Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lavender: Black Country, New Road is a band that requires more discussion than most that I cover on this blog. At the start of this decade, they erupted into the music scene with their universally acclaimed breakthrough single "Sunglasses." The song set the tone for their neurotic, monologue-driven, compositionally winding brand of post-punk, as well as setting expectations extremely high for the band's eventual debut. It's a bar that they eventually met with their 2021 debut masterwork For the first time , and one they would go on to surpass just the next year on their sophomore effort Ants From Up There . I'll put my cards on the table and confess that I think Ants From Up There  is a true masterpiece, my favorite album of the decade so far and, if you pressed me, probably in the ballpark of my favorite albums of all time. But just as the album was released, frontman Isaac Wood announced his departure from the band, citing mental health issues. While t...

Shame are an English post-punk act who got their debut out in 2018 before the genre fully exploded in the years since with a number of bands being drowned in critical acclaim. Their sophomore album Drunk Tank Pink  in 2021 felt the benefit of that wave as they were covered alongside bands like Black Country, New Road, Squid, Black Midi, and Dry Cleaning. Food For Worms  was teased with a trio of singles released starting last year that projected an advancing of the band's sonic influences.  Review by Lav: While I wasn't crazy about the debut shame album and it was kind of a surprise to me how much it took off, I think they took a BIG step forward with their sophomore album Drunk Tank Pink . I was pretty positive in my coverage but I think I like the album even more than I was able to say at the time, which had me particularly excited for this record. While I'm not quite as crazy about Food For Worms , it sees that band expanding the scope of their sound in a way that has ...

Stumpwork  - Dry Cleaning Dry Cleaning dropped a pretty hyped-up debut album last year that I thought was just okay and which barely cracked my Top 100 albums of the year list. I wasn't surprised to see the band back so quickly given that they still have some hype to capitalize on and do feel like they have a genuinely youthful and creative spirit to them like so many of their burgeoning post-punk contemporaries. In fact, after hearing the singles I was excited enough for the record that I planned on doing a full review of it but never got around to it due to a busy release weekend. Singles like Anna Calls From The Arctic , Gary Ashby  and in particular my favorite Dry Cleaning song to date No Decent Shoes For Rain  forecasted the band further sinking into the methodical darkness of post-punk which excited me quite a bit. Unfortunately, I can say for the second time in as many years that I wasn't as impressed with the deep cuts here as I hoped I would be. On their debut a...

IDLES are a British punk and post-punk band who spent the back half of the 2010's establishing themselves as one of the hardest hitters in the genre. The combination of their pounding percussion, fist pumping riffs, arena chanting refrains and frontman Joe Talbot's gnarly singing vocals they created a blend of chugging politically charged punk rock all their own. They leaned into this heavily on their third album last years Ultra Mono  which was the simplest and most commercial IDLES project to date. Review By Lav: I love this band. From the first time I heard Joe's snarling vitriol on Stendhal Syndrome  I was hooked and they expanded their themes and sound even further on their excellent sophomore record. On top of this I saw the band live recently and they absolutely killed, even if my shoes got pretty roughed up by the experience. While I was one of those people who wasn't crazy about the bands third album I still think it had it's highlights from a songwriting...

Black Midi are a British post-punk and experimental rock band who emerged in 2019 dropping a debut album to massive critical acclaim. Now two years later their contemporaries in British post-punk have dropped acclaimed debut albums of their own with both Black Country, New Road and Squid delivering projects earlier this year. Continuing to be ahead of the curve Black Midi released a selection of singles that seemed to transcend the conventions of the post-punk genre all together resulting in massive fan hype for the bands sophomore record in the rock underground.  Review By Lav: Man was I excited for this record. While I did enjoy the bands debut I don't think I was quite as head over heels for some of its most popular tracks as many of their fans were and this resulted in me just thinking the album was good rather than one of the best of 2019. Despite that discrepancy the singles leading up to this record really excited me. Despite being just 8 tracks, Cavalcade  shows off an...

