Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lavender: Porches are a synth-pop outfit that have been at it for over a decade now. Shirt  is the project's 6th album and first since 2021. I didn't cover the bands previous outing as I didn't really have much to say about it in the same way I do for records like 2020's Ricky Music  and 2016's Pool . But with some of the singles released in the lead up to Shirt  really grabbing my attention, I was excited to dig into what the record had to offer. Those singles really are a great bunch that pop up around the middle of the record. Rag  came first and it single-handedly spiked my attention for the record when it dropped. I think it's one of my favorite Porches tracks ever the way the meandering verses jangle back and forth just for the song to erupt into a killer hook is perfect. That track is also the very definition of playing it cool which Porches has always done well.  Joker  came next and I have no fucking idea what the point of any of the lyri...

What a great week for new singles, let's get into it. 5.  New World  - Tindersticks According to Tindersticks themselves, this is a shift into a more poppier and accessible direction. Given this less-than-4-minute edit from the band is still a distinctly composed swaying chamber ballad it's not like they're exactly making an Imagine Dragons song or anything. But I see what they're going for and despite a slow start I appreciate where the song eventually ends up.  Listen 4.  Joker  - Porches Porches got my attention earlier this year with the great single Rag  which is probably why I was so open to this deeply strange follow-up. This weird indie-slacked jam that seems to meander through weird lyrics about getting a dog and kissing him on the mouth. I know it may not exactly sound enticing but there's something so effortlessly smooth about the songs rambling demeanor that I find pretty captivating.  Listen 3.  Oh No!  - The Decemberists This is...

I couldn't quite finish this on time yesterday. I have a great excuse but I can't tell you about it so you'll have to take my word for it. 5.  Rag  - Porches Consider me surprised. It's been a while since I REALLY enjoyed a Porches single but I found myself hooked on this one pretty quickly. I love the slurring indie rock style and some of the incredibly evocative lyrics. For a song so intense it's also impressively catchy and has been stuck in my head basically all week.  Listen 4.  Differ  - KMRU, Kevin Richard Martin Normally ambient singles don't really have the kind of pull to stand out on their own the way they do when compellingly assembled into a full album, unless you're Tim Hecker. But the most I listened to this song the more I was impressed by its gentle washes of sound and how impactful they were despite the minimalism. After becoming a big fan of KMRU in the past few years, seeing him collaborate with Kevin Richard Martin of The Bug fame is a c...