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.
ALIEN NOSEJOB | “Stained Glass” LP
Every Alien Nosejob album is a treasure (same goes for nearly everything Jake Robertson does), each a unique take on an ever shifting well of influences. The punk rock polymath is channeling arena rock sleaze and scorched rock ‘n’ roll on Stained Glass, his fifth album as Alien Nosejob (amongst a slew of great EPs), and it could potentially be his best yet. With hard charging rhythms and blazing solos abound, Robertson keeps the boogie in vivid focus, adapting classic rock to fit with his garage punk oeuvre, paying homage to the past (“Beatles Vs. Stones”) while skewering the present (“Post Punk Posers”) and the never ending scourge of soulless remakes (“RNR Rubbish Bin”). This is no mere retread, Alien Nosejob is having a grand time, and it can felt in his sardonic yelps and every bit of guitar heroics.
BLONDE REVOLVER | “Lipstick and Leather”
Following a great debut EP in 2021, Melbourne’s Blonde Revolver are set to release their highly anticipated first full length album, Good Girls Go To Heaven, Bad Girls Go Everywhere early next year. Due out February 2nd via Rack Off Records (Shove, Future Suck), the sextet previously shared the dizzying punch of “The List” and with the album’s announcement comes “Lipstick and Leather,” a woozy post-punk track that’s heavy on synths and locked in rhythms. Described as a “single babe anthem,” it’s a fun song that’s buzzing with a sort of feminist energy, taking the power away from the male gaze. The songs buzzes and shakes with a steady bounce, swarming guitars, and disoriented synths, from the garage rattled verses to the explosive crescendo.
CONNECTIONS | “In Space”
There was a time when it definitely felt like Connections were the spiritual successor to Guided By Voices’ endless drive, with five records released during 2013 and 2014. In the years since, the Columbus, OH based sextet slowed it down to a human pace, and now it’s been four long years since their last album, Foreign Affairs. Blame the pandemic. The band’s upcoming album, Cool Change, due out March 24th via Trouble In Mind Records (Nightshift, En Attendant Ana, The Tubs), was recorded prior to the pandemic and the collapse of much of society, and lead single “In Space” is a brilliant return. Perhaps the band’s longest song to date, it’s mixes their brand of bent power-pop and jangly indie rock with big guitar solos (yep, more than one), understated synths, and syrupy melodic hooks. It’s a song about being “on stand-by,” drifting through space as we await a better future.
FIEVEL IS GLAUQUE | “Flaming Swords” LP
The experimental jazz fusion and lo-fi aesthetic of Fievel Is Glauque was fully formed from the beginning. God’s Trashmen… introduced us to Zach Phillips and Ma Clément’s avant-garde pop world with a blend of confident bossa nova, prog, ye-ye, and a punk spirit. With Flaming Swords, the band continue the musical evolution, upping the ante on pretty much every aspect of their sound. The compositions are incredibly intricate, orchestrated with maximalist ideas juxtaposed with a cosmic lounge ease. The ensemble handle complexity as though it was pop, twisting around tangled keys, guitars, and gentle sax to create an atmosphere in line with a fever dream. With tempos that collapse and expand like free jazz, the band shift from movement to movement with a fluid grace, the music of Flaming Swords is never jarring, and as it sputters and skips from serene to delightfully convoluted.
FLEA COLLAR | “Flea Collar” LP
The latest album from Cleveland’s Flea Collar is triumphantly obnoxious, depraved, and agitated. The band, comprised of members of Woodstock ‘99, Bad Noyds, and Cement Shoes (among others), released their self-titled record via Feel It Records last week, just in time to bring it home for holidays. Their amalgamation of crusty basement punk, juggernaut riffs, and nasal howling feels instantly Midwestern and unnervingly reckless. The band squirm between greasy rock ‘n’ roll barn-burners and demented hardcore punk, they’re always ripping, but everything feels wonderfully off. Sparky’s vocals sound manic and cartoonish, like he’s just been walloped in the nose and is now ready to explode while a mischievous smirk remains plastered on his face. Flea Collar embrace the filth and slime.
Further Listening:
THE CHISEL / MESS “Split” EP | DESPERATE LIVING “Commit To” | DR SURE’S UNUSUAL PRACTICE “Remember The Future? Live From The Future“ LP | EASY BRUISER “Free Candy“ | HEARTS IN EXILE “Language Is The House” | KITCHEN’S FLOOR “None of That” LP | KNUB “The Sift” | MARTIN FRAWLEY "This Is Gonna Change Your Mind" | MOUNT WESTMORE “Free Game” | NOVA ONE “Shut Up Kiss Me” (Angel Olsen cover) | OSEES “Live on KEXP“ | OSEES “Scum Show“ | OVENS “Good Idea” | PATTER “Ohmstead Session” | QUASI “Doomscrollers” | SKULLPRESSER “Profit From Pain”