Lav's Music Corner

Rough week, we're getting to that time of year. Despite the slim pickings I did my best to make a complete list.  5.  Free My N***a  - Sexyy Red This one isn't all that complicated. It's a pretty dry week for new releases and despite a chorus that does almost nothing for me, Sexyy Red's intensity and personality carry the track through compelling verses that don't stick around beyond their welcome. Listen 4.  Cosca  - Conway The Machine & Wun Two If you did a double take hearing this instrumental and thinking it was Freddie Gibbs and Tyler, The Creator's Something To Rap About , you aren't alone. Despite the similar vibe sonically Conway is definitely focusing his bars elsewhere. He takes on the ways that he's trying to overcome from past traumas, looking forward and moving on. It isn't my favorite song from this new series of collaborations with Wun Two, but it's another solid entry.  Listen 3.  Labios Mordidos  - Kali Uchis (feat. Karol G) ...

MWAH <3 5.  And Still  - Peter Gabriel In total the collection of new material Peter Gabriel has released hasn't exactly been consistently satisfying. But he's managed to shine through a handful of times and this song sounded better and better to me every time. I love the sweeping compositional style and consistently catchy refrains throughout. I still have no idea what to make of his upcoming new album though.  Listen 4.  Brick By Brick  - Conway The Machine & Wun Two Okay, consider me surprised. My expectations were not high for Conway crossing over with lo-fi hip-hop beats artist Wun Two. What seemed like nothing more than a reason to release new material is actually off to a great start with Conway delivering some of his characteristically hard-hitting lines in appropriately lethal fashion. They pair great with a vintage-sounding instrumental highlighted by fluttering keys.  Listen 3.  Why? - Matmos Leave it to Matmos to show up on this list...

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...

I've said a few times this year that it's been a kind of interesting year for albums. While there wasn't the same pile of records absolutely blowing me away this year that there had been in years past, I was pleasantly surprised by how deep the field was. There were definitely albums cut from this year's list that could have comfortably made it onto one of the last two years' editions. Ultimately, I think that's a good thing. If I had to choose between the two I would take more good albums. But if the praise seems particularly quick compared to other lists and other years, there's a reason. Enjoy <3 ( This list was originally posted on January 1st, 2023 but was remade due to formatting errors) 100. Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl While Rina failed to impress me with some of the songwriting and in particular the hooks on her new record, the production of Clarence Clarity and her imposing personality are enough to carry this record through with its memorable ...