Lav's Music Corner

These are reviews of 5 records that I was pretty sure weren't going to top my albums of the year list, but I nonetheless wanted to talk about because of the significance of the artists behind them.  AM I THE DRAMA?  - Cardi B Cardi B's story is something I've always been very interested in. After years of teasing the release of a sophomore record, I really thought she might have waited too long to capitalize on any of the meteoric hype she generated from 2017 to 2020. Now that the record is out and being digested by fans, the verdict is very much still out. One person who thinks about Cardi's place in popular culture even more than I do is Cardi herself. Her debatably triumphant return is the subject of the first two tracks on the record, the pretty good "Dead" and the mediocre "Hello." While Cardi does a lot of flexing on the record, the results are pretty inconsistent, and the best victory lap she takes on the song "Check Please" outclass...

Headlights  - Alex G For over a decade now, Alex G has been a consistent presence in indie music, popping up every few years with a new acclaimed project that critics tend to enjoy a little more than I do. I thought that might not be the case with Headlights , because I enjoyed a few singles going into it. While "Oranges" pops up on the record's far more boring second half, and fits in, the first two singles really worked. "June Guitar" is a gentle, dreamy cut that still sounds just as infectious as it did when I first heard it. The lead single, "Afterlife," is even better and still stands among my favorite Alex G cuts to date. But honestly, I can't really think of a single deep cut that inspires the same level of interest. "Real Thing" is probably the closest the record comes. Even though the song itself isn't quite as sticky, the lyricism is a big highlight, and the way he deploys the metaphor of the "Real Thing" is worth ...

Tame Impala is one of the most beloved indie bands of the past 15 years. It's the project of singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer extraordinaire Kevin Parker. While the second Tame Impala record,  Lonerism , remains their peak of critical success, its follow-up, Currents , embraced a psychedelic pop style that introduced the band to an entirely new fanbase. In the years since, songs like “The Less I Know The Better” and “Let It Happen” have been cemented as modern indie classics. Despite that, the band's 4th album was met with mixed reviews, though I came away liking the record more than most critics. Deadbeat has taken an even harsher critical beating than its predecessor, but this time I completely agree.  Not to say this record is a complete waste. The lead single “End Of Summer” still works for me. It reminds me of many great, lengthy Tame Impala songs before it, with the way it transitions from one infectious segment to another effortlessly. But it's th...

Agriculture  are an LA black metal band who erupted onto the scene with a challenging but visceral self-titled debut in 2023. While I enjoyed that record, what I enjoyed even more was the Living Is Easy EP that followed it up and contained one of the band’s best songs to date, “In The House Of Angel Flesh.” With even stronger singles leading into their sophomore effort, The Spiritual Sound , I was expecting another outside-the-box black metal experience. That's exactly what I got.  The album is essentially split down the middle by a titular instrumental interlude, and everything that comes before it is pretty great. That includes the staggering single “The Weight.” I still think it's one of Agriculture’s best songs yet, and the way it builds to an absolutely pummeling peak across 5 minutes should be studied. The way it concludes is so eerie and suspicious, it's just irresistible.  As a whole, the record is often unsettled, both in its compositions and influences. The bes...

Review by Lavender: Geese are a NYC indie rock band that erupted onto the scene in 2023 with a breakthrough sophomore album,  3D Country. That record went on to become a major critical darling, and in 2024, the band's frontman, Cameron Winter, released a solo album that showed off a more intimate and singer-songwriter-influenced style. I was hoping that dynamic range would come together perfectly on the band's third album, which quickly became one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year for many indie fans. While I may not see the album as a slam-dunk masterpiece like some fans and critics have rushed to declare, it's undeniably great regardless.  A big reason for my excitement for this record was the trio of excellent singles released before it dropped. The second single, "Trinidad," is the first song in the tracklist, and what a ferocious start to the record it is. The more sparse elements of the instrumental don't really prepare you for the repe...

Straight Line Was A Circle - The Beths I was late to The Beth's rock-solid 2022 album Expert In A Dying Field , something I still regret. That's why, going into this album cycle, I was paying close attention to the singles, something that paid off. The New Zealand indie rockers conjured hazy, dreamy, catchy bliss one time after another, starting with the sentimental "Metal." That same indie punk zeal pops up on the delightful "No Joy" whose verses have been drilled into my head for weeks. But the band also showed off a more sentimental side on songs like the gentle "Mother, Pray For Me" and the deep cut "Mosquitos."  The opener and title track, "Straight Line Was A Lie," is a punky tongue-in-cheek opener that sets up some of the punkier themes of aimlessness that the record explores in depth and does it with an irresistibly sweet guitar riff. Just like it starts on a strong sequence, the album ends strongly, starting with my fav...