Squid are a British post-punk outfit who have been active for a few years now and are coming on the back of a couple of widely acclaimed singles and EPs. They have been discussed in the same circles as other British post-punk acts who have emerged recently, namely Black Country New Road and Black Midi, both of whom have found enormous critical success.  Review By Lav: Man was I excited for this record. I first heard about Squid from their Town Centre  EP which was on my list of stuff to review way back in 2019 but I unfortunately didn't end up getting around to it. Now I wish I had because in the time since both Black Country, New Road and Black Midi have released great debut albums and Squid dropped a couple of absolutely killer singles. In a year where we've already seen so much great experimental rock and specifically post-punk from the likes of Shame, Iceage and Viagra Boys, Squid is yet another major hit for the genre that is having quite a grandiose revitalization. ...

Iceage is a Danish post-punk group who have been garnering massive critical acclaim for their heavy and creative art punk sound for a full decade. 2013's You're Nothing  and 2014's Plowing Through The Field Of Love  expanded their sound and the scope of their reach cementing them as one of the most beloved post-punk acts of the 2010's.  Review By Lav: For those of us who are in the know, it doesn't get much better than Iceage. I know that sounds a tad pretentious but despite just how much critical acclaim the band has been drowned in they still feel like a secret in the music industry at large. With a sound that is somewhat accessible compared to a few of their piers I've always been amazed that the band doesn't have the massive reach they deserve. I have enjoyed everything the band has released so far without a bad album or even many bad songs in their catalog. Consistency is really the key word with their discography, and with Seek Shelter . Across this 9 ...

Shame are a British post-punk group who first turned heads in 2018 with their debut album Songs Of Praise . After it was first reported almost a full year ago the band have returned with their sophomore album which was teased with 4 singles during its lead up. Review By Lav: I wasn't a huge fan of shame's debut album a few years ago, it didn't hate the record or anything but it didn't stand out much for me and I don't think I ever properly reviewed it. I kept my eyes on the band though because of how much I've loved British post-punk in recent years and I'm glad I did because they dropped some seriously killer singles leading up to the record that had me pretty excited for it. While the lo-fi mixing can sometimes be a hindrance and not every experiment the band indulges with works perfectly, I still really enjoyed the record.  The record was 3/4 on good singles before it even came out and those songs all held up pretty well in the tracklist here. Alphabet  i...

Viagra Boys are a Swedish post-punk outfit who first emerged in the mid 2010's with a series of EPs that led up to their debut album Street Worms  in 2018. They released a series of critically acclaimed singles during the lead up to this, their sophomore album. Review By Lav: Even though I didn't totally love Viagra Boys debut album I saw a ton of unique potential and creativity in their work and was excited for what they would do next. That excitement only grew when the singles for this record started dropping and I enjoyed almost all of them. Once again I come away from this album satisfied with the record, but seeing room for improvement and excited for what the band will do next.  The lead single Ain't Nice  also serves as the opening track making for a groovy post-punk tone setter to kick the record off. It pairs snarling lead vocals with a punchy fusion of hard rock and jazz with some hints of kooky synths mixed in. The song is a balls to the wall jam that wastes no...

Idles is a British punk rock band who first began to attract major critical attention with their 2017 debut album Brutalism  which introduced the world to their socially charged song themes and snarling lead vocalist Joe Talbot. They pushed their sound and societal critiques even higher on a critically acclaimed follow-up in 2018 before adjusting their style to fit a more conventional rock sound on their 3rd record. Review By Lavender: While I don't think either of the first two Idles records are masterpieces I did thoroughly enjoy them both and what the band offers is in short supply right now. Given the jump they made from album 1 to album to I was hoping that the band would take an even bigger step and drop one of the best albums of the year on Ultra Mono  but after a few singles I didn't have much hope left. The record isn't bad but it is seeped in awkwardness with awkward lyrics and chunky fist-pumping riffs that feel below the band after their first two records avoide...