Lav's Music Corner

Benjamin Clementine is an alarmingly talented British, singer, songwriter, poet, multi-instrumentalist, and even now an actor. And I Have Been  is his 3rd studio project following 2017's I Tell A Fly  and his Mercury Prize-winning debut At Least For Now . In the Instagram post announcing the record Clementine specifically stated that And I Have Been  isn't intended as his third official studio album, which has apparently already been written and recorded and will be released sometime soon.  Review by Lav: While it was slightly disappointing to read that And I Have Been  may not be the record I was anticipating from Ben, or to put it more honestly, the record I've been craving for 5 years now, I was still pretty confident that anything he put out would be good. That sort of wavered when the singles both individually and as a whole failed to really blow me away but I think I see now that the project is meant as more of a stepping stone in a literal way.  Firs...

FIIIIIIIINALLY. After two weeks of absolute snoozing on the singles chart we are finally back to a week that has it all. Big new releases from huge artists that actually live up to the hype, continued quality music from some of the best acts around and even a few surprises working their way into the mix.  Enjoy <3 5.  Too Much  - Freddie Gibbs (Feat. Moneybagg Yo) Sometimes simplicity is all it takes. The hook of this song is a perfect example because it manages to spin some absolute bliss out of a short sequence of refrains. While I wish there was a bit more to separate the verses from the hook I have to say this song goes hard in all the same ways one could hope a Freddie Gibbs track would.  Listen 4.  New Gold  - Gorillaz (Feat. Tame Impala & Bootie Brown) Even though this high-profile collaboration doesn't quite live up to the hype throughout I will say that it gets off to an excellent start that is more than enough to land a spot on the list. Go...

Two weeks of early posts, one week late. As it comes, so it goes.  Enjoy <3 5.  Touch The Sun  - Cryalot If Sarah Bonito's second solo single as Cryalot doesn't click with you on purpose, try sticking with it because I had the exact same reaction and it's growing on me. The allegorical comparisons to Icarus start to add up and the hook is much stickier than it might get credit for on first listen. But it's really the song's dramatic sonic build-up to a sun-kissed and heavily distorted finale that sold me on its effectiveness.  Listen 4.  Copening  - Benjamin Clementine There aren't many artists who I was more excited to hear from in 2022 than Benjamin Clementine and what he delivered was a pair of songs that feel very within his wheelhouse. The first is this eerie chamber ballad with echoing piano and gentle but utterly commanding refrains. It may not be as expansive as his best work but it proves exactly why it was such an anticipated return.  List...