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.
BABEHOVEN “Fugazi”
Less than a year after the release of the spectacular Nastavi, Calliope, Babehoven return with Sunk, a new EP due out March 4th via their new home at Double Double Whammy Records (Lomelda, Skirts, 2nd Grade). Now based in the Hudson Valley, Maya Bon and Ryan Albert’s latest single “Fugazi” (probably not named after one of the greatest bands of all time) sounds almost like a companion to much of their last EP, with the melodies and Bon’s guitar strums slowed to a crawl. It’s atmospheric and gorgeous like the best of Mazzy Star’s records, but there’s a real strength in Bon’s voice, as she’s able to pull and stretch sentiment with her unwavering vocals. If you’ve seen the band live, then you already know, but as Bon sings “you leave my breathless” to increased intensity, it’s all passion and amazement.
MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER | “Looking Backward”
With 2018’s Bon Voyage, Melody’s Echo Chamber went deep into exploration, twisting and turning pop music with prog and psych as far as it would go into the outer reaches. It’s a brilliant record that allowed us to move beyond this realm and spend some time outside ourselves. Joined together again with members of Dungen and The Amazing, Melody Prochet has returned with “Looking Backward,” the first single from her upcoming album, Emotional Eternal. While Prochet claims this album is more grounded and focused than Bon Voyage there’s still plenty of cosmic bliss in “Looking Backward,” with it’s synthetic psych textures and her floating vocals. We can’t wait to hear more from this album.
PJ HARVEY | “The Last Living Rose (Demo)”
One of the great elements of the PJ Harvey reissue campaign - beyond the fact that all of the albums are getting much needed vinyl reissues - is the fact that each LP in her discography has been joined by a companion demo album. It’s amazing in many of the cases to see how little changed from demo to album recording, a testament to Harvey’s genius. With the campaign soon coming to a close, 2011’s Let England Shake reissue is due out on January 28th, an album that earned massive critical acclaim (though that could be said for her entire catalog). The album found Harvey fully embracing her highest register, making decidedly non-dreamy dream pop. “The Last Living Rose” is the album’s highlight and the rawness and muscle of the demo shows flashes of PJ Harvey’s earliest days, a welcome vision of both past and present.
PLOSIVS | “Broken Eyes”
The fact that PLOSIVS, the new band featuring both the legendary John Reis (Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu) and Rob Crow (Pinback, The Ladies), sounds exactly like what you might a new band featuring Reis and Crow would sound like is a beautiful thing as far as we’re concerned. Together with Atom Willard (Rocket From the Crypt, Against Me) and Jordan Clark (Mrs. Magician), the band announced their self-titled debut, due out March 17th via none other than Reis’ own Swami Records. “Broken Eyes” opens with a jet propulsive riffs (a la Hot Snakes) and Rob Crow’s classic bent melodies, their styles are tangled together by a dense rhythm section that allows Crow and Reis to wind the song ever tighter.
RENATA ZEIGUER | “Sunset Boulevard”
It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since Renata Zeiguer released Old Ghost, one of our favorite albums of 2018. Followed by the Faraway Business EP in 2019, Zeiguer is back with a new full length, Picnic in the Dark, due out this April via Northern Spy Records. Described as “a dreamworld of magical realism,” it’s that essence that’s perfected with lead single “Sunset Boulevard,” from the jazzy rhythms and auxiliary percussion to Sam Owens’ production, but most importantly, Zeiguer’s blend of surreal composition and her naturally stunning vocals. Breezy and softly psychedelic, the entire song sways with undeniable charm and mystical presence.
Further Listening:
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS “I’m Hurt” | BAMBARA “Birds” | BIG K.R.I.T. “So Cool” | BIG THIEF “Simulation Swarm” | BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD “Snow Globes” | BODEGA “Thrown” | BORIS “Beyond Good and Evil” | BRONZE “People Watching People” | CURTIS GODINO PRESENTS THE MIDNIGHT WISHERS “He Loves Me Not” | FLY ANAKIN “No Dough” | GIRLPOOL “Lie Love Lullaby” | GOOD LOOKS “Almost Automatic” | HOMEBOY SANDMAN “Keep That Same Energy” | JULIA BLAIR “Waste Away” | KAOS THE BAKER “Burden of the Divine” (feat. Pink Siifu) | KONTUSION “Rotting With Sickness” | KRALLICE “Crystalline Exhaustion” | KRISTINE LESCHPER “Picture Window” | LE BUTCHERETTES “The Universe” (Death Valley Girls cover) | MAITA “Loneliness” | MARBLED EYE “Dirty Water” | MATCHESS “Through The Wall (Excerpt)”| MELVINS “Spoonman” (feat. Matt Cameron) (Soundgarden cover) | MICHAEL JOHN GRANT “Be Amused” | MIRAGE “TV Screens” | OLD IRON “Planetesimal” | ROBERT SOTELO “Take Control Of It” | SCIENCE MAN “Poach The Mind’s Eye” | SONIC YOUTH “In & Out” | STIMMERMAN “Geek” | SUN ORGAN “Arbiter of Pain (Blue Sky Version) | VUNDABAR “Alien Blues (Redux)” (feat. Indigo De Souza) | WATER DAMAGE “Reel 5B” | WET LEG “Material Girl” (Madonna cover)