Lav's Music Corner

5.  TURN YOUR HEART AROUND  - SBTRKT The strange phenomenon of new SBTRKT singles being lightyears better than anything on the project's new album from last year continues. This is a short but sweet track that really puts its head down and grinds out a pummeling pseudo-industrial little dance track with tight loops and fuzzed-out vocals for a mostly pretty irresistible result.  Listen 4.  PHANTOM BRICKWORKS VII  - Bibio Another helping of the familiar solemn piano and isolating ambient compositions of Bibio's  PHANTOM BRICKWORKS  series feels perfect right now. It also feels in line with the trio of singles released so far from the upcoming ambient-focused project. This may be my favorite of the bunch offering up another bulky runtime that manages to impressively weave together a beautiful, gentle series of piano passages effortlessly.  Listen 3.  PLAY DEAD! PLAY DEAD!  - Vylet Pony Color me surprised as someone who has always had mixed ...

A variety of styles on this weeks list, but an extremely good collection of songs nonetheless.  5.  Exhilarate  - Sophie (feat. Bibi Bourelly) Sophie songs seem to so rarely have a "main character." Even Sophie herself often seemed like she was more of an orchestrator than a principal protagonist in her own music. That's why it was strange at first to see guest vocalist Bibi Bourelly taking over this song with her lyrics and melodies. Despite the surprise though, this is a warm electronic pop effort that I find pretty infectious and one that maintains Sophie's eccentricities, even if they come in a very muted manner.  Listen 4.  Summer Drop  - Cordae (feat. Anderson .Paak) 5 years ago Cordae and Anderson Paak teamed up for one of the smoothest rap songs I've ever heard on the former YBN affiliate's debut album. I haven't loved much of what Cordae has done since but this absolutely hits it out of the park once again. The pair are unshakably smooth together ...

Cordae is one of the most notable young voices in hip hop who became popular as a result of his critically acclaimed sound that blends together contemporary rap trends with classic hip hop lyricism and storytelling. He proved that he has an impressive amount of industry support backing him on his debut album in 2019 and since then had scored a number of high profile features while building up hype for this sophomore project.  Review By Lav: I really enjoyed Cordae's debut album. Not only did it show off the specific strengths we already knew about him as an artist, compelling narrative lyricism and command of flow, but it also introduced us to just how impressively versatile he is as an artist. He built even further on this with an impressive EP last year that saw him dabbling in hip hop sounds of both knew and old while also flexing some incredible singing vocals that I didn't even know he had in him. Even though I wasn't crazy about either of the albums singles, I was sti...

The Extended Play is either a dying breed with too few songs to rack up meaningful streams or it's the only place where you can discover authentically good indie music anymore. Depending on who you ask. The reality of it is while the EP is mostly dead in popular music save for a few artists who could release literally anything and their fans would listen, it is a thriving medium in the underground. Part of me hates doing this list because 10 years from now we will know about some great EPs from artists who will break out in the next few years and this list will look completely different. But for now lets indulge with artists we know are good right now and count down the top 10 EPs of 2021.  10. Lil Mariko  - Lil Mariko Lil Mariko garnered quite a bit of attention with her appearance on Dorian Electra's My Agenda  last year, but she was really just getting started. Her debut EP is a hyperpop meets hip hop meets metal fusion sort of like Poppy but with more rapped verses. A...

The best new tracks released this weekend below: 5.  Scripture  - Eartheater After experiencing a pretty significant breakout across her last two albums Alexandra is back with a new Eartheater sound that combines some of the beautiful vocal melodies she's so well known for with a highly digitized and jittery instrumental. It's certainly a strange and unique combination of sounds that benefits from shimmering sonic textures in the backing walls of synths.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMGyY6ufADE 4.  Born Yesterday  - Arca (Feat. Sia) In perhaps the most unlikely pairing of the week Arca's newest single sees the experimental producer teaming up with pop's gold standard in songwriting who was responsible for the controversial Music  film last year. The jittery electronic production we've come to expect from an Arca song is still but distant among the spiraling synth lines and Sia's trademark vocal harmonies. It's a combination that surprises throughout and...

Cordae is a Maryland based rapper who has emerged in the last few years as one of the most lyrically gifted young MCs in hip hop. He was originally one third of the YBN trio but since scoring a XXL freshman slot and releasing a highly acclaimed debut album he has dropped the YBN from his name and started to release solo material. Just Until  is a 4 track EP meant to tide fans over until the release of Cordae's second album later this year. Review By Lav: I really enjoyed Cordae's debut album in 2019 and he's been on my singles of the year list for three years straight with his J Cole response track, Bad Idea  and last years The Parables . He has displayed a strong talent for cohesive tracks with excellent narrative focus and witty lyricism but is no slouch when it comes to making hard-hitting and fun tracks as well. This versatility and high level of execution has made him one of the most exciting artists out right now in any genre and Just Until  builds even further upon...