Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lav: Jesus Christ this album is so good it's ridiculous. Wait a minute, let me start over. Vampire Weekend are a New York indie rock outfit who have been putting out music since the 2000s, though their production has slowed quite a bit in recent years. After nearly 20 years as a band Only God Was Above Us  is their 5th album and it comes four years after their highly-anticipated return album Father Of The Bride . I reviewed that album when it came out and said a lot of positive things about it, but in the back of my mind, I kind of knew that while it was good it wasn't absolutely everything I wanted it to be. Well, Only God  is everything I want it to be and more. It might be my favorite Vampire Weekend album to date and I have fucking loved this band since I first became an active music listener, plus last year I dropped a video calling Modern Vampires Of The City  the best album of 2013. That's just how good Only God  is.  It started with the single...

Now that I'm recovered enough to have opinions again a week full of big swings fell right into my lap. See what hit it out of the park and what completely struck out.  5.  Alter Ego  - Doechii (feat. JT) This is definitely a tricky one but in a week like this, it belongs on the list. Doechii and City Girls rapper JT is a combination I was THRILLED for and boy do they deliver. The two verses on this song are intense, pummeling, verbose, and completely unstoppable avalanches of charisma and momentum. Unfortunately, no matter how many times I try I just cannot get behind this chorus. Where both rappers make the intensity of their performance sound great on the verse the hook is just purely annoying in a way that is so blown out it's difficult to swallow. It's a tricky assessment on a song that has some of the most impressive performances I've heard all year.  Listen 4.  Gasping Dust  - Full Of Hell (feat. Ross Dolan) Is this song only a minute long, yes. But b...

I am in the thick of Rolling Loud weekend and running on absolute fumes right now.  5.  Monaco  - Ride Is it a bizarrely full circle moment to hear Ride sounding like they're trying to be Amusement Parks On Fire? Yes. But that doesn't prevent me from enjoying the results. While Ride's comeback has never inspired the same critical acclaim as some of their classic shoegaze contemporaries they have managed an impressive consistency in both release schedule and quality that I've grown to appreciate a lot.  Listen 4.  Enough for you  - Wisp Once again shoegaze upstart Wisp has impressed me with a track from her upcoming EP. The formula here is far from unheard of but she's dabbling in sounds heavier than some of her contemporaries. With smashing drums and chugging riffs she's wandering her dreamy poise into Hum territory, an influence many of the other new age shoegaze acts probably won't reach for years. What results is an impressive level of sonic intensity th...

*mwah* 5.  I'm A Man  - Kim Gordon It seems like the uncompromising nature of the first single from this new Kim Gordon album was no accident. This second single is arguably just as intent to grab you by the throat and hold on tight. The instrumental once again featured rattling drums and rumbling bass but it's even more brash in its presentation. While the refrains here aren't quite as catchy as its predecessor they arguably set up for even more intense moments.  Listen 4.  Brown Paper Bag - DIIV In a world where a lot of music fans were excited for other things. I was hyped for the return of one of my favorite shoegaze outfits of the 2010s. DIIV's new lead single certainly fits in with the sound and style I was expecting to hear, but in a sense, that's why I'm not head over heels for it. While the slowed down and heavier demeanor is welcome, sonically parts of this song still feel like the band leaning into what they know they can do well. It's hard to see...

While this wasn't the biggest week I've ever covered it also wasn't necessarily slow and highlighted by a few very high profile announcement singles, there was quite a bit to talk about this week. 5.  Gary Ashby  - Dry Cleaning I was worried a bit about Dry Cleaning's short turnaround from album one to album two when I started to hear singles that sounded VERY familiar. Turns out they could circumvent the problem by just reusing ideas that I didn't mind hearing again. This new song which evokes pretty strong Scratchcard Lanyard  comparisons is a solid reimagining of that track's fundamentals in a shorter and slightly less pessimistic fashion.  Listen 4.  We Let It In  - Brian Eno Continuing Eno's ongoing return into the world of vocals he brings along his daughter for a very gentle and expansive duet. The song didn't really connect with me at first but the more I observed it's gentle tones and the remarkable sonic restraint shown throughout, I was ul...

The music industry thrives on singles. Whether it is smash hits that dominate the charts of mouthwatering tasters that get fans talking, or even unexpected collaborations that blend together different musical worlds, the single is a staple of modern music. For the 4th year in a row I'm looking at all the singles I heard in 2019 from artists big and small, and ranking them. For this list I've taken into account four criteria. One, the quality of the songs themselves. Two, the reception to the singles within fanbase of its artist. Three, the influence or effect on pop culture of the song, and four, the status of the band or artist when they released the single and how it changed the perception of them. For the first time on this list I'm giving even more credit to the bands and artists who have consistently and frequently released great music over the past three years of these lists, by tracking their past placements. And without further ado here are my top 100 singles of 2...