Lav's Music Corner

Kae Tempest is a British poet and spoken word singer who has been releasing albums for almost a decade now. Their debut album Everybody Down  in 2014 was a massive critical success and since then they've expanded into writing across numerous mediums and in 2020 came out as nonbinary.  Review By Lav: While I've never been a Kae Tempest super fan I've always been aware of their music and stop in every few years to check out the new albums, which usually have some highlights to be found. This time around I was more interested than usual for a few reasons. Early on in the cycle Kae showed off a huge change in look and era aesthetic that seemed to serve an entirely new artistic vision for themselves. What had me even more excited was how much I liked the crop of singles which came out one after another with interesting features that lived up to my hopes.  Lets cover those first, three of the four tracks released before the record are great. More Pressure  might be the cat...

I have nothing of any importance to say this week aside from the fact that it was the best week for new singles in quite a while. Enjoy <3 5.  Wild Child  - The Black Keys Dan and Patrick are back and clearly influenced by their spin as a Missouri Delta covers band because this is their busiest piece of original material in years. While it is instantly satisfying to see them turn back the clock and there's a guitar bridge on the song that can only be defined as "sweet", I'm not sure this is quite as infectious and instantaneous as their best material. Still loving the change of pace.  Listen 4.  Sweetest Pie  - Megan Thee Stallion (Feat. Dua Lipa) Is this a purely pop motivated turn for Megan, yes. But it's also a really enjoyable song with Dua's charming hook and the combination of typically hip hop centric trap drums with those walls of warbling synths that go together surprisingly well. I love that Dua is allowed more than just the hook on the song even ...

Natalia Lafourcade - Un Canto por Mexico, Vol. 1 Natalia has been one of the leading voices in the world of Mexican folk revivalism with her pair of Musas  releases both of which received massive critical acclaim including from me. While UCPM isn't quite the same concept the sounds will be familiar to people who have been following Natalia recently and he executes it well. The set of tracks here are raw but extravagantly performed and lushly arranged which means that even when moments blend together the minute to minute sound of the record is exciting. While it clearly won't be for everyone if you've enjoyed her music prior to this then the album is yet another can't miss entry. 7/10 Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas This album completely slipped under my radar despite the fact that I was a fan of Lianne's debut Is Your Love Big Enough?  around the time it came out. Given that it was one of the records I was most excited to finally get a chance to listen to my expec...