Lav's Music Corner

2024 is wrapping up and as I start working on year-end content we need to do a few quick round-ups to make sure we're prepared. I've reviewed a few dozen EPs so far this year and I plan on counting down the 10 best in a few weeks. But first, we need to take a look at a few projects with a very strong chance of landing somewhere on the list. Let's do it. Six Desperate Ballads  EP - The Garden After being pretty mixed on California weirdo-punk duo The Garden for a while, I was quite fond of their last record. Combined with some solid entries into their solo projects and the ever-expanding Garden-adjacent universe and I had no reason to think this EP wouldn't be a riot. Even as I was a little mixed on the lead single "Filthy Rabbit Hole" I've warmed up on it especially with how propulsive of a start it is for this EP. I also loved the other single, the short but incredibly memorable "Ballad" which serves as the EPs wonderful closer.  In between ther...

5.  Have Nots - The Underachievers Welcome back Underachievers. For the record this isn't the first thing they've dropped in ages or anything they had a new single just last month. The point is that I haven't even been doing this segment long enough to have talked about them before and I've been doing it for YEARS. In what sounds like a Griselda song of all things AK and Issa split chilling and calculating verses that remind me of how much I liked them both in the first place.  Listen 4.  DINORWIC  - Bibio Bibio is back with a sequel to his surprisingly beloved turn for ambient music Phantom Brickworks . This bulky lead single is a perfect introduction to the record delivering a serenity that feels in line with the naturalistic sounds and styles his music has always dabbled in. It's a song that creeps along but never feels eerie or ominous, instead more than welcoming you to engage in the nuance and details of its delicate core.  Listen 3.  A Fragile Thing ...

Was on vacation this week but I'm cooking up plenty of good stuff for the next week, let's do it. 5.  Vanessa  - Midwife If you're familiar with the brooding cloudy slowcore Midwife typically serves up then you basically know what you're getting with Vanessa . Across a full 6-and-a-half minutes Midwife makes use of swaying repetition to slowly weave together an impressively spellbinding cut that will swallow you whole if you give yourself to it.  Listen 4.  Garmonbozia  - Flying Lotus  I think everyone was anticipating a return from Flying Lotus, but I bet most people weren't expecting something like this. He returns by taking over lead vocal duties on a reserved and murky jazz number backed by his usual fluttering electronics. The slow pace and dark demeanor of the song actually plays to his strengths as a vocalist, even if its plodding pace feels a tad dry by FloLo standards.  Listen 3.  Shake It Like A  - Frost Children (feat. Danny Brown)...

Let the listing begin. In the first and smallest year-end list I publish I take a look at the tiny projects that were packed full of good songs. While this list lacks some of the stunning high-end releases of previous years, it's a very deep well full of versatile and compelling projects.  These are my 10 favorite EPs of 2023. Enjoy <3 10. Jlin - Perspective  EP Kicking off the list we have Jlin's pseudo-return to dropping new music with this Pulitzer Prize For Music finalist Perspective . After being originally composed three years ago the material was re-recorded by Jlin and finally made it to the public, which I'm very grateful for. Despite moments that feel undersold relative to her normal textural bliss, there is ton of magnetic and distinctive electronic music present throughout this project. Jlin continues to have a sound that is not only easy to identify but easy to love.  Listen To: Derivative , Paradigm 9. Softcult - See You In The Dark  EP Canadian duo ...

Earlier this month I dropped part 1 of this series and promised another, here it is. Sorry it took two weeks, I'm moving. Enjoy <3 An Object In Motion  EP - Drab Majesty Drab Majesty is a California music project who have been carrying the torch for some distinctly 80s styles of darkwave and goth rock with a handful of shoegazey elements occasionally mixed in. Despite having a lot of affinity for the eras of music that the band pulls from, I've always thought they were just okay. That once again comes through on this project despite the attention-grabbing appearance of Slowdive's own Rachel Goswell. To be fair, the opening track that she participated in is the highlight of the project with it's most impressive vocals and instrumental palette. In comparison,  Cape Perpetua  is an instrumental cut that spends almost its entire runtime sounding like it's waiting to start without ever really doing so. It kind of sounds like the first 5 minutes of a really forgettable...

Thundercat is a Los Angeles based singer-songwriter who is well known for his unique style of bass playing. He has appeared on songs with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott and Childish Gambino but is most well known for his attachment for Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder Records and his numerous collaborations with FlyLo. It Is What It Is  is the 5th record from Thundercat and his 2nd since his big breakout singles. Review By Lavender: Thundercat is one of my favorite musical personalities. He's great on Twitter and has released a number of awesome singles over the years, not to mention excellent contributions to fantastic hip hop records over the past 5 years or so. The only issue I have with his music is that I haven't loved a single one of his records yet. They all carry some pretty similar issues starting with tons of short and meaningless interludes that round out already stark tracklists, as well as production that often falls on the dryer side and hurts his s...

