Review by Lav: The moment Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department hit, it was lauded by numerous major critical outlets who, let's face it, got a copy in advance and likely wanted to maintain their positive relationship with Swift and her team going forward. Ever since then though, it's been an absolute barrage. Some of the nicer publications have pointed out that the record is a little on the long side and that Jack Antonoff's contributions continue to spark absolutely no joy. More honest critics have torn the album virtually to shreds for its awful lyrics and deeply formulaic melodies. So stepping into an album getting this much hate from all corners is a difficult position to be in and one I approach with trepidation. That's why it might surprise you to know, there were some things I liked about The Tortured Poets Department . Let's start with the title track. It was already burdened by a viral lyric about Charlie Puth that circulated from a...
For this bulky rapid-fire reviews segment I gathered together 5 bands who to varying degrees of commercial success and critical acknowledgment, occupied the blog-driven world of indie and alternative rock in the late 2000s. Many of their contemporaries have fade, but these five are still going strong to extremely varying degrees of success in 2024. All Hell - Los Campesinos! Verbose indie-punk outfit Los Campesinos have been quiet with studio albums since 2017, but their presence has never faded. Whether that's due to the many bands who are obviously influenced directly by their vibrant, youthful sound and lyrical snark, or because they dropped an EP a few years ago and some compilation material since then, the band still feels much more relevant than others from their era. I was on board with this new record right out of the gate when I heard the fantastic lead single Feast Of Tongues . It sees the band channeling their righteousness into pinpoint catchy songwriting with nu...
Review by Lavender: Chat Pile are a noisy metal outfit from Oklahoma who were building up tons of momentum and acclaim as an underground outfit before releasing their debut album God's Country in 2022. The album was immediately met with acclaim upon release, and I called it my favorite debut of the year. So as you'd expect I was pretty excited for a follow-up even before I heard standout singles like "Funny Man" and "I Am Dog Now." In one of the least surprising revelations of the year, Chat Pile throttles listeners once again on a follow-up that lives up to its expectations. Let's get to those singles first, just as the album does with its lead single "I Am A Dog Now" which also serves as the opener. After a short, cloudy introduction you get right into the thumping downtuned guitars and short ripping lyrical refrains. The lyrics are fittingly animalistic and absolutely visceral making for an excellent opener. A few tracks later "Funny ...