Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lavender: Ada Rook first rose to prominence earlier this decade as one-half of the difficult-to-define band Black Dresses. The pair's output was absolutely beloved by certain circles of internet music lovers, as were some of Ava's other ventures, most notably her Angel Electronics side project in 2023. Throughout that time she's also put several solo albums under her belt, though UNKILLABLE ANGEL  is notable for being her first following the explosive public breakup of Black Dresses last year.  Not to dig myself a hole RIGHT at the start of the review but I should confess. Yes, I am a trans girl and yes I enjoy the music of everyone from Underscores, to Weatherday, to Backxwash, to Deli Girls. So Black Dresses was always a band I was surprised to not like as much as it seemed like I should. And don't get me wrong there are MANY Black Dresses songs I enjoy from both before and after their 2020 breakthrough album Peaceful As Hell , but I'm not sure they were...

While yes I do try to often deliver some semblance of continuity in these rapid fire reviews to make them make sense. But at its core the series is just meant for me to cover records that I'm too late or don't have the time to talk about in full. So with that being said this is a mish-mash of different genres of hardcore and industrial that I'm stretching because it includes records I want to talk about. 40 oz. To Fresno  - Joyce Manor After releasing some of the most essential emo and pop punk albums of the 2010's with their self-titled debut and 2014's Never Hungover Again  it hasn't exactly been a parade of critical or even fan acclaim since then. While I certainly don't think the bands releases have been terrible or anything they certainly haven't matched the energy of their earlier work. On this new album which runs out at a tight 16 minutes and change I was hoping that the band could find a way to translate their new feelings into music that was as...

Backxwash is an experimental rap artist who broke out last year with her God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It  album which saw her fusing hip hop with industrial and metal music and would eventually go on to win the Polaris Prize. Backxwash is capitalizing quickly on the records success with a sequel that projected a noisier and even more chaotic direction for her music.  Review By Lav: Backxwash was introduced to me last year as a trans artist who had connections to fellow 2020 breakout act Black Dresses, and in my pursuit of consuming all the great trans art I could I engaged with and enjoyed her last project quite a bit. While it would be reductive to try and collectivize the artistic accomplishments of trans creators in recent years, we can highlight the ethos of the work. When we think of trans peoples contributions to music these days we probably go to hyperpop or niche electronica genres, painting futuristic escapism in digital bangers with experimental f...

Uboa is an experimental noise project fronted by Xandra Metcalfe out of Australia. After nearly a decade of material she had a massive commercial breakout with 2019's The Origin Of My Depression  which reeled in acclaim for it's harsh sound and deep dive into personal issues, predominately her experience as a trans woman.  Review By Lavender: The Origin Of My Depression  totally blew me away last year. The record presented a fascinating mix of experimental metal, electronica, drone and noise that spoke to her struggles in an incredibly personal way that I totally fell in love with. Despite being really excited for what Uboa would do next I somehow missed this EP when it first dropped back in May and didn't hear it until a few weeks later. Now after reviewing long albums for a month straight with A.G. Cook, Blu & Exile and Matmos I finally found some time to properly review this project before Sufjan takes over next week. And I'm really glad I found the time because ...

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...