Danny Brown is a Detroit rapper who made a name for himself in the world of experimental hip hop in 2011 with his breakout mixtape XXX . After releasing the conceptual Old  in 2013 he received some criticism for dialing back on what made his style so unique but found more critical success despite this. After taking an extended break Danny Brown returned in 2016 with one of the most critically acclaimed records of the year, and one of the most acclaimed experimental hip hop records of the entire decade with his magnum opus  Atrocity Exhibition . The record turned Danny into an overnight superstar in experimental hip hop and the anticipation for this new record was very high. Review By Lavender: Danny Brown's Atrocity   Exhibition  is one of the best albums I've heard all decade and his 2011 record XXX  isn't that far behind it. Danny Brown has shown off consistent ability to deliver on both genre bending and boundary pushing instrumentals and pairing ...

Steve Ellison better known as Flying Lotus is a Los Angeles based producer and rapper as well as the founder of Brainfeeder records. He first garnered critical acclaim and praise from indie, electronica and hip hop fans with his wild 2010 album Cosmogramma . Since then he has dropped two more albums including 2014's much loved You're Dead  and the long absence since then has made this new record one of the most anticipated in all of music this year. Review By Lavender: Flying Lotus is one of the best artists of the 2000's. I have been a fan for years and it is because of his sharp and unique take on instrumental hip hop and abstract electronica. He has been an incredibly influential sound that has been attempted but never truly duplicated and even though not all of his albums are a sharp 10/10 he has been a spectacularly consistent artist for years. Unfortunately while he retains a lot of his sharp sound play on Flamagra  a lot of what made previous works so cohesiv...

1. Young Thug -  The London  (feat. J. Cole & Travis Scott) Thugger pulls the number one spot in one of the weakest week for singles in 2019 so far by recruiting big names J Cole and Travis Scott for a contemporary posse cut. 2. Denzel Curry - Speedboat Denzel Curry gets left at the alter once again with a second single and a second #2 spot, made even a little bit worse by landing as a feature at #3. 3. Flying Lotus - Black Balloons Reprise  (feat. Denzel Curry) FlyLo drops a highly anticipated collab just days before the release of his album to secure a very rare release week pedestal spot. 4. Ty Dolla $ign - Purple Emoji  (feat. J. Cole) J. Cole is once again recruited for a feature from Mr. Feature himself Ty Dolla $ign for what could serve as the beginning of a new era for him. 5. Beast Coast - Snow In The Stadium Beast Coast also sneak in one more single just before the release of the supergroups first studio album. 6, Kim Petras - All I Do Is...

1. Flying Lotus - More (Feat. Anderson .Paak) FlyLo scores the #1 single that FKA Twigs sniped a few weeks ago with the 3rd single in promotion of his new project. Topping a busy week the producer recruited an already legendary feature artist in Anderson Paak to drop a track that truly capitalized on the hype behind his namesake. 2. Denzel Curry - Ricky  Denzel Curry shows up with a bang for his first single in 2019 and barely falls short of #1 in a busy week but there is no reason to think he won't be back. 3. IDLES - Mercedes Marxist IDLES continue their prolific output with the attention grabbing title of the groups first single of 2019. 4. Carly Rae Jepsen - Too Much Carly gifts fans again with yet another single in the lead up to her first project in 4 years and after Julien  scored 3 weeks in the chart, expect to see Carly back here next week. 5. A$AP Ferg = Pups (Feat. A$AP Rocky) Ferg recruits Rocky for one of his most hyped up singles in years as fans hop...

1. FKA Twigs " Cellophane " FKA Twigs steals the #1 spot this week over another much anticipated return with a well documented social media campaign and viral music video making her long awaited return. 2.Flying Lotus " Spontaneous " Feat. Little Dragon Flying Lotus is back after much anticipation with his first official single from an upcoming project many are excited for. Featuring Little Dragon on vocals only works to build up hype for one of the most anticipated projects all year. 3.Taylor Swift " ME! " Feat Brendan Urie Even though expectations are low for Taylor Swift these days hype is still through the roof and with the start of a new era she has the eyes of many on her for this one. 4.Japanese Breakfast " Essentially " Michelle is back with a song that already had the attention of the indie world captured on namesake alone, given her fantastic 2017 album any new material from Japanese Breakfast is in high demand. 5.Ride ...