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...

Getting back into a normal routine for 2024 this week we're actually going to look back at the best new songs released this week again. Though there were some high-profile drops, it's a surprising array of best tracks that result.  5.  Instincts  - Erick The Architect (feat. WESTSIDE BOOGIE) While I think I may prefer the previous Erick single more than this one I've always had a soft spot for when he strips things back to tell it like it is. There's one lyrical highlight after another on this song and I love how uncompromising he manages to keep the subject matter while curating such a gentle and touching vibe on the song.  Listen 4.  See you soon  - Wisp Wisp is an artist I've been hearing ABOUT a lot more recently than actually hearing from. That was sorted out quickly by this murmuring hazy shoegaze jam. From the eerie girlish vocals that seem like a midpoint between Nicole Dollanganger and Vyva Melinkolya to a bridge that manages to conjure a surprisin...

5.  Cobra  - Megan Thee Stallion Okay, this feels like a song we're gonna be working through for a LONG time. Firstly, the track sees Megan getting VERY raw about her mental health and how her fame and success haven't helped. If anything after the second verse it feels like it's all making her even more paranoid. She delivers a LOT of interesting thoughts to chew over on the song, but the presentation really hasn't changed much from almost any other Megan banger. It seems worth asking if this sonic style if the best way to deliver her message. I can't not talk about this song though. Listen 4.  i got the fear  - Torres The second offer from Torres' forthcoming album is a ballad which achieves a bit of a creeping aesthetic with the physicality of the acoustic guitar really seeping its way into every single strum. It also unfolds in a very patient manner that isn't afraid to use space between the refrains and work in a distant synthetic drum that feels like a ...

Megan Thee Stallion is a Texas rapper who has been pretty much impossible to ignore over the past few years. With numerous hit songs displaying her uncompromising artistry and big personality as well as some very public dramas unfolding around her. Traumazine  is Megan's 2nd studio album following 2020's Good News  and a number of EPs and mixtapes released in the years before and since.  Review by Lav: Like MANY great artists before her Megan knows her way around a great single. Her hard-hitting performance style and creative wordplay have served her well in releasing both hit songs and critical smashes over the past few years. However, like many other great artists this hasn't really translated that well into her full-length material. Whether it's her debut album, EP's like Suga  and Tina Snow,  or mixtapes like Fever  and Something For Thee Hotties  everything that makes Megan great on one particular song fails to get stretched out to the length of a...

This was a busy week full of big announcements, highly anticipated singles and the start of some promising new eras. For the second week in a row I had quite a tricky time putting this list together. 5.  Down  - Hot Chip After one of the more unconventional eras of their career a few years ago Hot Chip seemed to announce a return to the basics with this bright, catchy and incredibly dancy lead single. With punchy percussion and irresistible synths all built around an earworm sample it's very easy to explain and experience the great things about the track.  Listen 4.  Hips  - Warpaint This new era of Warpaint tracks has been defined by a gentle but sleek sound and this song is no different with playful basslines and ethereal vocal melodies. The percussion continues to be a huge highlight and the circular jam it goes on throughout the final 30 seconds is like icing on the cake. This is quickly becoming one of my most anticipated projects of the year.   L...

Singles are the engine upon which the music industry runs. From stan Twitter to the Hot 100 the best way to drum up hype and all the revenue that comes with it is on the back of a great single. For the 5th straight year  it's time to look at all the great singles released by artists new and old throughout 2020 and rank them. Unlike the songs and albums lists that will follow this one over the next 2 days this isn't strictly about the best in terms of sheer quality alone. The list takes quality into consideration alongside cultural significance. reception within an artists listener base and how the songs fit into the context of a band or artists image or discography at large. With all these factors combined I put together my list of the 100 best singles I heard in 2020.  100. Waxahatchee - Fire I've been an enjoyer of Waxahatchee's music for years now and in 2020 she added Fire  to the high end of singles in her discography. The song is a vocal wonder that shows off Kati...