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.

BUENO | “State of the Body 99”

It’s been seven long years since Bueno released Illuminate Your Room, but the New York City quintet have returned! Set to release their third full length, I Was A Thing Of Beauty, on June 26th via Freeman Street Records (Gymshorts, Lost Boy ?, Baglady), the band begin a new era, with long time members Luke Chiaruttini, Michael Gagliardi, and Joe Imburgio joined by Matt Elkin and Casey Weissbuch, a line-up that’s been playing together for many years at this point. There’s a noticeable shift in the sound too, it’s still recognizably Bueno, with hints of their James Chance post-punk skronk, but “State of the Body 99” is dreamier, more atmospheric, and layered with textural synths. As always, Chiaruttini does an amazing job playing narrator, building a tale of youthful memories and heavy responsibilities, left to wonder where one ends and the other begins.

CAVALERA | “Morbid Visions (Re-Recorded)”

Most people don’t like the idea of updating a classic. We get that, but sometimes circumstances deem it necessary. Fresh off a lengthy tour (or two) playing Sepultura’s Arise and Beneath The Remains in full, Cavalera, the band headed by Max and Iggor Cavalera have decided to re-record Sepultura’s first two releases, 1985’s Bestial Devastation and 1986’s Morbid Visions, records that are undoubtably blueprint’s of early death metal and thrash, but also never sounded quite the way the band wanted. While in most cases this would result in a simple remaster, the complicated situation of Sepultura (and the fact that the founding members haven’t been involved for decades) makes it trickier. So lemons become lemonade, brutal death metal lemonade. The Cavalera brothers are happy to bring their earliest work into the modern era, and while some will call it in poor taste, others will simply embrace how great these songs still are. Case in point, “Morbid Visions (Re-Recorded),” which isn’t so much given a facelift as a full on bionic upgrade. It’s a testament to the original that it works, the clarity of the production really bringing every blunt force drum fill and colossal riff into new light.

JAY WORTHY & ROC MARCIANO | “Wake Up”

We recently shared “Underground Legend,” the first single from Jay Worthy’s upcoming album, Nothing Bigger Than The Program, a record produced entirely by Roc Marciano. While that track featured a verse from living legend Bun B, “Wake Up” brings Marciano triumphantly out from behind the boards, with both Marci and Jay Worthy at their best, delivering verses that compliment one another with a smoked out haze. Over a beat that feels steeped in West Coast sun and stuttered keys, Worthy launches into a day in the life narrative, lacing the track with a delivery that seems to glide between bars, painting a picture of excess. After a delightfully breezy soul sampled hook, Marci dives in headfirst, rhyming with a focus and tempo that recalls his early years. There’s a direct quality to his words, a continuation of business as usual from Worthy’s verse.

NECKBOLT | “Sort Of”

Austin’s Neckbolt are making magic out of trash, both literally and figuratively. Since the self release of the exceptional Midwestern Drawl, the band have joined together with Born Yesterday Records (Stuck, Glow In The Dark Flowers, Lawn), a fitting home for a band that balances the chaotic and the controlled, always transfixed in a groove, no matter how distorted, deranged, and alien that particular groove may be. With “Sort Of,” the quintet sound fractured, howling like the wind against dense noise rock low end with a colorful sense of melodic anxiety. The video, made using old cardboard left to rot and molt, feels appropriate, creating art from the scraps, something imaginative for the margins. “Sort Of” is insistent but wavering, changing shape as the nightmare unfolds, finding that unique pocket where Neckbolt tend to thrive.

PARTY DOZEN | “Live on KEXP”

We were thrilled when Party Dozen agreed to play your SXSW showcase back in March, the set being the band’s first ever in the US, ahead of their recent tour with Algiers. The band kicked it off with a bang, launching into a blistering skronk of heavily effected sax and drums, the audience thoroughly engaged… and then came the weirdest lightning storm I’ve ever seen, dancing sideways across the sky and tragically ending the band’s outdoor set. Thankfully, the duo stopped by KEXP while on tour, capturing their unbridled energy live in the studio. With looped bass and guitars pumping out of the speakers, Kirsty Tickle (sax, vocals) and Jonathan Boulet (drums, sampler) let their experimental sound evolve in all directions. Throughout their KEXP set, the band showcase their expansive sound, from raw tangled no-wave (“The Worker”) and sleazy boogie jazz (“Fruits of Labour”) to swarming atmospheric unpredictability (“Party Dozen”) and mountainous sludge (“The Iron Boot”). Seeing is believing and it’s great to see Party Dozen in action.

SQUITCH | “Not The End”

For the better part of the decade, Squitch have been the heart of Boston’s DIY scene. The band sound incredible in a loud basement setting and their albums are the kind of gems that reward repeat listening. The deeper you get, the better they get. They’re the type of band that breeds devotion among those who cross their path. Their upcoming album, Tumbledown Mountain, due out June 23rd via Disposable America (Double Grave, Cave People, Bedbug) is said to be their last, so let’s celebrate Squitch while there’s still some time. “Not The End,” a cleverly confusing title given the news, is blistering with twin guitars, dense fuzz, harmonized vocals, and melodies so thick you’ll be singing along before the song ends. It’s a beautiful introduction to the album, impeccably wound, sweet and muscular, it’s full of dynamics and knotted splendor.

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (May 8th - May 14th)