Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lavender:  Arooj Aftab is a singer and composer who was one of the best-kept secrets of neoclassical music fans for years. Her breakthrough into the broader music scene came in 2021 when she released her album Vulture Prince . The album was a massive critical darling and one that I liked more and more every time I heard it. She followed it up last year with Love In Exile , an experimental jazz collaboration that played with spacious compositions and live performance, which I also enjoyed. But now Night Reign , her 4th album and the proper follow-up to Vulture Prince  has arrived on the back of quite a bit of hype.  That hype was generated largely by two great singles that pop up on the second half of the record. Raat Ki Rani  came first and I liked it at the time. It has one of the closest things to a true hook on the record and it does a great job reinforcing the song. It's also one of the only Urdu tracks here with actual translations available online and...

This video is late again and as usual I have a great excuse I just can't hell you <3 Enjoy 5.  Gold River  - Parannoul Let the excitement once again get underway for the RYM king of noisy shoegaze, Parannoul. After dropping a record last year that seemed to reel in some of his harshest ambitions this new single is absolutely blistering, occasionally even to the detriment of some of its most dramatic moments. But for the most part it's a sonic pummeling I'm thrilled to take part in.  Listen 4.  xXidontneedyou_tolovemebackXx  - Happy Birthday Mr. Baskets I've been paying attention to Happy Birthday Mr. Baskets since I heard her on Tamagotchi Massacre's delightful new album last year and this is comfortably my new favorite song of hers. With a surprisingly glistening instrumental palette that shines through its dense hyperpop production the track sounds like a sped-up DJ Sabrina track in a way I find mesmerizing. But it's the irresistible refrains that truly won...

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...

Probably my last rapid fire for a while with a lot of great new music coming out, maybe. Love In Exile  - Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily Even though I was late to formally cover the album, I really enjoyed Arooj Aftab's 2021 breakout Vulture Prince  and I was really looking forward to how she was going to follow it up. What I didn't expect, though I maybe should have, is this trio of veteran musicians linking up for a deeply compelling explorative jazz record. The group take a pretty sparse approach to filling in the cracks with their sound, serving up just vocals, keys, and bass with almost no studio interference to their original live recordings. The record is also thematically sparse with compositions built around short lines of poetry often repeated throughout and expanded upon through the developing instrumentation. Take the opening track To Remain/To Return  whose vocal diatribes often take a backseat to long wanderings on the piano only to return at surpr...