Lav's Music Corner

Neck Deep is a Welsh pop punk band who emerged in the second half of the 2010's as a new voice in the genre pulling heavily from bands like Fall Out Boy and Blink 182. Their true to form pop punk sound has found success with both old and new fans of the genre.  Review By Lavender: Normally this band wouldn't really be my thing and if not for a killer recommendation from a good friend I may not even have known about the group at all. That recommendation was to listen to the bands 2015 sophomore record Life's Not Out To Get You  which featured some of the most instantaneous songwriting and fiery emotionally rich performances I had ever heard on a pop punk album. Unfortunately that great album stands alone in their discography as despite having 2 albums and more worth of other material not much has resonated with me. After the records 2nd single really resonated with me I got my hopes up that this record may be a return to the bands high, but the result wasn't it.  First l...

Backxwash is a Canada based experimental rapper who has risen in popularity over the past few years with EP's and mixtapes that interpolate genres like horror core and heavier rock music. God  is her biggest release to date and features themes of spirituality and her individuality as a black trans woman.  Review By Lavender: This record totally slipped by me when it first came out, and it wasn't until I saw the great reception the record was receiving that I realized I had actually heard and enjoyed Backxwash's Black Sailor Moon  project a few years ago but had somehow forgotten about it. Now that I finally got around to listening to the record I'm glad I did because its really good, and one of the more unique hip hop albums you'll hear this year.  I hadn't heard any of these songs before hand so lets just jump into my favorites. The title track serves as the opener and I think its a super creative way to kick off the record. It features stripped back percussion...

Hum is an Illinois based alternative rock and metal band who had a string of successful records in the 90's with a few moderate commercial successes. After a 22 year studio album gap where they played sporadic live shows in between side projects the band returned with the surprise drop of Inlet . Review By Lavender: I know I'm late on this one. I wasn't as familiar as I would have liked to be with Hum's back catalog when this record was surprised dropped so in between reviewing other records I would pop back to old Hum records from the 90's and somehow this review ended up lost in translation. Now that I have the context I needed to take this record on I can say two things, you could have absolutely convinced me that Inlet  was written and recorded in the 90's as the bands sound remains instantly recognizable, and also that I am quite a fan of this bands work Inlet  included.  The only two songs on the record I wasn't a huge fan of were the two shortest trac...

Taylor Swift is a Nashville based pop superstar who began early on in her career fusing country into contemporary pop music before slowly transitioning to a more synthetic pop sound over the next decade. Less than a year after her 7th studio album Lover  she surprised announced and then dropped without any singles  her 8th record, folklore .  Review By Lavender: I was worried about this record. I have never been a big Taylor Swift fan but even after her first three records nauseated me I thought she was improving leading up to my favorite of her projects 2017's Reputation . The improvement slowed to a halt however on last year's Lover  which wasn't a total disaster of a record but featured far more misses than hits. The 2nd thing that worried me was that Aaron Dessner, the man responsible for two of the 2010's most boring indie records (The National's Trouble Will Find Me  and I Am Easy To Find ) was responsible for much of the songwriting and production on the ...

The Chicks are a Dallas based country pop trio who first emerged in the 90's to a string of successful radio singles. After being ousted by country music radio for their political views the band took a hiatus of studio material while touring making Gaslighter  the first new music from the band in 14 years, Review By Lavender: I have never really been that into The Chicks. Most of the bands hits were both before my time and not really in a genre I have that much admiration for. Given the attention the the singles from this record received and the fact that Jack Antanoff was lending production work I figured I would give the record a shot. After listening to some of the bands older records I came to the conclusion that I am just not a fan of their sound, and that is no different on Gaslighter .  Thankfully some of the best songs on the record are a pair of singles. The title track and opener Gaslighter  is what first attracted my attention to the record with a simple but ef...

