Lav's Music Corner

5.  Soul Capturer - Animal Collective The "single version" attached to this song feels particularly funny after the band took a big swing on a 21-minute lead single.  This isn't one of those Animal Collective songs that blows me away immediately with some kind of catchy refrains or wild instrumentation. But the longer the track goes on the more its hypnotic loops go to work on me. The watery sounds of Avey Tare's solo music leak into these tracks in a way that wasn't explicitly present on their last project but they manage to make solid use of it. Listen 4.  HEALMODE  - Jeff Rosenstock This is a song I've gone back and forth on a LOT. There are elements of its amateurish nature with the imperfect vocals and simple instrumentation that were grating right out of the gate. But the more I sat with the song and dug into its vivid lyrical details I started to develop a connection with it. Ultimately I've started to like the song quite a bit and Jeff Rosenstock i...

Blur are one of the definitive bands of the Brit-Pop era, helping to define the sound of British music in the early 90s. In the wake of their 1995 album The Great Escape  they shifted genre focus towards other styles and genre experiments. Though the various members have kept busy, the band had only released 2 albums since the 90s. Their last project, 2015's The Magic Whip  came amid an era of turmoil for the group in their attempt to reform. This new tour and album has been much more clinical by comparison. Review by Lav: Blur is one of my favorite bands of all time. ANYONE and I do mean anyone who knows me personally can probably recall a time where I tried to convince them to join the fandom. The band's bouncy attitude, witty lyricism, dynamic songwriting, and unparalleled ability to conjure up brilliant hooks first caused me to fall in love with them almost a decade ago and the admiration has only grown since. While I've covered solo works from the various members a num...

5.  Ruins - Lost Girls Jenny Hval's Lost Girls project is back with a seeming shift in focus both sonically and compositionally. The track is more conventional in almost every sense than much of their last album but it works because Jenny is incapable of not standing out. The last minute is really where she seals the deal with her trademark girlish vocals buttoning up the song perfectly. Listen 4.  Talk To Me Nice  - Tinashe I've been awaiting new Tinashe ever since I was shocked that her last project ended up as one of my favorite R&B projects of 2021. While this new single doesn't set the world on fire the way some of her best songs do, its more lowkey tone still works. She manages to use her poise to extract obedience out of the track's title refrain and the song is growing on me pretty much every time I hear it.  Listen 3.  White Horse  - Chris Stapleton Alongside the announcement of his long-awaited follow-up to 2020's Starting Over , an album I st...

3 Of Us  EP - FLO I've been paying a lot of attention to the R&B trio FLO recently following a strong EP they dropped last year. Adding onto that they kicked off 2023 with an absolutely great single called Fly Girl. The song was a textbook 2000s throwback with Missy Elliott on board for a perfect guest verse. I was a little disappointed to see that song not appear here. though excited regardless because the group had recently succeeded so well within the EP format. That's why I find the opener Control Freak  so disappointing with its really heavy-handed melodies and lyrical content. The song's subject matter just feels way too obvious and sonically it never materializes into anything even remotely smooth.  Thankfully the second track Change  is much closer to a return to form. It wouldn't be among my favorite of the group's tracks but it does a great job at highlighting the members' distinctive features. It also has a beautifully layered hook that features m...

Contemporary hip hop is having the down year of all down years. Until Lil Uzi dropped Pink Tape  it hadn't even had a number-one album at any point in 2023. That's why I largely felt okay putting it on the back burner as none of the records were exactly critical darlings either. Now, before Travis Scott comes along and resets the game later this month I'm taking a look at some of the biggest release of the year so far. Business Is Business  - Young Thug I assumed that this would be like many releases made when an artists is unable to be directly involved in the artistic process for one reason or another. But I've also been a big fan of Thugger in the past and I thought his deep cuts might be at least on par with some of his contemporaries studio material, I was right. This album isn't amazing or anything and it's far from his best but it also still manages to stand above many of his contemporaries despite his incarceration. Firstly, the album's 46-minute run...

This was a fucking amazing week for new singles where tracks that could have topped the list at points this year missed the list entirely. Do yourself a favor and check out new songs from Forest Swords, JT, Yuele, Spellling, BIA, Baroness, A. Savage and Jung Kook because they're all great. I have a playlist every week for the best new tracks that stretched to a full 15 songs, you can check it out here <3 5.  Affirmations  - Hannah Diamond This is exactly what I needed to wipe away the tears from PC Music closing down. Hannah returns with an absolutely vintage electro pop song that is as cute and catchy as ever. She also manages to bring her infectious pop production freshly into 2023 with bubbly synths, cheery vocal effects and a simple but complete earworm of a beat. This song rules. Listen 4.  The Trench Coast Museum  - Yard Act This is the best Yard Act song so far and frankly, it isn't even close. A hilarious 8-minute narrative about repurposing the trench coa...

