Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lav:  Beth Gibbons   is the stunning vocalist behind Portishead, who she made 3 albums with between 1994 and 2008. I'm a big fan of both the band's first and third albums and I've been following the prospect of Beth's solo album for a long time. Part of the promotion of Lives Outgrown  has included the claim that the record has been 10 years in the making, with the original announcement of her intention to release a solo album coming back in 2013. The record that resulted truly does feel like it has 10 years of labor under its belt. With masterful sonic arrangements and many of the best performances of her entire career, Beth's debut solo album is an odyssey that's among the most impressive feats I've heard all year.  The mastery of this record and my high anticipation for it began with the incredible singles. Floating On A Moment  is a mystifyingly good song. The guitar riff, while simple, is absolutely infectious and the children's chorus tha...

This was an all-time strange week where some of the big releases left me very underwhelmed. Here's my best attempt to make clarity out of the mess. 5.  Deeper Well  - Kacey Musgraves This was probably the new single I was most excited for this week but I just can't quite say I'm in love with it. I do like the novelty of Kacey essentially offering to pass you the blunt for a few minutes. But the song also doesn't really evolve in any way that's satisfying and. I also think her attempts at vulnerability in the lyrics kind of come up short even if she is being honest in her writing and delivery, it just doesn't feel like it's actually revealing anything.  Listen 4.  Auset  - Jlin Even though this kind of grinding metallic electronica will be familiar to Jlin fans I still like this song. It has a much more direct house and dance influence than much of her EP last year with stuttering hand claps and tight drum looks worked into certain parts of the song. Even if ...