Nicolas Jaar is an experimental music producer who has had a very busy 2020 so far, dropping an EP and album under his Against All Logic house music moniker and a dark ambient solo album under his own name. Given how much I've enjoyed his music in the past and my positive reception to both his records this year I was excited for this album, but weary that some of his past solo records that feel less definitive have fallen short of his highlights.  Review By Lavender: Nicolas Jaar may already be the hardest working man in 2020, even if some of his material may have been floating around for years. With a cool album cover and four tracks each of which push well beyond 10 minutes I wasn't sure what to expect from Telas , but ultimately it adds up to one of the less effective and least essential pieces of the Nicolas Jaar discography so far.  Each of these tracks is long enough to be a completely isolated experience of their own so we will take them on one by one starting with t...

Protomartyr is a Michigan based post punk band who spent the second half of the 2010's becoming one of the most critically acclaimed groups in the world of post-punk revival. Ultimate Success Today  is the bands 5th record and comes on the back of a 2018 EP that has become both a fan and critic favorite, as well as a trio of singles that appear on the album.  Review By Lavender: I've enjoyed Protomarty's music since they first graced my ears with their sophomore record all the way back in 2014. The band seemed to be improving too given that their Consolation EP and its single Wheel Of Fortune  in particular were big hits. Seeing that the years since their last record has been the bands longest break yet I was expecting big things and while Ultimate Success Today  didn't completely blow me away I enjoyed pretty much all of it.  The record had a trio of singles but they didn't blow me away and I only really consider one of them to be among the best tracks here. Th...

While the pulsars on Joy Division's 1979 debut album Unknown Pleasures  are as iconic a piece of cultural iconography as the band ever made, the intoxicating riffing on songs like She's Lost Control  or the dark but distinctly dancable rhythms of Disorder  are comfortable to just about any musical palette. The moment where Ian Curtis looked deeper into his own psyche to make the despondent and haunting soundtrack to his own mental anguish refused to compromise. It's jagged edges and manic energy are a blend of a slower and less methodical instrumental palette paired with the gut wrenching poetry of a tortured artist. Closer  isn't easy, comfortable or nice but behind it's often intimidating veneer is the Salford bands true masterpiece, hiding in plain sight this whole time.  The first of the records 9 songs, Atrocity Exhibition , is the albums mission statement. Curtis' lyrics reflect his livelihood, the paranoid epileptic forced to stand on stage night in ...

The Streets is a British experimental hip hop project fronted by Mike Skinner. The project was responsible for some of the most essential and critically acclaimed British hip hop of the 2000's and its been 9 years since their last record. The band developed a unique sound that interpolated spoken word type vocal performances and downtempo electronica in its instrumentals.  Review By Lavender: Unlike most music fans living in the United States I am a huge fan of The Streets. Thanks to the internet I was able to access the bands first couple of records earlier in my life and I developed a string appreciation for the groups sound, particularly on their exceptional debut album Original Pirate Material . Now that the project is a solo effort of Mike Skinner nearly every single song here has one or more features from contemporary artists in the world of British hip hop and beyond. It took me all week of repeated listens to make up my mind on this album and while some songs still confuse ...

Margo Price is a Nashville based country singer who first broke out as a signee to Jack White's Third Man Records. This is her third record and her first since leaving Third Man Records, which is produced entirely by Sturgill Simpson.  Review By Lav: I love Margo Price's debut album Midwest Farmers Daughter  to this day and I was extremely excited for her future. While her sophomore record wasn't quite as much of a hit with me and I was skeptical about why she separated from third man records, hearing that Sturgill Simpson has such a big hand in this record made me more confident it wouldn't be an attempt at going commercial. Now that the album is here for the most part I enjoy it, and it avoids pitfalls that can make modern country so agonizing.  The record a few singles of which I only disliked one, Stone Me . The track is a piano ballad without much poise to it and an insultingly basic hook that really didn't do much for me in between boring verse passages. Heart...

Juice WRLD is the musical pseudonym of Jarad Higgins who died tragically last December at the age of just 21. With rumors swirling that he left behind a massive collection of songs Legends Never Die  is the first of what may be multiple posthumous albums from Juice.  Review By Lavender: Listening to this record and writing this review has been difficult for a couple reasons. Not only that Juice passed away but at the young age of 21, the age I am at the time of writing this. And also that people can be very sensitive about posthumous records particularly from artists that had an emotional impact on their fans during their lifetime. While I was never a die hard Juice fan I did love many of his singles and my main issue with his projects were bloated tracklists that covered similar territory. Legends Never Die  suffers in the exact same way with a handful of songs that feel completely unnecessary, yet some of Juice's best tracks appear here.  The records opening segmen...

