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.
2ND GENERATION WU | “7.O.D”
We all know that the legendary Wu-Tang Clan are among the greatest to ever to do it… it’s just a fact, but for anyone concerned they may be getting old (though we’d argue they’re still among the best MCs today), we know have 2nd Generation Wu. The name is literal, this four man rap group is comprised of Intell (U-God’s son), Pxwer (Method Man’s son), Sun God (Ghostface Killah’s son) and Young Dirty Bastard (ODB’s son), bringing the raw boom-bap of their fathers to the next generation of killa bees die-hards. “7.O.D,” the group’s debut single is built on a rearrangement of Wu-Tang’s “C.R.E.A.M.” co-opting the hip-hop classic and bringing their own experiences to the table with their own wisdom “God made everything around me, forget about the money, none of it is real y’all.” It’s a welcome introduction that both honors the past and pulls the group into spotlight, each rapper with their own flow, unique from their pops before them.
BLUE RAY | “Live Laugh Love” LP
Boston’s favorite blown out weirdos in Blue Ray are back at it yet again, set to release their latest album, Live Laugh Love. Noted as their final album as a duo, the band’s sound has always been sort of the opposite of high definition, let’s lovingly call it “lo-def,” and they’ve never sounded better. Bursting with noise and feedback, Johnny Steines (guitar/vocals) and Aidan Breen (drums/vocals) have always managed to wrangle the most dissonant and discordant textures into vibrant songs. Everything remains forever on the verge of collapse and yet Blue Ray keep it all in place, deafening volumes of fuzz used to actually enhance their heavy melodies. The band’s ramshackle sound still has that “devil may care” attitude that Blue Ray excel at, but any time spent really listening to this record (especially on headphones) is a constant reminder that there’s so much more to their spitfire punk songs than sheer volume and lo-fi chaos.
FERN MAYO | “The Sweets”
This week saw the release of Fern Mayo’s full length debut, Week of Charm, a record that builds upon the previous Hex Signs and Happy Forever with an expanded pallet and reserved patience. The album smooths out some of the knots in favor of lush synths and a mystic quality, often delivered by Katie Capri’s ethereal vocals (which should appeal to fans of Angel Olsen). Led by singles “Echo,” “Moonwater,” and the title-track, it’s “The Sweets” that truly left us floored, one of the record’s more primal moments. Driving on a slick of shoegazey guitars that blanket the song from start to finish, Capri’s voice howls and croons over the wall of noise, gripping to hold on as everything else is spinning out, her vocals warbling as she sings “you can’t be mad but I can and I am.” It’s a ripper with a focused emotional depth that gets bigger with each listen.
LALA LALA | “Spy (Demo)”
Ruination Record Co. are back with So Many Singing, Vol. 2, a charity compilation with all proceeds benefiting the International Refugee Assistance Project, a NYC based non-profit that mobilizes legal aid and systemic policy advocacy to serve refugees and other displaced persons across the world. Set to feature Renata Zeiguer, Spirit Was, June Gloom, Caitlin Pasko, Hovvdy, Andy Molholt (Laser Background), Gabriel Birnbaum, and more, they’ve shared a selection of songs in advance, including a demo of Lala Lala’s “Spy,” the original appearing on last year’s The Lamb. It’s not drastically different than the final version, but there are a few elements stripped away and it sounds fantastic, built on a lo-fi hypnotic groove.
MISTER GOBLIN | “Fix Your Face”
With “Fix Your Face,” Mister Goblin offers an intimate and personal experience, one that feels specific to a point in time, an impact that was left forever in place. The solo project of Sam Goblin (formerly of Two Inch Astronaut) takes a sensitive approach to a song that puts a complexity in it’s pop-friendly facade. It’s a gentle song that does a good deal of looking inward, dealing with imperfections and pushing ahead, one step at a time, bad habits be damned. After an incredible shifting chorus that references both Friday the 13th and Halloween 3, Goblin eventually concludes with an acceptance of all we can’t change, “so I’ll fix my face by sheer force of will, I’m insufferable, and you love me still.” The songwriting is another master class in what makes Mister Goblin such a special band, creating something light that ultimately feels heavy on your mind.
Further Listening:
ACKERMAN “A Million Sunflowers“ EP | BIG BITE “Blue Nine” | BLACK LIPS “Gentleman” | BLACK MIDI “7-Eleven” | BLOOD INCANTATION “Slave Species of the Gods” | BRONZED “Bronzed” EP | CHEEKFACE “No Connection“ | CHILD BITE “Blow Off The Omens” | DELILUH “Beneath The Floors” | FIONA APPLE “The Whole of the Moon“ (The Waterboys cover) | THE FRAGILES “City Nights” | “Dunedin Dark” | FRAN “In My Own Time” | GABRIEL BIRNBAUM “Not Alone” | GANSER “You Must Be New Here” EP | GNARCISSISTS “Celebrity” | GORGEOUS “Egg” LP | GRISELDA “Chef Dreds” | HUNTER HUNT-HENDRIX “Apparition of the Eternal Church” | JEHNNY BETH “I’m The Man” | JOBS “Different Properties” | LUGGAGE “Blurred” | MANEKA “Never Nowhere“ (BTR Live Session) | P.E. “Top Ticket” | PARLOR WALLS “Lunchbox” + “Spinning Gold” | PARSNIP “Sprouts” | PILE “My Employer” (Down Time session) | THE RENTALS “Spaceships“ | SEA MOSS “Appease The Peas, Please” | SHIMMER “Nightvision” | THANKS FOR COMING “The Back Of My Knee” | THURSTON MOORE “Pollination” | WOOLEN MEN “Space Invader”