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.

CHERUBS | “Sugary (Remaster)”

We don’t often feature reissues and remasters within “Fuzzy Meadows,” but the announcement of the Cherubs reissues has been a long time coming, and this is a special occasion. Together with Brutal Panda Records, the legendary Austin trio are reissuing their undeniable noise rock classic, Heroin Man, their triumphant comeback album, 2 Ynfynyty, and the cherry on top, the reissue of their debut album Icing, fully remixed and remastered from the original tapes. Due out August 4th, we’re treated to a preview via album opener “Sugary,” and it sounds pretty damn faithful to the original master, still dense and swarming, but everything feels hotter, more vibrant. The distant quality of the sound is creeping closer, the deranged sense of insanity is increasingly near. Cherubs are one of the true hero’s of the “noise rock” genre, and they’ve always stood apart thanks to the psychedelic howl of their vocal melodies, and it’s never been more evident how fully realized it was from the start than it is here.

DEERHOOF | “Live on KEXP”

There are few joys in the world quite like seeing Deerhoof live. Seeing the quartet create in unison is equal parts spectacular, astonishing, and whimsical, the feeling that they’re immersed in concentration but simultaneously playing with an abundance of glee. For anyone who hasn’t had a chance to see them in person (and probably especially for those who have), the band stopped by KEXP for a session highlighting tracks from their two most recent albums, Miracle-Level and Actually, You Can, proving that the they continue to age like a fine wine, their recent output as vibrant as their classics. As the band tear into collapsing grooves, primal rhythmic wizardry, and mind-melting pop agility, it always seems like Deerhoof are doing the impossible, making music as thundering as it is gentle. It’s the band having fun rearranging our brains, following their own impulses wherever it may take them, always pushing forward to work the next great idea naturally into the fold.

KOOL KEITH | “Black Elvis 2” LP

It’s hard to imagine hip-hop’s avant-garde without Kool Keith, a pioneer of outsider rap, stream-of-conscious bars, and thematic alter-egos. Since the early days with Ultramagnetic MC’s back in the 80’s, Keith has always done things his own way, keeping it brash yet imaginative, a force that’s as goofy as it is hard, with no line separating the two. His latest album, Black Elvis 2 (out via Mello Music Group), is the sequel to the classic Black Elvis/Lost In Space record released way back in 1999. With sci-fi elements at the forefront, our inter-planetary traveler is rhyming his way between the cosmos, still interested in sex, glamour, and letting lesser rappers know they ain’t shit. Primarily produced by Kool Keith himself (with additional production from Marc Live, L’Orange, and J Stylez), it feels like a spiritual successor to the original, not just in name but in sound. The framework is robotic, like a freaky trip into deep space led by the most colorful of narrators. Nearly forty years after his debut, Kool Keith remains in a league of his own.

POWERPLANT | “Beautiful Boy”

London’s Powerplant is back and as unpredictable as ever, continuing to shift their sound in every direction of slimy underground punk. Following last year’s dungeon synth record, Stump Soup, the band are set to release Grass, a new EP due out July 14th via the great Static Shock Records (Imploders, GLAAS, Lasso) that seems to expand in several directions at once. Powerplant shared the frightening “Broodmother” back in January, a song that croaks with horror-adjacent vocals and industrial processed punk, exaggerated and full of tension. It’s a weird one, even for Powerplant, always keeping us on our toes. “Beautiful Boy,” their latest single is closer to what one may expect from Theo Zhykharyev, a song that grunts and slithers over propulsive beats and synth punk carnage. From the plinking drums and the wavering synths of the intro, the song continuously evolves, pushing deeper, darker, and heavier with every stampeding hit of the mechanical beat and the bark of Zhykharyev’s garbled howl.

THANK | “Torture Cube”

Our favorite maniacs Thank are at it again. With the release of Thoughtless Cruelty, their full length debut, over a year in the rearview, the band return with their first new music in the form of Torture Cube / Dead Dog In A Ditch, a 7” single due out on Yard Act’s Zen F.C. label. “Torture Cube” is quintessential Thank, a song that’s full of electronic destruction, Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe’s abrasively melodic vocals, and their sordid sense of humor. The song pounds and twitches under the weight of plodding bass and colossal synths, diving into a noise rock tinged low-end dirge while the band opt for pop charm on a song that has no business skirting pop territory. That’s what makes Thank special though, the chaos is matched with impenetrable hooks, in this case, deranged laughter and the most unlikely of explicitly prompted sing-a-longs that remind us “play stupid games, win stupid prizes”.

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (June 12th - June 18th)