Lav's Music Corner

This is my attempt to cover some projects that get RAVE reviews from critics and are beloved by indie fans. While I like all three of them I've never been nearly as crazy about their work as fans. Space Heavy  - King Krule Archy Marshall's King Krule project is one that I've enjoyed in flashes. There were moments across the projects first EP and following two albums that I thought were uniquely dense despite their minimal sound. But it was always met with waves of uninteresting space in between. The first King Krule project I can really say I liked was the third album, 2020's Man Alive! . That's why I was looking forward to this album, at least at first.  At the very least I'll say this album does one thing REALLY well. A handful of songs on the record have this brooding romantic sensation of watching the world burn while hand in hand with someone you love. It isn't always exactly the same sentiment but the songs that dabble in this medium are wonderful. Sea...

5.  WE GOT THE JAZZ  - Moor Mother While Moor Mother's songs still don't necessarily work as the best singles in the world, this first taste of her upcoming deluxe version of last year's great Jazz Codes  proves that the well of creativity ran even deeper than I thought. It's once again an indulgent but extremely impressive performance clearly surrounded by talented musicianship on all sides.  Listen 4.  Paradise Is Mine  - Swans Even having never been the biggest Swans fan in the world I can certainly find plenty to like about this song. I love the combination of some hellish sounds that are placed sparsely enough to not completely overtake the song. I appreciate the methodical repetition which sort of heightens the song's energy and even if it once again feels like it's on the more indulgent side than I would have personally made, it's kind of the band's style at this point.  Listen 3.  TV In The Gas Pump  - Wednesday The 4th single from th...

As the year is slowing to a close so is the abundance of music released, but don't turn away yet because there are still a few worthwhile moments to hit from this month. Hemlock Ernst & Kenny Segal - Back At The House Sam Herring of Future Islands teams up with producer Kenny Segal for his first full length rap album and delivers a series of mostly successful highly lyrical hip hop tunes that should at least give fans of the genre something to chew on. Review Sunn 0))) - Pyroclasts The legendary drone metal bands second release of 2019 isn't quite as thrilling as their first, but is still well worth hearing for fans of the genre and any experimental music at all. Review King Princess - Cheap Queen KP's debut record flashes a lot of promise with some fantastic high points, but is most notable for just how many of its tunes are the pop music equivalent of brown wallpaper. Review Rex Orange County - Pony Despite releasing some of the best single...

Swans are a New York experimental rock band who first arose out of the cities No-Wave scene in the early 80's, before transitioning into a myriad of experimental rock genres in the 90's. The group took a long break and reformed in 2010 for a string of 4 records that have been some of their most critically acclaimed of their entire storied career. Front-man Michael Gira has been the consistent presence around a revolving cast of musicians, and after 4 records with a generally similar line-up, some new musicians have been recruited for Leaving Meaning . Review By Lavender: If you know anything about my views on Swans, you probably think that I hate the band and their music, which just isn't the case. I have a soft spot for some of their early no-wave releases like Filth  and Children Of God , their 1998 record Soundtracks For The Blind is an effortlessly unique marvel of experimental rock music. When the band reformed in 2010 many were skeptical of their first record M...