Lav's Music Corner

It's gonna be a blitz at the end of the year as I try to cover as many of the records I've been meaning to as possible. That also means the categories are gonna get looser and looser, just like this very generous and sweeping use of the term "pop" to cover everything we're talking about today.  The Loneliest Time  - Carly Rae Jepsen This one is totally my bad. I love Carly and this record absolutely deserved a full review closer to its release date. It just happened to come out during a busy week and get shelved for a while but I've been listening to it a lot since it came out. That's because this record despite the inconsistencies does have some songs that are just as amazing of high points as her previous two. That started with the singles which I liked quite a bit collectively highlighted by the glittery anthem Talking To Yourself  and the breezy infectious lead single Western Wind , but it isn't limited to the singles. That includes the opening tra...

The first time I opened this I realized I had written "October 23th" in the header so there are sure to be more errors from here.  Enjoy <3 5.  Sunset  - Caroline Polachek I went back and forth on this one quite a bit as the plucky Spanish guitars felt like a very strange combo for THIS song when performed by THIS artist. But honestly as I kept listening the song started to grow on me primarily through its incredibly infectious refrains. While I wish the bridge had a little something more than just Caroline's extended vocalizing I do still like the song.  Listen 4.  Where I Go - NxWorries (Feat. H.E.R) NxWorries, the collaborative project of Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge is back after a long hiatus and they're announcing their return with this silky bedroom anthem which pairs Paak with H.E.R. Once you break down the lyrics there's quite a bit more going on here than the normal bassline of love and lust but you couldn't tell just from how infectiously smooth...

While this wasn't the biggest week I've ever covered it also wasn't necessarily slow and highlighted by a few very high profile announcement singles, there was quite a bit to talk about this week. 5.  Gary Ashby  - Dry Cleaning I was worried a bit about Dry Cleaning's short turnaround from album one to album two when I started to hear singles that sounded VERY familiar. Turns out they could circumvent the problem by just reusing ideas that I didn't mind hearing again. This new song which evokes pretty strong Scratchcard Lanyard  comparisons is a solid reimagining of that track's fundamentals in a shorter and slightly less pessimistic fashion.  Listen 4.  We Let It In  - Brian Eno Continuing Eno's ongoing return into the world of vocals he brings along his daughter for a very gentle and expansive duet. The song didn't really connect with me at first but the more I observed it's gentle tones and the remarkable sonic restraint shown throughout, I was ul...

5. "Ti Amo" - Phoenix After a disappointing first single with J-Boy, Phoenix impresses with their second single for the upcoming album. They channel 2009 with a dancy beat complimented by characteristic and self aware vocals with a surprisingly non annoying vocal effect layered chorus. If you weren't excited for the new Phoenix album before, it's time to be. 4. "Hook, Line & Sinker" - Royal Blood If there is one thing you can give Royal Blood's eponymous 2014 debut album, it's that the singles were all fantastic, they look to keep this trend up. Hook Line & Sinker doesn't change up the bands formula or bring anything drastically new, but it doesn't have to. The formula has at least an album more before the staleness sets in and they know it. The song jams like it's 2017 (when rock music is going out of style). 3. "Adeline" - Alt-J Alt-J now have a trifecta of fantastic singles previewing a 3rd studio alb...