by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)

Welcome to FUZZY MEADOWS, our weekly recap of this week's new music. We're sharing our favorite releases of the week in the form of albums, singles, and music videos along with the "further listening" section of new and notable releases from around the web. It's generally written in the early hours of the morning and semi-unedited... but full of love and heart. The list is in alphabetical order and we sincerely recommend checking out all the music we've included. There's a lot of great new music being released. Support the bands you love. Spread the word and buy some new music.

*Disclaimer: We are making a conscious effort not to include any artist in our countdown on back-to-back weeks in order to diversify the feature, so be sure to check the "further listening" as well because it's often of top-notch quality too.

BETHLEHEM STEEL | “Fake Sweater”

“Fake Sweater” is a certified ripper from the moment it begins, but it's only after you’ve listened a few times, picking up on the song’s nuances, that it truly becomes a classic. Bethlehem Steel twist and turn, proving section by section that you only need to introduce an idea to make it stick, cementing riffs, melodies, and jagged attacks without repetition or formulaic structures. The band surge between onslaughts of tangled riffs and dense thuds to uneasy verses with dynamic harmonies and Becca Rsykalczyk’s ever powerful vocals, coalescing with the simplistic yet brilliant single-use refrain, “Will I be alright? I will be alright”

DEAD RIDER TRIO FEAT. MR. PAUL WILLIAMS | “Candles On Crabs”

I never expected Dead Rider and Mr. Paul Williams’ avant-garde collaboration to be one of my favorite records of the year, and yet here we are. Since the release on Drag City Records back in October, the album has had a pull on my senses as I’m drawn back over and over again to hear Williams’ intelligent, irreverent, and cryptic poeticism (impeccably placed stutters and all) over the freeform skronk and menace of Dead Riders’ post-everything experimentations. The pairing is perfect, music and lyrics sharp and unpredictable at all times. “Candles On Crabs,” a bizarre moment on an album full of them now has an equally unsettling video with all the face peeling you’ll ever need.

EXHALANTS / PINKO | “Split“ EP

Those Texas boys know a thing or two about noise rock, I’ll tell you what. It’s been a tremendous year for the bludgeoning sound of the Lone Star State (Super Thief, Borzoi, Skeleton) and two of TX’s best aren’t done just yet. In celebration of their recent tour, Austin’s Exhalants and San Antonio’s Pinko have released a split of unholy eardrum destruction, two songs from each band that epitomize what they do so well. Exhalants’ bleeding carnal force is at peak ruthlessness of the staggering “ADMF” while Pinko’s lacerated and elastic intensity shines through each wailing howl and claustrophobic shift in tempo.

MISTER GOBLIN | “Nothing You Do (Happens)”

No does it quiet like Sam Goblin, the once mastermind behind Maryland’s Two Inch Astronaut (among many other hidden gems such as Mattress Financial, Dogs Without Borders, etc). He’s back as Mister Goblin, a moniker that might not fit the sound, as he takes a brilliant shift further into pop music. Of course, this shift if is done his terms, and second single “Nothing You Do (Happens)” is still more art-punk than traditional pop, the verses wandering down intricate patterns and the ever shifting bent melodies that range from dreamy to explosive, winding a natural path between the two. There’s something new to discover with every listen, consistently rewarding in its attention to detail and clean delivery.

PALBERTA | “Audiotree Live”

Anyone who has seen Palberta live knows the trio are a national treasure. Their sets which are as much about the performance as they are the songs themselves, offering new touches to their big harmonies, disjointed rhythms, and unhinged collapses. The band’s recently released Audiotree session, recording on Halloween, captures so much of what makes the band both brilliant and unique with a great live recording that clocks in with a whopping 15 songs. Forever playing simultaneously to and off of each other, they let melodies devolve, progressions warp, and harmonies sputter, pushing the envelope of their art-punk sound forever further forward, creating something challenging and easily digestible.

SHAME | “Dust On Trial”

Shame’s full length debut, Songs Of Praise, is one of the year’s best introductions, a post-punk band that recalls both The Fall and Protomartyr but are capable of big hooks and swooning melodies (when called for). Their balance of tension and vibrant choruses is well maintained, each given it’s own space but never detracting from the other. Album opener “Dust On Trial” is the perfect example a song that creeps with haunted verses into a sputtering lunatic howl of a refrain, shouting and gnashing its teeth in time with their stop and start rhythms. The video, a great piece of suspenseful noir gives the song an entirely different light (or absence of light) than I’d ever really considered before, the tension so tight it just may snap as the video’s focus turns potentially murderous.

SILVERBACKS | “Just In The Band”

Dublin’s Silverbacks are making great post-punk that’s both tightly compressed and full of caterwauling guitars. Their latest single “Just In The Band” demands to be played loud, and the more volume you give it, the harder it rips. Following a string of self released albums, EPs, and singles, the quintet certainly seem like one to watch in the new year. Their latest is corrosive but danceable, a mix of Sonic Youth decimation and Rough Trade’s glory days, it feels distinctly UK its gut punching delivery with a clever lyrical sheen. While the melody and rhythm work at a sharp and frantic pace, the din of feedback sprawls just slightly slower in the background, swallowing the open space.

Further Listening:

NOVEMBER 19 - NOVEMBER 25:

NOVEMBER 26 - DECEMBER 02:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (November 19th - December 2nd)