assume a level of grandiosity for the track that it doesn't really do anything to earn. However, seeing it through proved to be a pretty enjoyable endeavor.  Listen 4.  Spit  - Poppy Especially in a light week this Poppy cover of the underrated Kittie song was going to stand out. As usual she isn't lacking for energy and the pummeling instrumentation is the perfect backdrop for her screams. Even if it comes off a bit formulaic it's a formula that works. Listen 3.  You Are The Beginning  - Boris/Uniform Prolific Japanese rock band Boris is teaming up with industrial act Uniform for a new collab album as you'd know if you've been anywhere near someone listening to this new sing

Susanne Sundfor is a Norwegian singer-songwriter who first broke out with a sound that combined classical instrumentation with electronic elements in the early 2010s. Her previous album Music For People In Trouble  in 2017 shifted her style in a more folk and conventional singer-songwriter direction a style that is continued and expanded upon on blomi . Review by Lav: Susanne has always been one of those artists that I liked a LOT more than the popular consensus, the first piece of evidence being how much her songs and albums have appeared in my decade retrospective video series. I was thrilled earlier this year when Susanne announced her long-awaited return with an album that would expand on the shift in sound she undertook on Music For People In Trouble  and after a pair of enjoyable singles this was becoming one of my most anticipated albums of the year. Turns out those instincts were solid because Blomi  is wonderful.  The record launched with an absolutely gorgeous lead single Aly