Lav's Music Corner

Yes LCD Soundsystem are back and yes there was a pretty good chance going into this list they would be at the top spot 99 out of 100 times, see whether it came to fruition.  5.  Punish  - Ethel Cain I still get some dolls unhappy with my review of Ethel Cain's breakthrough Preacher's Daughter  where I pointed out how inclined she is to senselessly waste time with both too many songs and songs that wander on for way too long. With her even longer follow-up, I can already feel similar instincts creeping in but this lead single does have me biting my tongue a bit. Despite definitely being both longer and slower than it needs to, the subtler cracking darkness that the Ethel Cian persona has always been wading through is very much intact and it's clear why she's made a name for herself by doing it so well.  Listen 4.  AAA  - FLO R&B girl group FLO have as much potential as anyone right now and they've been showing it off with great singles for a few years. Despite th

This is a special review written by my friend and go-to emo and pop-punk coinnessoir Sasha Prudence. You can check her out on Instagram here. Review by Sasha: Origami Angel is a 5th wave emo band from Washington DC that made their big break on the scene with their acclaimed 2019 album Somewhere City . The album consisted of lyrics ripe with nostalgia for late 2000s childhood delights, blisteringly fast mathy riffs, and themes about a hopeful future full of emotional growth and self-improvement. However, the band’s hopes to tour behind this album were dashed with the arrival of Covid 19. Their tour was canceled, and the momentum the band had gained was all but lost.  They returned with a follow-up album, Gami Gang , which was as unorganized as it was experimental. The album ended up feeling like a mixtape full of wild ideas such as "Bossa Nova Corp," which combines easy listening bossa nova with powerful pop-punk chords, and it’s one of my personal favorites of the band. Thei

Review by Lavender: Soccer Mommy is the singer-songwriter alias of Nashville's Sophia Regina Allison. She's released 4 albums under the moniker and each have been met with a hefty helping of acclaim, highlighted by 2020's sample-heavy Color Theory . In my time covering Sophia's music I've thought she is consistently good but never really separated herself from her many indie folk singer-songwriter contemporaries. Tbat was different on her 3rd album Sometimes, Forever  in 2022. She teamed up with Oneohtrix Point Never on production for a record that takes a few bigger swings. But the result is a similarly mixed bag that serves up some of my favorite songs of her entire career, but also some of my least favorite.  Through that lens Evergreen  seems like a record that hones in its focus. It's also one I was pretty excited for after hearing the 4 singles. They start off good, "Lost" kicks the album off soft and swaying in the same way many a Soccer Mommy t

Review by Lavender: Pharmakon is a New York experimental noise project spearheaded by Margaret Chardiet. Though she's developed a reputation for blistering live shows, MAGGOT MASS  is just her 5th studio album and first in 5 years. Through that lens, it's been a while since she dropped a project that I really loved in 2017's Contact  and a full decade since her best work Bestial Burden . But after a dynamic ripping lead single I was optimistic going into MAGGOT MASS . On the record, Margaret clearly has a lot to say, though how she says it and the presentation surrounding those themes can sometimes leave a bit to be desired.  Let's talk about that great lead single "WITHER AND WARP", which may still by my favorite song here. It lives up to its name dishing out 8 minutes of brooding music that, well, withers in certain places and warps nearly beyond recognition in others. In between, Margaret dishes out these dragging gritty refrains over distant booming percus

Some HIGH profile new singles dropped this week, see how they shake out against some underground favorites.  5.  Afterlife  - Sharon Van Etten I'll be the first to admit I was skeptical from the moment this song kicked off with its anthemic drum beat and even after I heard the fluttering keys backing Sharon's chorus. While you would think inherently that the grandeur would rob her music of the power it has in its intimacy, she seems to have taken a queue from some of her singer-songwriter contemporaries who impressively expanded their sonic range. This track isn't perfect, but her writing and energy shines through.  Listen 4.  Noid  - Tyler, The Creator Tyler's newest single has justifiably been met with quite a bit of acclaim for both its sound palette and compositional dynamism. Even if some of the altered vocals and MANY of the song's lyrics leave quite a bit to be desired, there's still plenty here to grab onto as potential green flags for Tyler's new al

Review by Lavender: Kelly Lee Owens is a singer and producer who has received acclaim dating back to her 2017 debut for her fusions of electronic music with her own presence as a singer-songwriter. She has 4 albums under her belt now and in my opinion they get better with each new release. Her last effort LP.8  significantly increased the scope of her experimentation and made for a pretty interesting release. While Dreamstate  is less experimental by comparison, it feels like she brought those ambitions and that knowledge back to her core formula and assembled a collection of thumping electronica songs with her always beating heart at their core.  I had a feeling this album was going to be good based on two singles in particular which pop up back-to-back in the album's first half. "Love You Got" was the lead single and I absolutely love it. The track manages to deliver a well-textured glistening array of punchy instrumentation while also serving up refrains that are extre