Lav's Music Corner

This was a ROUGH week for new singles, jesus. 5.  Starburned And Unkissed  - Caroline Polachek Leave it to this, an all time bad week for new singles, for a soundtrack cut from Caroline Polachek to make the cut. While everyone probably should rush out and see I Saw The TV Glow  immediately this song is also worth a crack even if the grinding distortion A.G. Cook laces into the chorus can occasionally be a tad overbearing. Caroline has always been interesting in her sonic experiments and this is no different.  Listen 4.  Buried Alive  - Chance The Rapper This is closer to a two-minute freestyle or cypher verse than a full song but I can't deny I appreciate the mission statement. Chance's 2019 album The Big Day  seemingly erased every bit of momentum he had off of his first the, largely quite solid mixtapes. So him taking a few minutes to remind fans he can still spit some bars and work to start defending himself is something I'll take.  Listen 3....

I think it would be funny if this piece just included me reviewing all THREE of the projects Youngboy has dropped in the first half of the year but I already ruined it by covering the first one back in January, RIP.  WON'T HE DO IT  - Conway The Machine Griselda rapper Conway The Machine is on a hot streak. The first of his projects I formally covered was 2020s From A King To A God  which I thought was just okay but it didn't take long for him to one-up himself on the next year's mixtape La Maquina . He then turned around the very next year and dropped by far his best project to date and one of the best Griselda projects period God Don't Make Mistakes , so despite his prolific release schedule there was plenty of reason to be excited for this. Unfortunately, it becomes pretty clear on this record that Conway is serving up some form of leftovers with this tracklist as the songs feel consistently undercooked. The easiest place to tell is on the instrumental side of things...

On time edition! 5.  Cure For Love  - Ellie Goulding For the first time in this new era I can say for certain, this new Ellie Goulding song is kind of a banger. It's a super dancy little pop number that won't do anything you haven't heard before but I'll say the stripped-down pre-chorus expanding into a fully realized shimmering catchy vision is an effect that still works on me.  Listen 4.  Until I Know  - Panchiko The fact that Panchiko is refusing to feel burdened by the extremely unique set of circumstances that caused their popularity is a bit of a double-edged sword for the band. While this slightly nocturnal piece of indie rock is certainly a solid song that continues to tease towards an album I'm legitimately anticipating, it also feels like yet another act that blew up on something unique then turned their back on it. If there was ever a situation where a band can be forgiven for that though, it's Panchiko. Listen 3.  Psychos  - Jenny Lewis Jen...

Sometimes the best song of the week is very predictable, but there are still four more slots to fill behind it. Enjoy <3 5.  Gonna Go - serpentwithfeet While I'm not particularly impressed by this song in a weak week (ha ha) for new songs it slipped onto the list. I mostly just think it's a great idea for a song and I particularly love the recurring idea of "going back to your friends" as a mantra for turning someone down. With that in their pocket as well as the talent serpentwithfeet possesses the bassline for how good this could be was high.  Listen 4.  That Girl  - El Michaels Affair & Black Thought This track surprised me quite a bit and while I wish it was longer and I have some issues with the mixing I mostly just enjoy Black Thought really putting his all into just pouring his heart out for a woman. His creativity alongside that level of topical focus works perfectly.  Listen 3.  Pahrump  - Xiu Xiu This is a minimal and spacey but still ...

Black Thought & Danger Mouse are a pair of veteran producer and even more veteran MC who have had their hands in dozens of classic records respectfully. After teasing a collaboration for years the pair have finally delivered a proper full length record and brought many high profile friends along with them.  Review by Lav: I love these two. From Danger Mouse's versatile and impressive catalog of production which is nearing two decades of work to Black Thought's time with The Roots and his continued success as a soloist. It's through this lens that the title of this record Cheat Codes  starts to make a lot of sense. The level of professionalism in the delivery and creation of these lo-fi and jazz inspired hip hop tracks really is a cheat code and the pair live up to it.  I was pretty sure this was gonna be good based solely on who made it, but the trio of singles certainly helped. No Gold Teeth  left my rotation at some point in the past few months and I don't know...

