Lav's Music Corner

For this week's rapid-fire reviews, I'm taking a look at 5 records from indie and alternative bands that would have, at one point in their career, been MUST-COVER acts. For one reason or another all of these bands who have material I adore under their belt slipped through the cracks earlier this year, so let's catch up.  Pink Elephant  - Arcade Fire I can be a little bit picky about production, I think everyone knows that at this point. But one thing I normally don't do it let that fact completely dictate my feelings on an album, but I just can't fucking tolerate Pink Elephant . This shift to a more intimate style at the hands of Arcade Fire's dual vocalists had potential, but god, they should have handed the production off to someone who knew what they were doing. Instead of raw in an intimate and vulnerable way, these songs are raw in a grating, outright painful way that clashes with the obvious ambitions of the songwriting.  Take the single "Year Of The ...

The Extended Play is either a dying breed with too few songs to rack up meaningful streams or it's the only place where you can discover authentically good indie music anymore. Depending on who you ask. The reality of it is while the EP is mostly dead in popular music save for a few artists who could release literally anything and their fans would listen, it is a thriving medium in the underground. Part of me hates doing this list because 10 years from now we will know about some great EPs from artists who will break out in the next few years and this list will look completely different. But for now lets indulge with artists we know are good right now and count down the top 10 EPs of 2021.  10. Lil Mariko  - Lil Mariko Lil Mariko garnered quite a bit of attention with her appearance on Dorian Electra's My Agenda  last year, but she was really just getting started. Her debut EP is a hyperpop meets hip hop meets metal fusion sort of like Poppy but with more rapped verses. A...

The best tracks released this weekend below: 5.  Crutch  - Band Of Horses Nobody ever accused Band Of Horses of being TOO original, and the chorus of "I've got a crutch on you" is a real eye roller. But with all that being said the band clearly still knows how to make a bouncy indie pop song with pinpoint precision. The sweet melodies and wandering guitar leads are impossibly pleasant and make up for the familiarity of the song.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCzPIrvlGXs 4.  Self Made  - Erick The Architect After releasing an underrated EP earlier this year, Flatbush Zombies' Erick The Architect is back and with a beat that fits in really well with the reserved jazz rap stylings that have taken over his native New York. Over a beat that sounds like something the Armand Hammer boys would rap over Erick flexes his credentials as a rapper and the authentic following he built with his come-up.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNzHA3_hmEg 3.  Against The ...

The Horrors are a British post-punk and goth rock band who first broke out in the late 2000's on the back of their critically acclaimed sophomore album Primary Colours . Since then the band has transitioned their sound for numerous new eras landing on a heavier more electronic rock sound on 2017's V , and positioning an even deeper dive into industrial sounds on this EP. Review By Lav: I love The Horrors, that's no secret. From relentlessly praising their modern post-punk revivalist classic Primary Colours  to writing a glowing review of V  early on in the blog's history. Coming off their 5th studio album which featured such a refreshing and youthful sound for a band more than a decade into their career, I was really excited for what the band was going to do next and they didn't let me down. Despite being only 3 tracks and barely over 10 minutes Lout  works as a proof of concept for a potentially experimental industrial rock direction for the group going forward.  T...