Lav's Music Corner

V  - Unknown Mortal Orchestra If you've surprised this review ended up in a rapid fire, join the club. I've long been a champion of this band and I've liked some of the singles from this album a lot including That Life  which was among my favorite singles of 2021. I was pretty excited for the album to come out and I listened to it immediately but somehow it just managed to fall through the cracks in a sea of notable records released in the last month and change. But I do want to get my thoughts out on the record in some formal way given how much I've talked up the band's previous material. While there are definitely things that make this record unique in the band's discography so much of what they've always been known for is on display. Take the opening track The Garden  which displays some of the same psychedelic guitar tones, infectious refrains, and circular structure that have made so many great UMO songs in the past. Unfortunately, the next four songs a...

5.  Over  - Chvrches I've declared Chvrches back in the past just for them to turn around and drop another incredibly forgettable album so I'm certainly not gearing up to make that mistake again. What I will say for this song is that it has the infectious energy and hard-hitting synthetic beats of the band's best work. But the youthful energy is traded out for this more somber emotional response met with a more measured performance.  Listen 4.  Done (Let's Get It)  - Yaeji This is probably the one song this week that I wanted to like a lot more than I do. I like the sound of the song quite a bit and Yaeji as usual does quite a good job at making it functionally dancy while also finding a way to infuse her personality and a consistent message throughout. My main problem with the song is just the hook, which doesn't feel nearly as sticky as I was hoping for as a genuine climax to the song. Listen 3.  Nadja  - Unknown Mortal Orchestra Compared to the last...

One month into the year and we've had three VERY solid release weekends as far as new singles go. This one didn't exactly shine as bright but there are still tracks worth hearing.  5.  Layla  - Unknown Mortal Orchestra For the second single in a row I'm not blown away immediately by a new UMO track and for almost the exact same reasons. There's some very solid songwriting here and sounds that I would imagine could craft immaculately textured vibes if they came from a different era in the band's career. But like Captain Cook  before it the instrumentation here is pretty raw and scant. I could see the refrains here winning me over with time but I'm not sure the song has anything like the intimately plucked strings that eventually changed my mind on their last single. Listen 4.  Forbidden Doors  - Tennis Tennis isn't really a band I'm ever expecting to show up and drop one of the best singles of the week. While I've enjoyed a LOT of their material in th...

Last best new songs of October, here's hoping my year-end lists will come out on time.  5.  I Killed Captain Hook  - Unknown Mortal Orchestra I had a pretty negative reaction to this when I heard it for the first time as it very purposefully sounds like a demo but it seems like it's genuinely the next single of this UMO era. While it's nowhere near as good as last year's That Life  the presentation did grow on me, particularly after really digging into the song's instrumental bridge where every little nuance of guitar sound is put up front and center behind the thin crackling distortion.  Listen 4.  Feedback  - La Roux (Feat. Baby Tate) Yeah, I'm just as surprised as you are. La Roux is back and her new single is an R&B banger with a Baby Tate verse that honestly kinda rules. That sentence feels randomly generated. There certainly isn't any new territory broken on the song but I am genuinely shocked at how comfortable La Roux sounds on it. This is ...

The single is the absolute heartbeat of popular music. Nothing racks up streams, builds up hype and generates social media buzz like a lead single, music video or elaborate promotional campaign. While the medium isn't exclusive to the mainstream and bands all the way down to the local level can issue singles in the streaming era, this is the list most affected by general consensus and commercial success. Based on the quality of these songs, the level of execution in their visuals and promotion, and the appeal and reception within their target fanbase this is a ranking of the top 100 singles released in 2021.  Enjoy <3 100. Bloody Future  - Kilo Kish Last Time On The List: 2019 Bite Me With nostalgia being as potent a force as ever in music this year Kilo Kish kicks our list off with a multi-decade encompassing R&B banger. Her voice continues to be an infectious accompaniment to a bouncy hook and her impeccable attitude goes a long way to help sell the track.  99. P...