Lav's Music Corner

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...

5.  Fatal Attraction  - 6LACK After I was split on the first two singles from this new album more of my hopes than I'd like to admit rested on this song and I kind of came down in the middle. 6LACK is still a very compelling performer and I like the wavy spaced-out production on this song quite a bit. The problem is almost everything here from the lyrical content, to the piano refrain, and even the hook itself feels really standard and arguably overdone. It's a track that fails to excite me like a single should but would make a fine deep cut. Listen 4.  Lean Beef Patty  - Danny Brown & Jpegmafia The first offering from one of the most highly anticipated rap crossovers in years is a short offering that feels MUCH more like Peggy than Danny with it's blown out bass and chaotic changes in style. Even if it feels more like a 2-minute bar fest than an actual song these two are still undeniably compelling performers and it shows in the intensity they can put behind eve...

5.  Talkback  - 6lack Even if using the same Sting sample as Lucid Dreams  only a few years after it was a smash hit is a bold idea I also think this might be my favorite 6lack song in quite a while. All of his swagger as a performer and versatility between singing and rapping comes through to make the song pretty irresistible. You basically know what you're getting with this one but that's not a complaint.  Listen 4.  Failed At Math(s)  - Panchiko A few years ago I would have never believed we would get Panchiko reunited and recording new music but here it is. While their new single didn't exactly blow me away it did something just as important, maintained some of the stylistic motifs of the music that broke the band through in the first place even though it's been over 20 years since then.  Listen 3.  My Cosmos Is Mine  - Depeche Mode This might be the darkest new Depeche Mode song in a while at least in terms of soundplay and I actually li...

5.  Worms  - Ashnikko I can see this not going over well since on the surface this song is a pretty severe aesthetic mismatch with lyrics that don't seem to particularly add up to anything and a plucked bassline placed precariously over a rattling trap beat. Once I gave myself into the theme of the song, having brain worms, it's sonic clashes started to click with me a bit more. Whether this will hold up will be put to the test on the album but I see the potential in what Ashnikko is going for here more than on the first single.  Listen 4.  Since I Have A Lover  - 6LACK The decision to switch from darker, moodier R&B to something brighter and even a bit indie flavored was one I didn't understand at first but it did grow on me ever so slightly. Maybe it's just that I'm so excited for 6LACK to be back but some of the things that normally bother me on songs like the weak hook or the track just bowing out completely out of nowhere at the end didn't really dampen...

Denzel Curry is a Florida rapper who has been omnipresent in hip hop for both his acclaimed albums and numerous standout features and collaborations. Melt My Eyez See Your Future  follows a shorter and more mixtape style release from Curry in 2019 and a collaborative EP with Kenny Beats in 2020. It serves as his first fully fleshed out studio album since 2018's critical success Ta13oo . Review By Lav: I've been a fan of Denzel Curry for quite a while. Some of his most rabid and diehard stans will certainly have a leg up on me in some areas but I've heard his entire commercial discography and responded pretty positively to most of it. For that reason I was excited to hear another full length project given how much I've liked his most conceptual and well thought album to date Ta13oo . If you're expecting Eyez  to be as cohesive that really isn't the point of the record, which deals in the most varied tracklist on any of Curry's records to date. While moments o...

Saba is a Chicago rapper who made his name off of jazz rap with a heavy focus on narrative lyricism and a reserved performance style. He has an impressive list of collaborations including Noname, Smino, Chance The Rapper and his own group Pivot Gang who released their debut album as a collective back in 2019. Few Good Things  follows Saba's breakout project, the critically derisive CARE FOR ME  from 2018. Review By Lav: That introduction saying that CARE FOR ME  is derisive is no joke, I was there. When I published a very positive review of the album I had people in my Twitter DMs saying all kinds of shit about my "chops" as a rap critic for liking the project. But you also don't have to look hard to find a very devoted fanbase who have been patiently awaiting a follow-up. I wasn't sure exactly how to feel going into this record because I certainly believe in Saba's level of talent, but I was mixed on the singles and even some of the features I've heard fr...

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...

The Extended Play is a curious little collection of songs more substantial than a single but not quite as definitive as an album. Despite how often it's overlooked there's plenty of great music every year delivered on various EPs ranging from the most mainstream to the most experimental artists. Whether they're a brief dive into an alternative sound, a tighter collection of thematically aligned songs or just a taster to guide fans over between more substantial releases each of these EPs proved that they can work excellently in the short form.  10. Charm And Mirror  - Kitty Kitty's dive into psychedelic synth pop was certainly an unexpected career move but she continues to impress with one project after another. Charm And Mirror  is simple and to the point even by pop music standards but the hooks are sticky and the instrumentals are reserved but effective throughout.  Listen To: Afterglow , Bath Salts 9. 6pc Hot  - 6lack Whenever 6lack drops music it's an Atlant...

As we round the corner towards the end of the year it's time to start catching up on records that I didn't get a chance to review earlier before it's time to write my end of year lists. In this first set of more concise reviews we will cover a collection of hip hop records from 2020 by artists who made noise in their respective niches. Shrines - Armand Hammer On the newest collaboration from rapper Billy Woods and producer Elucid you really know what you're in for. The beats here work with a jazz rap fundamental but consistently push it into other worlds crafting some harsher and more abstract beats across the album than you may typically hear on a conscious rap project of the like. Billy Woods intoxicating and confrontational voice adds grit to some of the more narrative driven or politically charged moments on the album and guests like R.A.P Ferreira and Earl Sweatshirt make notable appearances. The only major problem I have with the record is Billy's constant sl...

Gorillaz are a virtual band that at this point really need no introduction. The project is spearheaded musically by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and visually by artist Jamie Hewlett and have been releasing music for almost 2 decades including some of the most essential fusions of indie, electronica and hip hop of the past 20 years. After releasing one of their least conceptual and most straight forward projects with 2018's The Now Now  the band is returning with a collaboration driven project that featured many singles leading up to its release. Review By Lavender: Like most people on Earth I love the music of Gorillaz. Damon Albarn is responsible for some of my favorite albums of the Brit Pop era and his creativity streak continued through one great Gorillaz record after another. Even on projects that lacked the bands usual poise like Humanz  and The Now Now  there were still plenty of great songs in the mix that showed off the bands consistency and creativity. Throughout ...

6LACK is an Atlanta based R&B and trap artist who has enjoyed a massively successful ride to fame that balances cult like devotion from fans with mainstream success and marquee features. It's been two years since his popular sophomore record East Atlanta Love Letter  and after a steady diet of features he has treated fans to this 6 track EP for his birthday.  Review By Lavender: While I wouldn't necessarily call 6lack's last record critically acclaimed it certainly received more positive attention than some of his moody trap singing contemporaries which included a pretty positive review I gave the record. Going into this EP all I was hoping for was that 6lack could cohesively capture sonic and thematic vibes as effectively as he had on his last album and for the most part he pulls it off.  The EP had two singles dropped in the lead up to its release and I think both are decent. ATL Freestyle  is the better of the two and it kicks the EP off. 6lack recounts his or...