Lav's Music Corner

While 80's nostalgia is firmly cemented in the zeitgeist as of now there is no doubt a wave of DIY expressionism is on the way just like the early 90's. While these acts may not be at the forefront of that revival they are certain to influence it with some of their classic 90's works, and are still around making review worthy music to this day. Enjoy.  Soberish  - Liz Phair Liz Phair is a once critically acclaimed artist with a complicated history since the 90's. Her debut album Exile In Guyville  is widely regarded as an indie classic but she was never quite able to attain that same level of acclaim as her sound transitioned into a more mainstream sound. This resulted in her 2003 self-titled album receiving massive backlash from her fans and many critics. It's been 11 years since Liz dropped her previous album, the largely joke record Funstyle  which also received widespread hate from most of the people who heard it. I am not even as big a fan of the classic work i...

Wolf Alice are a versatile indie rock band who have been impressing fans and critics alike with their distinct array of sounds since 2014. After their debut became a bit of a modern cult classic the band found even more success on their sophomore album which ultimately rewarded them with the 2018 Mercury Prize. In the 4 years since its release the band has kept a relatively low profile but emerged earlier this year to begin releasing a string of positively received singles leading up to this albums release. For about 6 years now Wolf Alice have been one of the most interesting bands in the field of indie rock. Their ability to interpolate genres like dream pop with their indie flavored punk rock is incredibly impressive and has made for a recognizable but also chameleonic sound. That sound was on display on a great debut album that I still really enjoy to this day and it popped up in flashes on their slightly less adventurous sophomore record. Honestly the only thing I wanted from the ...

Japanese Breakfast is the indie music project of singer, songwriter, performer and author Michelle Zauner. She burst onto the scene in 2016 with an indie darling debut album following her time as frontwoman of Little Big League. Her serious subject matter and instantaneous, infectious songwriting caught the attention of many indie fans. She followed it up quickly with a spacier more dream pop inspired sophomore album that also received tons of critical acclaim, before forecasting yet another change in sound with the singles leading up to Jubilee . Review By Lav: Japanese Breakfast was one of those musical projects that captured my attention from the moment I first heard the songs and never really let it go. While the first records dichotomy of simple catchy songs that tackled much more difficult subject matter was certainly compelling, I was even more in love with the follow-up Soft Sounds From Another Planet  which really embodied a dichotomy of its own with distant atmosphericall...

Once again I'm clearing my to do list of EPs. While they have absolutely nothing to do with each other aside from their format they did each manage to grab my interest despite their short tracklists. Enjoy! I Tape  - Vic Mensa Vic Mensa has had a bit of a tumultuous time in the years since my personal favorite of his records, The Autobiography  came out in 2017. This includes the largely panned 93PUNX  experiment into the world of rock and punk music. I never got around to listening to his EP last year but a single I heard from Vic earlier this year got me curious to dive back into his work. Shelter  saw him teaming up with Wyclef and Chance for probably the best Vic Mensa song since OMG . That serves as the closing track to this EP and after seeing the impressive roster of producers and features working on this thing I was sold. And for the most part Vic delivers a sort of return to form featuring a blend of hard-hitting hip hop with a more introspective and conscio...

Sweet Trip are a California based electronica, synth pop and experimental rock outfit who released a trio of critically acclaimed records across the 2000's, highlighted by 2003's Velocity : Design : Comfort . After over 10 years of studio album silence, during which the band have developed a massive cult following online, they are back with a 4th Sweet Trip album. Review By Lav: Being on the internet too much slowly turned Sweet Trip from a curiosity into a fascination. While they're discography has plenty of worthwhile moments throughout, Velocity : Design : Comfort  is where many huge fans focus their admiration, and for good reason. The record is a dynamic and unique fusion of electronica and rock that still sounds so fresh and exciting to this day. I was hesitant to let my anticipation get out of control going into this record, but to some degree it was still really exciting for Sweet Trip To be back. While the 14 tracks and 70 minutes of this record we're always go...

 

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...