Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lavender: Pharmakon is a New York experimental noise project spearheaded by Margaret Chardiet. Though she's developed a reputation for blistering live shows, MAGGOT MASS  is just her 5th studio album and first in 5 years. Through that lens, it's been a while since she dropped a project that I really loved in 2017's Contact  and a full decade since her best work Bestial Burden . But after a dynamic ripping lead single I was optimistic going into MAGGOT MASS . On the record, Margaret clearly has a lot to say, though how she says it and the presentation surrounding those themes can sometimes leave a bit to be desired.  Let's talk about that great lead single "WITHER AND WARP", which may still by my favorite song here. It lives up to its name dishing out 8 minutes of brooding music that, well, withers in certain places and warps nearly beyond recognition in others. In between, Margaret dishes out these dragging gritty refrains over distant booming percus...

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 ...