Lav's Music Corner

Late Developers  - Belle and Sebastian There's a LOT of Belle and Sebastian music released over the years that I've enjoyed, it's just that not much of it has come out recently. I thought their 2015 album was just okay with the occasional big highlight and I felt pretty mixed on their trio of EPs in 2019 which I covered. I didn't even get the chance to review the album they dropped last year because I didn't have much to say about it and didn't see many people talking about it. Maybe it's just because it's early in the year, but this one seems to be attracting more attention so I didn't want to let it get past me. I did have a pretty negative reaction to the album when I first heard it last month but every time I revisited it I started to feel a bit more positive towards it one step at a time. The record's first two tracks are a good example, with the second one in particular, Give A Little Time , sporting an infectious guitar lead and some lovel...

One month into the year and we've had three VERY solid release weekends as far as new singles go. This one didn't exactly shine as bright but there are still tracks worth hearing.  5.  Layla  - Unknown Mortal Orchestra For the second single in a row I'm not blown away immediately by a new UMO track and for almost the exact same reasons. There's some very solid songwriting here and sounds that I would imagine could craft immaculately textured vibes if they came from a different era in the band's career. But like Captain Cook  before it the instrumentation here is pretty raw and scant. I could see the refrains here winning me over with time but I'm not sure the song has anything like the intimately plucked strings that eventually changed my mind on their last single. Listen 4.  Forbidden Doors  - Tennis Tennis isn't really a band I'm ever expecting to show up and drop one of the best singles of the week. While I've enjoyed a LOT of their material in th...