Lav's Music Corner

The Extended Play is a curious little collection of songs more substantial than a single but not quite as definitive as an album. Despite how often it's overlooked there's plenty of great music every year delivered on various EPs ranging from the most mainstream to the most experimental artists. Whether they're a brief dive into an alternative sound, a tighter collection of thematically aligned songs or just a taster to guide fans over between more substantial releases each of these EPs proved that they can work excellently in the short form.  10. Charm And Mirror  - Kitty Kitty's dive into psychedelic synth pop was certainly an unexpected career move but she continues to impress with one project after another. Charm And Mirror  is simple and to the point even by pop music standards but the hooks are sticky and the instrumentals are reserved but effective throughout.  Listen To: Afterglow , Bath Salts 9. 6pc Hot  - 6lack Whenever 6lack drops music it's an Atlant...

Jesu is the solo project of British musician and genre blender Justin Broadrick. It followed his pioneering experimental metal band Godflesh and took things in a different direction combining droning guitars with more conventional songwriting and lead vocals.  Review By Lavender: While I'm too young to have been able to appreciate Godflesh in their heyday I have spent a lot of time indulging with Jesu over the past decade plus. Whether it was with great albums like Conqueror  and Jesu , the pair of wonderful collaborative albums Justin made with Sun Kil Moon or the Before  EP he released this year that is still one of my favorite short form projects of 2020, I really enjoy the music of Jesu. While this is technically the 6th Jesu album the catalog runs extensively beyond this and would take far too long for me to unpack every part of it but what I will say is that as far as recent memory goes, Justin is on a hot streak ad Terminus  mostly keeps that up.  The re...

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...

Mark Kozelek is a long running and prolific American singer-songwriter who fronted Red House Painters in the 90's and continues to front Sun Kil Moon to this day. He has released music increasingly frequently since 2016 and dropped two full length records last year, with even more potentially on the horizon this year. This is a sequel to his collaboration with Ben Boye and Jim White from 2017. Review By Lavender: My love for Mark Kozelek's music is no secret, just last month I listed two Sun Kil Moon records, 2014's Benji  and 2016's Common As Light And Love Are Red Valleys Of Blood  on my best albums of the decade list. And last year Mark's collaboration with Petra Haden of The Decemberists fame landed in the top 15 of my favorite albums of the year. I don't really consider the first in this series among Mark's best work but I was excited for the sequel nonetheless. With more indulgent songwriting than ever before and a continued insistence on stripp...