Look at me. After almost being late two weeks ago and being late last week, this feature is actually coming out on time. Not just on time but even a few hours earlier than usual.  Enjoy <3 5.  Aquamarine  - Black Thought & Dangermouse (Feat. Michael Kiwanuka) One of the gifts that keeps on giving this year is the upcoming Black Thought and Dangermouse collab which delivers one single after another with not only great instrumentals and Black Thought's lethal delivery, but some awesome features as well. This time they team up with Michael Kiwanuka for a dramatic and totally intoxicating hip hop jam. Listen 4.  get high, breathe underwater (#3)  - teen suicide The return of teen suicide has been one of the more welcome additions of 2022 and Sam Ray's project is now two for two on new singles. This lo-fi indie cut is breezy by design packed full of swirling pianos and charming vocal harmonies. While it doesn't rewrite the book on this concept clearly the proj...

As the pendulum does swing, last week was a bit dry by singles standards but this week featured a flood of new tracks to choose from. Enjoy <3 5.  Because  - Danger Mouse & Black Thought (Feat. Joey Bada$$, Russ & Dylan Cartridge) Before I broke down every single element of this posse cut I will just say that yes the contributions are inconsistent among the various rappers as to be expected. But the song still has so many great facets starting with another killer retro instrumental from Danger Mouse that Black Thought and Joey in particular sound excellent over.  Listen 4.  Skin Of My Teeth  - Demi Lovato I never thought I'd say it but this Demi Lovato punk song actually has some grit to it. While it never fully leaves the realm of pop flavored punk compared to many of their contemporaries Demi proved they can really up the ante. The song is not only unafraid to touch on some of her past controversies and traumas but it does so with a vengeful venom t...

This was a tough week to be a single. With albums coming from Kendrick Lamar, The Smile, Florence + The Machine and more there was only so much listening time to go around. But a few brave souls still did try. Enjoy <3 5.  Roman Candles  - Death Cab For Cutie Before the new Death Cab For Cutie song even starts keen eyed fans will realize that the runtime clocks out at just over two minutes, which is unusual. What's even more unusual is how punchy the instrumental palette is. While the sentimentality and vocals are still very much in tact everything from the explosive drums to the fuzzed out guitars feels like a very direct and conscious choice to turn it up a notch. The band may not sound 100% comfortable in this environment particularly on the songs instrumental conclusion, but they also aren't completely out of their depth.  Listen 4.  Tired Of Taking It Out On You  - Wilco There's such a charming, songwritery bliss to Wilco's music that makes almost all of...

Saba is a Chicago rapper who made his name off of jazz rap with a heavy focus on narrative lyricism and a reserved performance style. He has an impressive list of collaborations including Noname, Smino, Chance The Rapper and his own group Pivot Gang who released their debut album as a collective back in 2019. Few Good Things  follows Saba's breakout project, the critically derisive CARE FOR ME  from 2018. Review By Lav: That introduction saying that CARE FOR ME  is derisive is no joke, I was there. When I published a very positive review of the album I had people in my Twitter DMs saying all kinds of shit about my "chops" as a rap critic for liking the project. But you also don't have to look hard to find a very devoted fanbase who have been patiently awaiting a follow-up. I wasn't sure exactly how to feel going into this record because I certainly believe in Saba's level of talent, but I was mixed on the singles and even some of the features I've heard fr...

Features are a part of the backbone of collaborative spirit and personality upon which hip hop is sustained. While every year high profile collaborations make their way more and more into other areas of the musical landscape there's nothing like two electric MC's meeting up on a song a dishing out their respective fire one after another. Each year I like to highlight some of the best guests of the year who build and improve upon the songs they're brought onto. Like every year there was an extensive list of great features I heard throughout 2020 and it wasn't easy to assemble into just 10. I even briefly considered extending it to 15 to fit solid contributions from Joey Badass and A$AP Rocky onto the list but ultimately making it into the top 10 is an achievement not worth souring.  10. Conway The Machine on Babies & Fools  by Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist Conway The Machine may not have had the loudest or most acclaimed record among his Griselda contemporaries i...

Black Thought is a Philly rapper and long time member of seminal rap collective The Roots. Black Thought began his career as a solo artist in 2018 with a pair of EP's that served as volumes 1 and 2 of the Streams Of Thought  series.  Review By Lavender: I love The Roots and I enjoyed Vol. 1  in this series in particular so I was moderately excited going into Cane & Able . Even with some strange features and production credits that sort of lacked the star power of the EP's I had a feeling Black Thought was going to deliver his typically strong blend of intense performances with conscious introspective lyricism. That happens for the most part although there are tracks on the project that take incredibly strange detours.  Good Morning  was the lead off single for this record and while it came out long before the album itself it feels just as fresh and compelling. If you were going to make an explosive, politically charged posse cut I think Pusha T and Killer Mi...