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.
MIRANDA WINTERS | "Xobeci, What Grows Here?" LP
Melkbelly's Miranda Winters (guitar/vocals) is best known for shredding and her enormous riffs that find the perfect sweet spot between heavy sludge and pop melodies. Together with her band they are among the best to do it. This week she released her solo debut, Xobeci, What Grows Here?, a gorgeous lo-fi record that explores space, texture, and a kinder, more gentle side of Winters' songwriting. We've shared our thoughts on lead single and opening track "The Futuristic District" but from their the album continues to shine in a minimalist light. The songs range from blunt poetics and dizzying pop with stinging distortion, Winters' vocals and lyrics leading the way without an avalanche of volume to contend with.
OVLOV | "Short Morgan"
There are a lot of bands who can make fuzzy and heartfelt punk music, but none do it quite like Ovlov and that's why they have remained one of the East Coast and beyond's most revered DIY bands in the five years since they released Am. Their upcoming album TRU was announced with lead single "Spright" and they've followed it up with certified ripper "Short Morgan," a song that pounds with Theo Hartlett's stampeding fills and a solo that blisters in shimmering splendor both on it's own and under the melodies' bursting throughout the verses. Ovlov forever.
PROTOMARTYR | "You Always Win" (feat. Kelley Deal)
Following Protomartyr's 2015 split with R. Ring, the band have reunited with both Kelley Deal (The Breeders) and Mike Montgomery for the short and sweet Consolation EP, another taste of the band's ever expanding post-punk that continues to reach toward new cinematic heights. The band's sound has become more grandiose with each release, largely abandoning their repetitive punk roots with a sound more sweeping and lush beneath Joe Casey's welcomely long-winded vocals. World weary and wise beyond punk's common conventions, "You Always Win" is brooding and epic, the guitars washed in distorted drifts as Casey sings, "Clean mind, clean body. Choose one or the other, having both seems self indulgent". The impact is larger than life from start to finish as the band continue to change and continue to remain one of our generation's most consistent.
SANDRIDER | "Creep"
Five years have elapsed since Seattle's Sandrider released their last full length album, though their was a great split with the legendary Kinski and an album from Sandrider doom metal off-shoot Old Iron. The trio (which features former members of Akimbo) is back with Armada in July, their third album to be released by Good To Die Records. The first single "Creep" is big sludgy and full of anthemic shouting that has its roots undeniably in the Pacific Northwest, drawing upon Soundgarden's ability to drip prog elements into their otherwise pummeling heavy handed approach. The song captures what made Sandrider's debut album so special all those years ago, it's brash, dense, and full of aggressive intelligence.
SHILPA RAY | "Audiotree Session"
Have we mentioned that Shilpa Ray is one of the greatest songwriters of our generation? I'm pretty sure we have. At least a few times. The live experience is every bit as impactful, Ray's stunning voice as powerful and affecting in person as it is in the studio. On her most recent tour, Ray and her band stopped by Audiotree Live to play a selection of songs from last year's classic in the making Door Girl and her latest single, "Shoot This Dying Horse" from the recently released Nihilism EP. The whole thing is stunning. Her band is tight and her vocals sound incredible, hitting that low gravely growl between soft croons and scorned observations. "EMT, Police, and The Fire Department" is particularly fun to watch.
BIRDS IN ROW "We Count So We Don't Have To Listen" | BLONDE REDHEAD "Where Your Mind Wants To Go (Ludovico Einaudi Version)" | BONZO "Ohio and West" | CELL "Tour Tape 2018" EP | CLEARANCE "Destination Wedding" | CULTURE ABUSE "Dip" | DEAFHEAVEN "Canary Yellow" | EELS "Rusty Pipes" | EMPATH "Polyfoam" | JAYE JAYLE "As Soon As Night" | JULIAN "Real Distance" EP | KEREM ATALAY "Winter 2" | LONGFACE "Pace" | LOW "Quorum / Dancing and Blood / Fly" | LVL UP "Orchard" | MENACE BEACH "Black Rainbow Sound" (feat. Brix Smith) | NUDE TAYNE "Everyday Business" LP | PALBERTA "Roach Goin' Down" LP | SKELETON "War" | WINDED "Schwartz Goes To Heaven" LP