Lav's Music Corner

Okay so I'm getting a late start to the year at least on the blog. I woke up one day this week and realized I had somehow just kind of forgotten the weekly segment I've done on here for years. So there's been three weeks of the new year so far and quite a few high-profile songs released, these are the 10 best. 10.  Right Back To It  - Waxahatchee (feat. MJ Lenderman) Fresh off a breakthrough year for Wednesday, MJ Lenderman teams up for a supporting contribution to Waxahatchee's new song, and boy does it go over well. The pair aren't exactly charting new ground stylistically but Katie's vocals are somehow even more infectious than ever before and the woozy folk instrumental palette is still a near perfect fit.  Listen 9.  J Christ  - Lil Nas X Much like Doja Cat did last year with Paint The Town Red , Lil Nas X is leaning into his most controversial instincts. I think he ended up with a pretty catchy song which keeps up the line of his short and incredibly infec...

Not exactly a world class week of new music, but here are the highlights regardless.  5.  The Mad Stone  - Everything Everything While this still isn't the band at their peak, I do think this is an improvement from the previous single they dropped. It contains some of the always unique vocalizations you expect to hear from them and it does rise dramatically with a creeping piano phrase that I like a lot. My only issue with the song is that the band isn't writing anywhere near their catchiest material here and the song never really worked its way into my head.  Listen 4.  Get Close  - Ari Lennox While this track is definitely getting more from Ari as a performer than the songwriting itself I don't really see that as all too much of a complaint. Ari continues to be a world class vocalist and even when she isn't given the strongest direction it's still entrancing. The song isn't as memorable as some of the best moments on her last album but I still enjoy what ...

We are fully immersed in the end of year blitz where publications rush to not be the very last one to name their best music of the year. Like each of the past few years I will take up that mantle and release my best of lists in the last week of the year which means this week that many are spending dropping final calls, I'm cramming trying to get in as much reviewing work as possible before throwing myself into the year end haze. These are the last 3 EPs I'll be taking a look at before the end of the year! Alternate Lands  EP - William Doyle William surprised and impressed me earlier this year with his Great Spans Of Muddy Time  album, probably my favorite thing he's done since his East India Youth days. So it was easy for me to jump on board with a collection of tracks from the same era, especially after some singles I enjoyed. Everything I liked about Spans  shows up here with William's fragile intimate vocals providing chilling moments of reflection and the bright ins...

The best new tracks released this weekend below: 5.  The Unanswered Why  - William Doyle Following up his pretty solid album earlier this year former East India Youth frontman William Doyle announced a new EP this week and dropped a charming little lead single with this track. It ups the tempo from his standard outing but doesn't lose any of the poise with pleasant strumming electric guitar and sharp refrains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv1hF7dWYYI 4.  Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To  - Courtney Barnett Courtney's most recent single may be the most nondescript so far but that doesn't stop her from effectively capturing the breezy indie rock vibe that she's always been known for. The song has a slinky reverbed guitar lick and a swaying momentum that lulls you in from the very start.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTrdzqGHqu4 3.  Incendio  - Arca Arca came out of nowhere to drop a new track that deals in many of her typical stylistic lan...

These 13  - Andrew Bird/Jimbo Mathus This collaboration between indie folk veteran Andrew Bird and Squirrel Nut Zippers alum Jimbo Mathus had the potential to be fascinatingly unique. With Bird's unique lyricism and sweet vocals alongside Jimbo's versatile back catalog including swing revival I wasn't really sure what to expect from These 13 . As it turns out the record is a mostly folk affair with occasional splashes of country. This works more than it doesn't with Bird in particular feeling quite at home and pinning some provoking lyrics throughout. There are definitely a few points on the record where it gets flat out hokey and some of the more country inspired cuts don't tend to hold up from a songwriting standpoint. Ultimately there is enough here to keep fans of either artist interested, but I don't see the pair as adding up to greater than the sum of their parts here. 6/10 The Art Of Losing  - The Anchoress The Anchoress is the project of Catherine Anne D...