Lav's Music Corner

Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a New York indie rock trio who became one of the definitive indie acts of the 2000's with massively acclaimed records like It's Bliss  and Fever To Tell . The band released their 4th album Mosquito  in 2013 but it was met with shrugs from critics and disappointment from fans. After nearly 10 years the band has returned with a new project backed by a lead single collaboration with Perfume Genius.  Review by Lav: If you're the kind of person who is stupid you could look at my body of work and call me a Yeah Yeah Yeah's hater. While I am not quite as head over heels for the group as many who appreciate the era they came from, I still have a lot of love for their two best records. Given that I was pretty mild on Karen collaborative record with Danger Mouse a few years ago and I never want to hear the previous Yeah Yeah Yeah's album ever again, it's been a while since I really loved something that was YYY parallel. The closest thing probably being...

One day late, sorry. Lav's quest for stable wi-fi is still an ongoing one and there were so many good songs it was hard to put it all together.  HM. Easy On Your Own?  - Alvvays Normally I wouldn't include an honorable mention on a list like this but I just couldn't leave Alvvays out. The bands turn into a far heavier and more shoegaze-inspired sound is a worthwhile one that I've now enjoyed for back to back tracks.  Listen 5. Saturdays  - Broken Bells Broken Collective? Animal Bells? The year of highlights for Animal Collective manifests itself in a very strange way here with James and DM taking on the band's trademark watery psychedelia and doing a genuinely admirable job of it. While it's far from what I expected I do think it's the best song I've heard from the project in a LONG time and did a significant amount to boost my excitement for their upcoming return.  Listen 4. I'll Fight You  - Open Mike Eagle Another lyrically sharp track from Open M...

This week had some pretty big releases, only some of them paid off. Let's explore. <3 5.  Training Montage  - The Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats have PLENTY of great ballads and slow songs, but after the last few years it's really nice to see them put some muscle behind this new single. The song absolutely jams with a hook that is made memorable by John Darnielle's unmistakably vocals and lyrics that are cute above what most indie acts are capable of, no surprise coming from a published author. Listen 4.  Marijuana's A Working Woman  - of Montreal Depending on who you ask it's either been a while, or a WHILE since they last loved an of Montreal record. While one good single doesn't promise much this track certainly reads as one of the bands most exciting and exploratory in years. The multi-faceted song bounces between murkier almost horror movie style passages with methodical vocals into snappy synth pop hooks and it's a combination that worked on me i...

Lux Prima is the first collaborative album between Karen O, lead singer of acclaimed indie band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and super-producer Danger Mouse who has worked with the likes of Cee Lo Green, MF Doom, The Black Keys, Aaron Dessner, and most recently Parquet Courts. The two are coming from very different places in their respective careers and their styles clashing should be of interest to musical fans of all kind given the pedigree of both artists. Review By Lavender: I would say on average I differ from most fans of both of these artists. I think indie fans like Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs more than I do and I think fans don't like Danger Mouse as much as I do. So maybe given that balance and the fact that the title track to this album was released as an excellent single, we can all meet in the middle and anticipate a record that should have some above average qualities pulled from its two collaborators. The album already had a pretty substantial headstart with its f...