Lav's Music Corner

Some HIGH profile new singles dropped this week, see how they shake out against some underground favorites.  5.  Afterlife  - Sharon Van Etten I'll be the first to admit I was skeptical from the moment this song kicked off with its anthemic drum beat and even after I heard the fluttering keys backing Sharon's chorus. While you would think inherently that the grandeur would rob her music of the power it has in its intimacy, she seems to have taken a queue from some of her singer-songwriter contemporaries who impressively expanded their sonic range. This track isn't perfect, but her writing and energy shines through.  Listen 4.  Noid  - Tyler, The Creator Tyler's newest single has justifiably been met with quite a bit of acclaim for both its sound palette and compositional dynamism. Even if some of the altered vocals and MANY of the song's lyrics leave quite a bit to be desired, there's still plenty here to grab onto as potential green flags for Tyler's new a...

5.  Portraits  - Panchiko There's been at least something to admire about pretty much all of the new Panchiko singles so far and this one is the best so far at pinning down the crackling nostalgia and lo-fi textures of their surprise classic material. The glitchiness of the song impugns a character that's entirely unique from their other songs while also feeling physically aged as you listen to it.  Listen 4.  FaceTime  - billy woods & kenny segal (feat. Samuel T. Herring) If you're familiar with the names involved in this song then it sounds exactly what you're imagining it will. There are no surprises here just a successful blending of styles with kenny's often poignant and jazzy production serving as a perfect middle man for the vocals. The high contrast of billy's gritty vocal delivery on the verses and Sam's subtle hook sounds great.  Listen 3.  Back In Office  - Saba & No I.D. Saba and No I.D are teaming up for a mixtape coming soon ...

Saba is a Chicago rapper who made his name off of jazz rap with a heavy focus on narrative lyricism and a reserved performance style. He has an impressive list of collaborations including Noname, Smino, Chance The Rapper and his own group Pivot Gang who released their debut album as a collective back in 2019. Few Good Things  follows Saba's breakout project, the critically derisive CARE FOR ME  from 2018. Review By Lav: That introduction saying that CARE FOR ME  is derisive is no joke, I was there. When I published a very positive review of the album I had people in my Twitter DMs saying all kinds of shit about my "chops" as a rap critic for liking the project. But you also don't have to look hard to find a very devoted fanbase who have been patiently awaiting a follow-up. I wasn't sure exactly how to feel going into this record because I certainly believe in Saba's level of talent, but I was mixed on the singles and even some of the features I've heard fr...

Last week indie got off to a ridiculous start in 2022 and this week it was raps turn to have tons of notable releases within just a few days. The only difference, these tracks average out to a MUCH weaker group and other genres of music still managed to sneak into the ranks of the best singles this week. With some major disappointments these are the tracks that still managed to rise to the top. 5.  Jackie Down The Line  - Fontaines D.C I've been one of the bigger critics of this band over the last few years but this may be their best single yet. The driving rhythms and monotone delivery make for a confrontational sound but I could never call the song overly aggressive or loud. This is also the first time I've thought the band used vocals in a really effective way to combine with the dark sound of the instrumental to create something really interesting.  Listen 4.  Surround Sound  - JID (Feat. 21 Savage & Baby Tate) This was a collection of talent that was al...

Below are the best new singles released this weekend: 5.  Queer  - Arca (Feat. Planningtorock) Arca being on this list feels like a necessary weekly occurrence at this point but I'm always excited for a Planningtorock appearance. The song is a weird slightly industrial and incredibly surreal banger that take on queer identity headfirst. If Arca really does drop three albums in December there will be a myriad of highlights in the bunch but I feel pretty safe in saying this will be one of them.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ropCEgWpdQ 4.  Stop That  - Saba Saba continues to impress not only as a wordsmith but also as a confident and technically proficient rapper. While the beat on this one is just okay it really does enough for Saba to jump on top and deliver a smart and instantly memorable performance on both the verses and hook. The only issue I have is that at just over two minutes it feels like it stops before it uses all the momentum it built up.  ht...

1. Wolf Parade - Against The Day Wolf Parade are back once again after a triumphant return in 2017 with a new record and a lead single that is sure to be an overlooked and underrated moment in indie music this year. 2. Perfume Genius - Pop Song After dropping the second highest charting and first longest charting song of the year with his first single of 2019 Eye In The Wall  Perfume Genius could be set up with even more success along one of the most creatively dominant periods of his ever evolving career. 3. Ghetto Sage - Haagen Dazs The debut single from long time collaborators but first time super groups Ghetto Sage, consisting of Chicago MCs Saba, Noname and Smino, has been a long awaited affair and fans of conscious rap from across the creative spectrum have flocked to see what the three talented rappers can pull off together. 4. Katy Perry - Harleys In Hawaii After two surprisingly good singles began Katy Perry's 2019 she looks to do it again with a summer song aime...

Dreamville is a subsidiary group of Interscope records founded by J. Cole that features some up and coming talents like J.I.D, Earthgang and Bas. The label has released two Revenge Of The Dreamers compilations but with a larger roster than ever and a number of young, high profile features III  is the biggest and boldest of the projects to date. Review By Lavender: So it's no secret I haven't exactly been in love with J. Cole's output apart from 2014 Forrest Hills Drive . Despite him hailing from my home state his last two albums have left me underwhelmed for very different reasons. Given that I haven't been head over heels for J.I.D or Earthgang despite enjoying their records I still think this album had a lot of potential. Now that Dreamers  is here it faces the challenges of many albums of its type, the quality of the tracks depends greatly on the quality of the artists involved, and that comes with its own issues. There are a handful of songs here that are d...

What in this world is better than a really good song? For the second most prestigious list we make every year we are covering the best songs released on albums, EPs, mixtapes or as standalone singles this year. The list can feature as many songs from an artist as their talent and output in that calendar year warrants and deep cuts have exactly as much of a chance to make the list as big budget chart topping singles. We also don't take into context the place of the artist in their career, their actions or any and all promotional material that may have been attached to the tracks. The only way to end up on this list is to have really really good music. You can listen along to the music on this list with the playlist here. 100. Arctic Monkeys - American Sports Starting our piece off is this short but charismatic and catchy tune off of the Arctic Monkeys 6th studio album. Overlooked by big hits surrounding it American Sports  is a tuneful and downtempo diaplay of Alex Turner...