Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lavender: NxWorries is the collaborative project of effortlessly smooth singer and rapper Anderson .Paak and prolific producer Knxwledge. The pair first linked up with a full-length project in 2016 with the still underrated Yes Lawd  which played a role in Paak's rapid rise to fame. It's been 5 years since Paak's last solo album, though he did churn out hits on his solid Bruno Mars collab project Silk Sonic, and now he's back with a long-awaited second effort alongside Knxwledge 8 years after their original.  The thing about the debut NxWorries album is how the incredibly smooth demeanor of both artists come together to make a tracklist that glides expertly along throughout the entire tracklist. That isn't the case here as the pair are intent on taking on a variety of subject matter, occasionally quite seriously, and to do it through a myriad of styles. Lead single Where I Go dropped back in 2022 and it's still a song I really enjoy. Paak and H.E.R are...

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...

If you like big names, this week had them. If you like reoccurring favorites, this week had them. If you liked random ass flips of chance, this week had them. These are the best of it all.  5.  Run  - YG (Feat. Tyga, 21 Savage & BIA) Talk about a roster with potential. If you're familiar with YG's music you're gonna hear a lot of qualities you're familiar with in both the instrumental and his lyrical approach but it's still quite an infectious sound. Two artists who can certainly deliver on a feature show up on the back end of the song and frankly, Savage and BIA deliver.  Listen 4.  Blacklight Shine  - The Mars Volta If you're the type of music fan who didn't really care that Beyonce released a new single then you're probably also the type of music fan who was really excited for The Mars Volta to come back after a decade hiatus. What they returned with might not have the same kinetic energy of some of their best tracks but it has an instrumental var...

Silk Sonic is the dream combination of two of the music industries most charming voices. Proven hitmaker and pop superstar Bruno Mars alongside versatile R&B singer Anderson .Paak. Since we last heard from Bruno Mars with a handful of smash hits on his last album .Paak has emerged as a serious force in the music industry, but this is his most high profile crossover yet.  Review By Lav: This was one of my most anticipated records of the year just based on it's concept alone. Anderson .Paak has been on of my favorite artists in all of music over the past five years with the ability to deliver hilarious and charismatic performances over a variety of genres, it's no surprise at all that his versatility and charm have grabbed hold of so many within the music industry. While I've never been crazy for Bruno's music this is like a dream situation for him, playing off a very different kind of vocalist with even more prescence of personality over a set of 70's flavored se...

Time for a good old EP review. Aside from Clarence Clarity there hasn't been a ton of great EPs coming out recently but some artists I really enjoy have put their names beside short form projects and I'm excited to break them down.  Intimidated EP - Kaytranada I love Kaytranada. His debut album is still a major highlight of electronica in the 2010's and I'm planning on talking about the follow up in a video at some point in the next few weeks. Even some of the one off singles and collaborations he's dropped in the past two years have really connected with me so I was really excited to jump into this EP which features H.E.R, Thundercat and Mach-Hommy of all people. The first track is a warm blend of R&B and house that is easy on the ears, thought I can't help but wish a more capable vocalist than H.E.R was handling the song but that's a mostly minor issue. The next track is a big improvement starting with a killer instrumental that hangs all kinds of spac...

So Help Me God  - 2 Chainz   I was pretty excited for this record given how much I've enjoyed 2 Chainz in the past even leading up to his record last year which landed on the back half of my albums of the year list. Unfortunately some of the issues I had with the singles leading up to this record lasted onto the project itself, starting with a stacked roster of features that come off really lame more often than not. With the exception of Kevin Gates none of the high profile names end up really showing their best side and a handful of tracks are nearly ruined by bad supporting cast. Pair this with some very average production and the only saving grace the record has is 2 Chainz himself. What makes the record worth hearing is 2 Chainz animated and infectious performances, hilarious lyricism and generally great attitude that's as infectious as always. Even though this isn't the longest record in the world I still wish I had dialed back on the feature overload because some of t...

Thundercat is a Los Angeles based singer-songwriter who is well known for his unique style of bass playing. He has appeared on songs with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott and Childish Gambino but is most well known for his attachment for Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder Records and his numerous collaborations with FlyLo. It Is What It Is  is the 5th record from Thundercat and his 2nd since his big breakout singles. Review By Lavender: Thundercat is one of my favorite musical personalities. He's great on Twitter and has released a number of awesome singles over the years, not to mention excellent contributions to fantastic hip hop records over the past 5 years or so. The only issue I have with his music is that I haven't loved a single one of his records yet. They all carry some pretty similar issues starting with tons of short and meaningless interludes that round out already stark tracklists, as well as production that often falls on the dryer side and hurts his s...

Danny Brown is a Detroit rapper who made a name for himself in the world of experimental hip hop in 2011 with his breakout mixtape XXX . After releasing the conceptual Old  in 2013 he received some criticism for dialing back on what made his style so unique but found more critical success despite this. After taking an extended break Danny Brown returned in 2016 with one of the most critically acclaimed records of the year, and one of the most acclaimed experimental hip hop records of the entire decade with his magnum opus  Atrocity Exhibition . The record turned Danny into an overnight superstar in experimental hip hop and the anticipation for this new record was very high. Review By Lavender: Danny Brown's Atrocity   Exhibition  is one of the best albums I've heard all decade and his 2011 record XXX  isn't that far behind it. Danny Brown has shown off consistent ability to deliver on both genre bending and boundary pushing instrumentals and pairing ...

Steve Ellison better known as Flying Lotus is a Los Angeles based producer and rapper as well as the founder of Brainfeeder records. He first garnered critical acclaim and praise from indie, electronica and hip hop fans with his wild 2010 album Cosmogramma . Since then he has dropped two more albums including 2014's much loved You're Dead  and the long absence since then has made this new record one of the most anticipated in all of music this year. Review By Lavender: Flying Lotus is one of the best artists of the 2000's. I have been a fan for years and it is because of his sharp and unique take on instrumental hip hop and abstract electronica. He has been an incredibly influential sound that has been attempted but never truly duplicated and even though not all of his albums are a sharp 10/10 he has been a spectacularly consistent artist for years. Unfortunately while he retains a lot of his sharp sound play on Flamagra  a lot of what made previous works so cohesiv...