Lav's Music Corner

Each of these artists fit the "hyperpop" label to VERY different degrees. But I want to cover all of them before the year is out so lets get to it.  Perfect Picture  - Hannah Diamond Hannah Diamond is perhaps the member of PC Music's inner circle that feels the most equipped to transcend hyperpop to something resembling genuine stardom. While she's flirted with it in the past, it also feels like she's never had her definitive moment. That's not to say I didn't enjoy her 2019 album Reflections , it just felt like it came late to the party to capitalize on the legitimate hype swirling around the distinct hyperpop sound it dabbles in. With the label itself now formally coming to an end, this feels like a potential swan song for one of the definitive acts to shine the brightest. It got off to a pretty great start too. I absolutely love the lead single Affirmations  which sees Hannah at her peak pop instincts crafting a song that is both bubbly and fun but subt...

5.  shake my bones  - Matana Roberts Though this is a much shorter offering than the expansive single Matana led this era off with, the track is no less exciting. She continues to have a style of jazz deeply influenced by world music but firmly rooted in her fundamentals as a composer and the result is individual moments that absolutely soar over the familiar but impressively performed undercurrent of sounds throughout. It's quite a bit of excitement crammed into just 4 minutes.  Listen 4.  WUACV  - Tkay Maidza Tkay's newest short, thumping banger does feel a good bit like her past two as well as tracks in her past like Syrup . But that feels less like familiarity and more like experience on this song which wastes no time getting into some of its most lethal refrains. Could the lyrics be better, certainly, but that isn't really what you put on a song like this for in the first place.  Listen 3.  Mad-Dauber Wasp  - Matmos After releasing an album l...

5.  Tenkiller  - Chat Pile The breakout year for Chat Pile continues as they dropped the soundtrack for a film they scored a few years ago, lead off with this double single that contains more insanity from the band whose insanity is already a little difficult to describe. Whatever you think you're getting into with the heavy but well-paced post-hardcore instrumental, you aren't ready for the lyrics on this track. Well, maybe if you heard their full album earlier this year that can take a bit of the edge off.  Listen 4.  Nights In December  - Tkay Maidza So I didn't see this coming. It's an R&B flavored track sure but with a beat that combines some warbled synths with clacky background percussion that feels straight out of Tierra Whack's terminally underrated Peppers and Onions . The icing on the cake is a repetitive but effortlessly smooth hook that is pretty much guaranteed to stick in your head.  Listen 3.  Fingers Of Steel  - Shame While I'...

The Extended Play is either a dying breed with too few songs to rack up meaningful streams or it's the only place where you can discover authentically good indie music anymore. Depending on who you ask. The reality of it is while the EP is mostly dead in popular music save for a few artists who could release literally anything and their fans would listen, it is a thriving medium in the underground. Part of me hates doing this list because 10 years from now we will know about some great EPs from artists who will break out in the next few years and this list will look completely different. But for now lets indulge with artists we know are good right now and count down the top 10 EPs of 2021.  10. Lil Mariko  - Lil Mariko Lil Mariko garnered quite a bit of attention with her appearance on Dorian Electra's My Agenda  last year, but she was really just getting started. Her debut EP is a hyperpop meets hip hop meets metal fusion sort of like Poppy but with more rapped verses. A...

JPEGMAFIA is a New York/Baltimore rapper who has taken the world of experimental hip hop by storm in recent years. With his breakout record Veteran  in 2018 he used unconventional song structures and a wide array of experimental influences to craft a truly unique and eclectic rap sound. He has prolifically released music since then with a number of one off singles, the 2019 album All My Heroes Are Cornballs  and a pair of EP's over the last two years. Both of those EP's helped lead up to the visual stylings and sonic composition of LP! .  Review By Lav: Peggy made it pretty difficult to write a review of this record that reaches any kind of conclusion but I'm gonna try. I really enjoyed his last two records and his sound was a refreshingly weird take on hip hop that impressed me even if not every single experiment hits it out of the park. I wasn't quite as enamored with either of the EP's he released even though they both certainly had their highlights, I thought th...

Tkay Maidza is an Australian rapper and singer who first drew attention with her 2016 debut album on Interscope before transitioning to 4AD for the series of Last Year Was Weird EPs. Vol. 2 was released just last year to resounding critical acclaim, building up hype for this quick follow up. Review By Lav: While I haven't been the loudest supporter of Tkay in her career so far, I have been paying attention. What I've seen is an artist who is improving every single time I hear from her and I knew that it was time to properly review her work. This came after enjoying her EP last year and enjoying the trio of singles leading up to this EP even more. While this isn't quite the earth-stopper that Vol. 2 was for many people, Vol. 3 has some major highlights and a pretty consistent run of great songs at its core.  While we're here we should get the weak points of the EP out of the way not, which weirdly enough are the opening and closing tracks. Eden  is a pleasant opening tra...