Lav's Music Corner

Little Simz is a London rapper who has spent over a decade both acting and rapping, dropping a number of albums, mixtapes and EPs of various hip hop styles. Her critical breakout came on 2019's GREY Area  a sleight collection of reserved rap bangers that drew critical acclaim across the board. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert  is the records follow up which nearly doubles its tracklist length and runtime employing much more orchestration in the instrumentals as well as a grander narrative concept. Review By Lav: I had heard of Little Simz in passing a number of times across my first few years of doing this through her collaborations with Joywave, Gorillaz and Alt-J. But on 2019's GREY Area  she displayed a fantastic mastery of flow and consistently creative lyricism that impressed me quite a bit, even if the songs themselves didn't always see it through. I was incredibly excited for her follow-up after hearing the teasers and reading some of the press she's done in the le...

Drake is the biggest artist on earth, and frankly it really isn't even close. From his streaming dominance, to his radio dominance to his chart dominance across numerous genres Drake has been an absolutely unstoppable force of commercial music for years. After setting numerous Billboard and streaming records with his 2018 record Scorpion  Drake has already started tearing down his previous accomplishments with Certified Lover Boy  in just the records first few days.  Review By Lav: Compared to the general public I've never been one of the massive Drake fans that you most likely know and interact with on Twitter occasionally. But compared to most music critics I've been far more positive on Drake's output, particularly in recent years, than many major outlets. While Views  and Scorpion  are both undeniably bloated there is also no denying the highlights that run throughout. Drake overcame this on his More Life  playlist which featured contributions from a nu...

Best new tracks released this weekend: 5.  Good Ones  - Charli XCX With her new era Charli promised to leave experimental pop behind and pivot to more conventional pop concepts. On Good Ones  she delivers on that promise with a dancefloor bop full of early Gaga worship that rounds in just over 2 minutes. It's a simple, catchy electro pop cut with hit potential, all of which are major flashbacks to some of Charli's earliest projects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjAuUXdSFaM 4  Sit Around The Fire  - Jon Hopkins (Feat. Ram Dass & East Forrest) This week electronic musician Jon Hopkins announced a new album entitled Music For Psychedelic Therapy  and it's safe to say the lead single delivered on that promise. The 8 minute lead single features an ambient like haze over which Hopkins places a meditative guide from Western spatiality guru Ram Dass. The results are a relaxing and sonically compelling experience that experimental music fans are sure to appre...

Every year there are literally dozens and dozens, maybe even hundreds of trap records that either get reccomended to me or hyped up somewhere significant online. While I do cover major releases or records I anticipate being particularly good I wanted to take some time to play catch up with contemporary raps predominate sound, and it probably won't be the last time this year I do.  Trip At Knight  - Trippie Redd Even though I have reviewed Trippie a few times in the past I decided to skip out on his two most recent major releases. Last years Pegasus  was a bloated and very boring project that I didn't review because I didn't really have anything to say about it. He followed it up with the Travis Barker collaboration Neon Shark  which I was hesitant of because of just how often Travis pops up on terrible trap music these days, but I actually thought it turned out decent. Given that it was really just a deluxe release of Pegasus  I never got around to it but Trip A...

Turnstile is a Baltimore based hardcore act who first broke out in 2015 when their debut album Nonstop Feeling  became a fam favorite in numerous online circles. Glow On  is the bands third album and their longest to date, which was teased throughout 2021 with 5 singles.  Review By Lav: When Turnstile's debut album came out I was in the very place where angry music thrives, high school. One day Turnstile just appeared and while I knew plenty of people who became obsessed, I wasn't quite as impressed. Even though I thought their sophomore album was a big improvement I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed the crop of singles for this record. Normally where a Turnstile record wouldn't even be on my radar, this one really got my attention and I was even anticipating its release. While I wasn't quite as head over heels for Glow On  as some critics, it is far and away my favorite of the bands releases so far.  Lets talk about those singles that had me looking for...

Halsey is an American pop star who emerged in the second half of the 2010's to quickly become one of the defining pop voices of that era. After three records full of sonic elements and collaborations that you'd mostly expect from a pop artist, on If I Can't Have Love  Halsey recruits Nine Inch Nails members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, fresh off a Grammy win for the soundtrack to Pixar's Soul,  to handle production on the entire record.  Review By Lav: I've always been pretty middle of the road when it comes to Halsey. Their are plenty of Twitter stans and pop heads who worship Halsey as one of the great pop stars of modern music, but they've also amassed quite a bit of haters across just a few years of relevancy. While I wouldn't consider myself a Halsey fan they're nowhere near the most annoying voice in pop music alone and certainly not deserving of some of the hate. That being said I was pretty critical of Halsey's last record, the worst of the...

Kanye West is an artist who really needs no introduction. One of the biggest and most controversial figures in popular music who has maintained a devoted fanbase and commercial success for nearly two decades. After a trio of stadium shows where unfinished versions of his 10th studio album were played to fans, Donda  finally dropped at the ever so unconventional time of 8 am on a Sunday morning.  Review By Lav: Well here it is, the record everyone has been talking about. For the better part of a month the general music community has been caught up in the tailspin of Donda  that Kanye's biggest fans have been toiling in for months if not even years going back to Yandhi . So what are my credentials. While I'm not a Kanye stan who defends his actions regardless of quality or context, I am a big fan of his music with records like College Dropout , My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy  and The Life Of Pablo  being among the best high profile hip hop records of their era....