Lav's Music Corner

5.  Te Mata  - Kali Uchis Kali's new Spanish-language album is off to a strong start with this Bolero cut. The style feels like a natural fit to her and while it lacks some of the purely infectious moments her best songs contain, the track is lush and dramatic in a way that feels larger than life. It's a song that's both exceedingly charming and exceedingly pretty.  Listen 4.  In The City  - Charli XCX (feat. Sam Smith) This song definitely took some time to grow on me but at the end of the day it's really the A.G. Cook production that wins me over. Like so many of their best songs together  In The City  manages to translate the grit of its jagged and rough around the edges production into supremely blissful pop sounds. This time in particular the motif of "The City" feels particularly well served by the sonic choices and it elevates an already solid songwriting foundation.  Listen 3.  Sleeper  - BADBADNOTGOOD (feat. Charlotte Day Wilson...

Just barely a month into the year, I've somehow already missed three pop records I planned on talking about for various reasons. Let's remedy that. Gloria  - Sam Smith Normally I wouldn't even be paying attention to a Sam Smith release, much less reviewing it. But then of course, Unholy  happened, not only the best single I've ever heard from them, but also their most interesting song to date. That meant I was obviously going to pay attention to this album to see if it was some kind of sea change for Sam Smith or at least a point where they would be offering more stylistic risks than on any of their previous efforts. Given the scant tracklist of just 11 full songs, almost all of which are quite short, I was hoping there would be some major swings at different styles one after another. But the actual result is a record that's still pretty tame and also pretty scant on top of it.  Thematically the album has a general tide of accepting yourself, coming to terms with yo...

It's A week at least. I'm on time you gotta give me credit for that. Enjoy <3 5.  Love On The Run  - Broken Bells The latest and likely final single from Danger Mouse and James Mercer in the lead-up to their return as Broken Bells is yet another that lulls you in and grows over time. The wandering composition and spacey echoing instrumentation aren't likely to blow you away immediately but every time I heard the song I found myself enjoying it more and more as it went on.  Listen 4.  Belinda Says  - Alvvays Alvvays continued dive into the world of shoegaze has resulted in heavier and heavier singles and with one hit after another, it's easy to hope they never look back. The noise isn't just there for the sake of it either these songs are an all-out rush that never get less exciting. If hype for the record is the goal of their continued single rollout, it's working.  Listen 3.  All I Need To Hear  - The 1975 the second slow-burner single from Th...