Lav's Music Corner

5.  TURN YOUR HEART AROUND  - SBTRKT The strange phenomenon of new SBTRKT singles being lightyears better than anything on the project's new album from last year continues. This is a short but sweet track that really puts its head down and grinds out a pummeling pseudo-industrial little dance track with tight loops and fuzzed-out vocals for a mostly pretty irresistible result.  Listen 4.  PHANTOM BRICKWORKS VII  - Bibio Another helping of the familiar solemn piano and isolating ambient compositions of Bibio's  PHANTOM BRICKWORKS  series feels perfect right now. It also feels in line with the trio of singles released so far from the upcoming ambient-focused project. This may be my favorite of the bunch offering up another bulky runtime that manages to impressively weave together a beautiful, gentle series of piano passages effortlessly.  Listen 3.  PLAY DEAD! PLAY DEAD!  - Vylet Pony Color me surprised as someone who has always had mixed ...

5.  Kitsune Maison Freestyle  - Porter Robinson This was basically a shoo-in after Porter told me he thought I had a very nice aura and gave me Virtual Self  merch at a pop-up earlier this week. But for the record I also think this is my second favorite of all his new singles so far and the hook has been stuck in my head on a loop since I first heard the original tease of the song.  Listen 4.  CLASSIC THEME - SBTRKT Given how strongly my negative feelings towards the new SBTRKT album last year were it's kind of shocking how much I've enjoyed the run of singles from this year, This new 6-minute cut sneaks onto the list in an admittedly pretty shallow week but the fact that I like yet another one of these leftover cuts is both surprising but honestly refreshing from the veteran dance music outfit.  Listen 3.  Skin On Skin  - Jasmine 4.t The newest member of Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory is off to an extremely hot start with the label. Skin On Ski...

5.  BACK ON  - SBTRKT SBTRKT has kinda been on one recently, that's something I bet you didn't expect to hear in 2024. Despite what I thought was a huge miss with THE RAT ROAD  last year I've enjoyed a number of the singles that have followed in the wake of it. This is another pretty direct embrace of sunny summery house music but it's consistently delightful throughout.  Listen 4.  Lies Lies Lies  - Morgan Wallen "Lies lies lies, eyes eyes eyes" is a lyric that's below Morgan Wallen's pay grade, let's start with that. While he can be one of the most obnoxious artists in music when he's coming with ego, but he's still an earnest conceptualizer of songs. This is a vulnerable cut where he gives in to the numerous lies he tells himself and others about having moved on from a woman no longer in his life.  Listen 3.  kms  - Los Campesinos! The first single from their new record might be the best Los Campesinos song I've heard in 15 years, bu...

Destiny  - DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ This album man. DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ has never been a project to limit itself and in one of the most indulgent moves they've undertaken yet they dropped this 41-track, nearly 4 hour record. Normally I would take that as an over-indulgence and look the other way entirely like I did with Mac Demarco's 200-track nightmare earlier this year. The difference is unlike Mac, DJ Sabrina are used to long, winding projects and I've enjoyed their material a lot in recent years.  So when I try to justify skipping this album I can't help but think of moments I like so much in it. Fan-favorite singles like Doubts  and Something New  or personal highlights like the future funk-inspired anthem of self-empowerment Get Over It . Though the music on this album is not directly trance-inspired and generally takes a much less methodical and sunnier approach, it is still very easy to become entranced by it. The long compositions and absolute mountai...