Lav's Music Corner

Last year I covered some of the biggest releases in rap music from the boys in one big rapid fire review. Now, the women have been throwing out some of the most notable moments of the year so let's dig into what they have to offer. MEGAN  - Megan Thee Stallion I like Megan Thee Stallion a lot but it isn't because of the quality of her projects. Calling someone a "singles artist" is deeply patronizing but there isn't really another way to explain why Megan has so many amazing songs and no full projects that I can say I genuinely enjoy. Savage , Thot Shit , Hot Girl Summer , Plan B , these are the kind of songs that launched her to fame, and yet all of the projects they landed on were muddled messes with as many bad ideas as good ones. That could have even been the case with this record, which featured one single in particular, the lethal diss track and opener HISS , that I absolutely love. Unfortunately though, MEGAN  has some of the same pitfalls that have plagued...

This week had some pretty big releases, only some of them paid off. Let's explore. <3 5.  Training Montage  - The Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats have PLENTY of great ballads and slow songs, but after the last few years it's really nice to see them put some muscle behind this new single. The song absolutely jams with a hook that is made memorable by John Darnielle's unmistakably vocals and lyrics that are cute above what most indie acts are capable of, no surprise coming from a published author. Listen 4.  Marijuana's A Working Woman  - of Montreal Depending on who you ask it's either been a while, or a WHILE since they last loved an of Montreal record. While one good single doesn't promise much this track certainly reads as one of the bands most exciting and exploratory in years. The multi-faceted song bounces between murkier almost horror movie style passages with methodical vocals into snappy synth pop hooks and it's a combination that worked on me i...

Charli XCX is a British pop singer who rattled off a big hit single as well as a huge feature with Iggy Azealia earlier this decade. Since then though she has mainly reserved herself for a devoted cult following as she receives moderate chart success but major critical acclaim. After having a busy and lucrative 2017 Charli geared up for the release of this self-titled record last year with a breakout lead single and by announcing a number of high profile collaborations leading up to the records release. Review By Lavender: As far as liking Charli XCX's music goes, I go way back. While her earliest MySpace stuff may have missed me by the time True Romance  came out in 2013 I was tuned in and enjoying it quite a bit. She took a big step up the next year with her breakout record Sucker . While the record may have only had one huge hit in the excellent Boom Clap , the album had a ton of worthwhile moments and was a standout in 2014. Since then Charli has been sparse about releas...