Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lavender: Caribou is the biggest and most acclaimed musical project of Canadian producer and vocalist Dan Snaith. I've enjoyed multiple projects in the Caribou back catalog including 2010's Swim  and the previous record Suddenly  in 2020. I've also enjoyed other moments like his side project Daphni's 2019 Sizzling EP, even though I wasn't a fan of the album that followed it. Snaith can be hit or miss, but his potential is high. That informs this record, which features some awe-inspiring highs side-by-side with some of his most confusing tracks ever.  The album gets off to a decent start with three of its 4 singles popping up right away. Lead single and title track "Honey' is the best of the bunch by far and one of my favorite Caribou songs in a long time. I love the glitchy textured splashes during its build-up and the extraordinarily satisfying conclusion it eventually reaches. "Broke My Heart" opens the album and while it didn't bl...

I couldn't quite finish this on time yesterday. I have a great excuse but I can't tell you about it so you'll have to take my word for it. 5.  Rag  - Porches Consider me surprised. It's been a while since I REALLY enjoyed a Porches single but I found myself hooked on this one pretty quickly. I love the slurring indie rock style and some of the incredibly evocative lyrics. For a song so intense it's also impressively catchy and has been stuck in my head basically all week.  Listen 4.  Differ  - KMRU, Kevin Richard Martin Normally ambient singles don't really have the kind of pull to stand out on their own the way they do when compellingly assembled into a full album, unless you're Tim Hecker. But the most I listened to this song the more I was impressed by its gentle washes of sound and how impactful they were despite the minimalism. After becoming a big fan of KMRU in the past few years, seeing him collaborate with Kevin Richard Martin of The Bug fame is a c...

Given the sheer volume of highly anticipated material that came out this week, it's hard to not see the final product as slightly disappointing. Regardless these are the best new songs I heard this week and they likely aren't the ones you're anticipating. Enjoy <3 5.  Hideous  - Oliver Sim (Feat. Jimmy Somerville) This is quite an interesting track that I've been digesting upon repeat listens because it moves through some very distinct phases. Ultimately it's when Oliver Sim is at his most intimate that the song hits its emotional highs and when the Jamie xx produced instrumental hits its orchestrated peak that it finds the most impact. Unfortunately, I'm not crazy about Jimmy Somerville's addition to the track where he serves as a HUGE outlier. Honestly having another vocalist on the song at all feels like it takes away from what should be really gripping and raw intimacy.  Listen 4.  Freight Yard  - The Garden This is The Garden alright. From the wacko ...

Producers are getting more and more credit in the modern music landscape. While that was already going on when I first started doing this list in 2016 the trend is accelerating with some of the most acclaimed names in contemporary music production receiving more attention than ever before. So with awards named after last years recipients we will once again jump through a handful of genres to highlight some of the biggest and best moments of great production this year.    The Charli XCX/A.G. Cook Award For Production In Pop - Album Grimes -  Miss Anthropocene Last year Charli XCX and A.G. Cook wowed everyone with their futuristic take on the world of pop music as a whole on Charli . This time around Grimes pushed the sound of pop music even further into the future with her dystopian electronic interpretation of the genre. With a dark and icy sound palette Grimes is effectively writing pop songs but they refuse to be as accessible as their hookiest moments. These tracks hav...

Happy quarantining readers! If you've suddenly found a lot of free time on your hands and are looking for new music to sink your teeth into start with these ten records, the best of what I've heard in the three months of the year so far. 10. Grimes - Miss Anthropocene While its true that most of this record lies in the success of its many singles Grimes adds a highlight or two on and produces a solid studio album without surrendering any of her creativity. Miss Anthropocene  is industrial and apocalyptic in its subject matter but squeezes some incredibly catchy tunes out of its themes and is pretty consistently rewarding. Listen To: 4am, Violence Review 9. Wolf Parade - Thin Mind Spencer Krug and company are back with one of the best Wolf Parade records in years. While his unique songwriting is just as intoxicating as ever the real highlight of the album is its busting energetic instrumental passages that give him an interesting and ever evolving palette to be...

Four Tet is one of the monikers of British music producer Kieran Hebden who has been releasing records since the late 90's. He has released ten records to date but with a trio of singles and some promotional material it feels like Sixteen Oceans  is one of the biggest releases under the name in years. Review By Lavender: I've always enjoyed the music of Four Tet and when he gets it right he makes some of the most sincerely excellent electronic music of his time. Records like There Is Love In You  and Rounds  prove that at his best under the Four Tet name he is capable of incredible things. But more often than not there are some strong concepts or sonic experiments that dominate the records he releases and my enjoyment of them usually depends on my admiration of its concepts. After hearing some huge variety in the singles and seeing promotional campaigns for this record I anticipated it being his most significant release in years, and at 54 minutes and 16 tracks it ...

Caribou is one of the monikers of electronic music producer Dan Snaith, and it is considered by many to be his primary project. Started up in 2005 Suddenly  is his 5th record under the Caribou name and comes six years after the last Caribou record and less than a year after the most recent release from Daphni, another of Snaith's projects. Review By Lavender: I have always enjoyed Caribou's music and that very much includes the two records Dan dropped over the last decade. So while I wasn't anticipating this thing being the most groundbreaking or expansive record I've ever heard, I was really excited for it. And I'm happy to report that Suddenly  lives up to expectations. The record was off to a pretty great start after I enjoyed all three of the singles released in the lead up to the album starting with the excellent Home  which made my singles of the year list last year. The slick simple percussion pattern is the surface for a perfect blend of live and sa...

1. Harry Styles - Lights Up Harry Styles is back and considering that the lead single for his last record ended up being my Single Of The Year in 2017, expectation and anticipation are high. 2. Panda Bear -   playing the long game Panda Bear dropped an interesting record earlier this year but seems to indicate an upcoming change of style, staring with this track. 3. Caribou - Home After a four year absence for the Caribou moniker following a critically acclaimed record, Daniel Snaith is back at it as Caribou. 4. FKA Twigs - home with you  After an up and down road leading up to her first new record in 5 years FKA Twigs hopes to go in swinging with more great singles than just okay ones here. 5. Camila Cabello - Empty Camila is ramping up her new era big time and after some tester tracks landed her a massive collab hit in Seniorita she may be preparing to drop a full fledged mega-hit. 6. Hemlock Ernst & Kenny Segal - Addicted Youth After a great single ...