Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lavender: Backxwash is a rapper who garnered tons of attention and acclaim for a trilogy of albums she released between 2020 and 2022. The projects combined a thunderous style of hip-hop crossed with an embrace for classical metal stylings and screamed vocals. In combination with her vulnerability and willingness to discuss harrowing subject matter, the resulting music was extremely intense and extremely unique. The trilogy ended with my favorite release of the bunch HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING  which is among my favorite rap albums of this entire decade so far. So needless to say I was pretty excited for her return.  The two singles this album led with had my expectations as high as ever. "Wake Up" is a thunderous epic of a song that really blew me away last year and I still absolutely love it. It's a multi-faceted composition that slips in and out of its different passages flawlessly and the way it always circles back around to ...

Yet another busy week with a lot of exciting contenders, let's get into it.  5.  Baddy On The Floor  - Jamie xx (feat. Honey Dijon) Even though Jamie xx's drops haven't hit with the most consistency in the years since his stellar solo debut album, his high potential makes them a must-hear moment the second they drop. While Baddy  once again failed to utterly knock my socks off I think this is one of his stronger cuts in the past few years with an irresistibly fun beat straight out of Daphni's Sizzling . It's a punchier and more direct dance cut than I expected but it didn't take much to fall into its whims. Listen 4.  Raat Ki Rani  - Arooj Aftab The announcement of Arooj Aftab's upcoming new album immediately shot it up near the top of my most-anticipated records of the year. That's both because I've enjoyed her output this decade so far, but also because I think this is a strong lead single and increased industry embrace of her music is well deserve...

I've said a few times this year that it's been a kind of interesting year for albums. While there wasn't the same pile of records absolutely blowing me away this year that there had been in years past, I was pleasantly surprised by how deep the field was. There were definitely albums cut from this year's list that could have comfortably made it onto one of the last two years' editions. Ultimately, I think that's a good thing. If I had to choose between the two I would take more good albums. But if the praise seems particularly quick compared to other lists and other years, there's a reason. Enjoy <3 ( This list was originally posted on January 1st, 2023 but was remade due to formatting errors) 100. Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl While Rina failed to impress me with some of the songwriting and in particular the hooks on her new record, the production of Clarence Clarity and her imposing personality are enough to carry this record through with its memorable ...