Lav's Music Corner

Tame Impala is one of the most beloved indie bands of the past 15 years. It's the project of singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer extraordinaire Kevin Parker. While the second Tame Impala record,  Lonerism , remains their peak of critical success, its follow-up, Currents , embraced a psychedelic pop style that introduced the band to an entirely new fanbase. In the years since, songs like “The Less I Know The Better” and “Let It Happen” have been cemented as modern indie classics. Despite that, the band's 4th album was met with mixed reviews, though I came away liking the record more than most critics. Deadbeat has taken an even harsher critical beating than its predecessor, but this time I completely agree.  Not to say this record is a complete waste. The lead single “End Of Summer” still works for me. It reminds me of many great, lengthy Tame Impala songs before it, with the way it transitions from one infectious segment to another effortlessly. But it's th...

5.  Run To The Moon  - Beach Fossils Beach Fossils are back and they've pumping out blissful indie and dream pop with lethal efficiency. Once again they've delivered a sweet cloudy haze whose lyric on the hook "it feels like I'm living in another world" is thoroughly appropriate. What it lacks in punchy soundplay it makes up for with enveloping bliss.  Listen 4.  Chasing Spirits  - Jess Williamson Another Jess single and another hit. While I may not love the song as much as its predecessor it's good for all the exact same reasons. Jess continues to be a striking performer that is made perfectly for this country-flavored brand of folk music and her lyrical diatribes are continually interesting. The sound and style of this song are pretty much exactly what I was hoping for.  Listen 3.  Rains  - The Antlers For a band that is already well known for being almost impossibly reserved and patient in almost every element of their music, this is an act of ...

Gorillaz are a group that really need no introduction. The genre-blending music project of Blur frontman Damon Albarn who has been weaving various styles and collaborators into infectious music for over 20 years. Cracker Island  is the eighth album from the band and it follows 2020's  Song Machine  which was built around the collaborations it featured on every song. Review by Lav: My love for various Damon Albarn projects has never been a secret. I've often called Blur one of my favorite bands of all time, Plastic Beach  was among my favorite albums of the 2010s, and Damon's last solo album The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows  was one of my favorites of that year. But since 2010 Gorillaz have had a mixed bag of releases marked by forgettable moments like The Fall  and The Now Now . Even though I think Humanz  is over-hated, there's no denying that the second decade of Gorillaz wasn't as strong as their first. To me, this album shou...

FIIIIIIIINALLY. After two weeks of absolute snoozing on the singles chart we are finally back to a week that has it all. Big new releases from huge artists that actually live up to the hype, continued quality music from some of the best acts around and even a few surprises working their way into the mix.  Enjoy <3 5.  Too Much  - Freddie Gibbs (Feat. Moneybagg Yo) Sometimes simplicity is all it takes. The hook of this song is a perfect example because it manages to spin some absolute bliss out of a short sequence of refrains. While I wish there was a bit more to separate the verses from the hook I have to say this song goes hard in all the same ways one could hope a Freddie Gibbs track would.  Listen 4.  New Gold  - Gorillaz (Feat. Tame Impala & Bootie Brown) Even though this high-profile collaboration doesn't quite live up to the hype throughout I will say that it gets off to an excellent start that is more than enough to land a spot on the list. Go...

Musically the album is king. While singles top charts and generate radio play it's the album that fans stay up all night waiting for and constantly ask for online. Everything about these collections of songs seems just as innocuous as well, a collection of songs. But what they mean to us and what they meant to us specifically in 2020 is immeasurable. I listened to just over 250 albums this year and reviewed almost 200 of them and as usual there were tons of records I just didn't have time to get to. As much as I wish I could have listened to absolutely everything, this list is the best of everything I actually could listen to this year. These records range from solid and slightly inconsistent experiments to some of the best and most groundbreaking music of the year, and is neatly arranged into a 100-1 list as best as I could do, enjoy. 100. Freezepop - Fantasizer One of the premiere synth pop bands of the 2000's returned in 2020 with Fantasizer . While it came completely ou...