Animal Collective is a Baltimore based indie band consisting of on and off members Panda Bear , Avey Tare , Deakin and Geologist. After more than 20 years of releasing music the band has developed a major following of incredibly devoted fans and despite releasing some live collections and solo projects Bridge To Quiet  is the groups first new studio material since 2018's Tangerine Reef . Review By Lavender: I've loved Animal Collective group and solo albums old as well as new for as long as I can remember. From the insane folkisms and relentless creativity of their early work like Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished  to the bands critically acclaimed masterpiece Merriweather Post Pavilion , the group is never short on creativity. While the 2010's weren't the best decade yet for the bands material plenty of  great solo records emerged, particularly Panda Bear's trio of good records and Deakin's lone solo record Sleep Cycle . After reading on the...

Cloud Nothings are a Cleveland based indie and punk rock band fronted by Dylan Baldi. The group made major waves with their breakout 2012 record Attack On Memory  and since then has settled into a pretty consistent series of short but critically successful indie rock albums. Black Hole was a first for the band recorded during quarantine by sharing files and recordings back and forth digitally.  Review By Lavender: I really enjoy Cloud Nothings and just about always have. From the fiery punk rock of earlier to records to the more comfortable indie tinged pop punk of their latest work the band has been pretty pleasing throughout. On Black Hole  the band is executing a simple formula that makes the record stand out from many of their other releases. The songs here are very simple structurally with none of them reaching past 4 minutes and the sound of the record is overtly pop punk and summery despite some of the lyrical themes. With one of the lightest and least indulgent so...

Jesu is the experimental rock project of Justin Broadrick formerly of Godflesh fame. The project has dabbled in heavier sound like sludge and doom metal as well as shoegaze and ambient to create a dense musical palette and varied discography. Review By Lavender: I love Jesu, and while I consider albums like Jesu  and Conqueror  to be among the more underrated experimental rock records of the 2000's nothing has blown me away quite as much from Justin in the 2010's. While the insane and awesome shoegazing of 2013's Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came  as well as the pair of Mark Kozelek collaborations are great I was still waiting to be knocked back once again. That was until Never  which got my hopes up with a great single, and delivered with a great set of tracks.  Because Of You  was that lead single that had me so excited for this as it opens up with a dreamy blur of distant pounding percussion and heavily manipulated vocals that grabs me...

Pop Smoke was an up and coming rapper from New York who became one of the most prominent voices of the cities drill scene off of his hit song Welcome To The Party last year. Pop Smoke was tragically murdered in February of this year, a crime for which arrests were just made this week. Shoot For The Stars  is his posthumous debut album which was unfinished at the time of his death and was completed under the guise of executive producer 50 Cent. The record also attracted some controversy directed at designer Virgil Abloh for his original album cover design, which was changed before the records release.  Review By Lavender: Just typing the words posthumous debut album is something I find difficult, especially in the case of an artist like Pop Smoke who had so much creative and artistic potential ahead of him. While I have never outright loved any of his music he was carving out a unique lane for himself with unmistakable vocals and a thirst to push further beyond the mundane soun...

Ray LaMontagne is a New Hampshire based singer-songwriter who has pulled from the worlds of folk, country and Americana over his 15 year career. After an experiment in psychedelia on 2016's  Ouroboros  he has returned to his folk roots on his last two records.  Review By Lavender: While Ray LaMontagne has never been one of my favorite songwriters in the world his appreciation for the classics is clear and he is almost always good for a handful of great tracks.  Monovision  is no different and after his stripped back  Part Of The Light  record two years ago he decided to self-produce a record with more sonic variety throughout.  Ray dropped three singles in the lead up to the albums release and they are three of the best tracks here. The opener Roll Me Mama, Roll me  is a track that channels classic blues with the vocal prowess of Dan Auerbach. The multi-tracked vocals gives the track a bit more of a slick sound than the era he is worshiping b...