Lav's Music Corner

Ed O'Brien is a British guitarist who is releasing his debut solo album under the EOB name after serving as a member of Radiohead for over 25 years. Earth  was written and recorded over a multi-year period as Ed toured with Radiohead in support of the bands record A Moon Shaped Pool , and the record was worked on by members of Wilco, Portishead and of course Radiohead. Review By Lavender: I, like everyone else on earth absolutely love Radiohead. Coming off A Moon Shaped Pool  in 2016 I had a feeling it would be a while since we heard from the boys again but they have kept us fed in the mean time with solo projects. With both Johnny and Thom releasing film soundtracks, Thom releasing an excellent third studio album and Ed's debut here we have not been strapped for Radiohead side content. While Earth  is a solid debut record by all means it evens out to about an equal number of hits and misses.  The record had four singles and I was split down the middle, so lets handl...

Earth is a legendary west coast drone metal band who helped pioneer the genre in the early 90's. They dropped the now legendary album Earth 2  in 1993 that is considered by many to be one of the best and earliest examples of drone music. Since then the band has dropped a myriad of different project dabbling in various experimental rock genres but have never found quite the same level of success or innovation. Despite this the band continues to be revered for their contributions to drone's evolution. Review By Lavender: I would be the first person to tell you that Earth 2  is absolutely essential Drone listening. Not only did it finally re-contextualize Lou Reed's pioneering Metal Machine Music but it also kick-started the entire drone and harsh ambient movement that is so prevalent in independent music to this day. Since then they have released a lot of material and while much of it has great highlights and is worth diving into they haven't really had another tr...

Many of the best pop records of all time will click instantly. Michael Jackson's Thriller , Madonna's Like A Prayer  and The Beach Boys Pet Sounds  are full of buttery smooth songwriting that is easy to understand and delicious on the ears, and they all deserve the acclaim they collect. These next ten records relish in their difficulty and craft compositions and concepts that push the boundaries for music and as a result, can be tough on their first listens. These albums may be jarring and confusing at first but sticking with them will provide some of the most rewarding musical experiences of all time. 10. Xiu Xiu - Forget (2017) Xiu Xiu have a long history of making music that can turn your average listener away, but  Forget  is not only one of their best records, but one of their hardest to fully engage with. Frontman Jamie Stewart can turn from whispering devilishly into your ear to screaming his brains out from a distant and if his erratic but brilliant p...