Julie Byrne is a New York singer-songwriter whose defining characteristics of sonic minimalism and folk instrumentation aren't unique to her but do create a distinctive sound. Her breakout album came in 2017 with the critical gem Not Even Happiness  which features beloved songs like Follow My Voice  and Natural Blue . After the tragic passing of one of her collaborators caused a delay, Byrne's third studio album The Greater Wings  arrives 6 years after her breakthrough. Review by Lav: I've always loved Not Even Happiness . It's an album whose sonic intention is clear even if its songwriting isn't always flawless. Even its most patient moments have never waned on me. Earlier this year I spotted the album on vinyl in the used section of my local record store and figured it had been long enough. That turned out to be the start of a year full of Julie's rich vocals and delicate instrumental palettes. She returned with three new singles in the lead up to this album, ...

ANOHNI is a British singer-songwriter who formerly fronted the band Antony And The Johnsons for four albums in the 2000s. After turning to her solo career in the 2010s she dropped the massively acclaimed album Hopelessness  in 2016. Now 7 years later she is reforming her backing band The Johnsons and releasing a new album, the first officially credited to ANOHNI And The Johnsons.  Review by Lavender: ANOHNI's 2016 album HOPELESSNESS  came out at a pretty substantial time for me as both a music fan and a trans woman. That's why I've long propped the album up as a personal favorite of mine and connected to other artists who channel their protest and anger through sheer dejected defeat. But I've matured a lot since then. Enough to realize that ANOHNI may have an even greater masterpiece in her catalog. The 2005 Antony And The Johnsons album I Am A Bird Now  is every bit as beautiful a work of art as I've heard from anyone in the 2000s. This earned respect for ANOHNI...

I am a day late again, sorry, I keep busy. Also this was one of the weakest release weeks for new singles of the entire year so far. Enjoy regardless <3 5.  R e s e n t m e n t  - Partynextdoor I responded pretty negatively to this song at first despite being a pretty big PND fan for a long time. The instrumental couldn't be any flatter and it really holds the song back with how stiff it is. Thankfully some of the refrains and sentiments have grown on me enough that I can have a decent time listening to it. Listen 4.  So Much  - Peter Gabriel This is the SEVENTH new Peter Gabriel single of the year so far, 13th if you count the fact that every single song has had both "dark" and "light" versions. This one isn't my favorite of the inconsistent bunch of songs but it does have songwriting principles that are impossible not to admire. Gabriel's voice still carries quite a bit of power even at its most reserved and this stark piano ballad format is one tha...

This is my attempt to cover some projects that get RAVE reviews from critics and are beloved by indie fans. While I like all three of them I've never been nearly as crazy about their work as fans. Space Heavy  - King Krule Archy Marshall's King Krule project is one that I've enjoyed in flashes. There were moments across the projects first EP and following two albums that I thought were uniquely dense despite their minimal sound. But it was always met with waves of uninteresting space in between. The first King Krule project I can really say I liked was the third album, 2020's Man Alive! . That's why I was looking forward to this album, at least at first.  At the very least I'll say this album does one thing REALLY well. A handful of songs on the record have this brooding romantic sensation of watching the world burn while hand in hand with someone you love. It isn't always exactly the same sentiment but the songs that dabble in this medium are wonderful. Sea...

Knocknarea EP - Maruja Maruja are an experimental rock band whose live performances I've seen passed along through grainy recordings on dorky music threads for a while now. They have a combination of prog and hardcore that will remind friends of Black Midi only more methodical. This EP's quietest moments are willing to be FAR more reserved and simplistic than Black Midi's but the band can also burst into a frenzy that feels much more grating and visceral. It's a comparison that really stuck with me once I heard this project's opening track Thunder  when it dropped as a single. The song is so clearly inspired by Black Midi's sophomore album Cavalcade  that you could almost try and slip it in as a more hardcore-flavored b-side. The second track and first single Blind Spot  is even more patient though it reaches a level of noise that I'm surprised is even possible for a four-piece. The band's breakout track of sorts has been The Tinker. The track is a rushi...

We're officially in the second half of 2023 and the singles chart is off to a GREAT start. 5.  DOUBT - Jeff Rosenstock Fittingly, Jeff Rosenstock left no doubt with his second single. The awesome two-part single shows off Jeff at his most sentimental on the more emotional first half before erupting into an explosion of punky angst in the second half. All along the way the track is full of great refrains and even better vocals from Jeff.  Listen 4.  Defeat  - Animal Collective AnCo delivered a whopper of a new single completely out of nowhere. The new track treats fans to a number of highly distinct segments across more than 21 minutes of music. While I couldn't possibly have listened to it enough times to remember the whole thing just this week, I did listen to it an embarrassing number of times. A full breakdown of the track isn't for this forum but I'll say that while every single moment isn't perfectly essential there are some absolutely wonderful passages.  ...