Say goodbye to the sweet, sweltering Summer of 2015 – it’s coming to an end. Whether the cooler temperatures or back-to-school vibes seal the deal, the days of bikinis & beers at the beach are now behind us. It’s going to take some serious distraction to keep those Autumn blues at bay, but Crave has you covered – we’ve put out a Voltron call to our music contributors from around the world for the next installment of our weekly mixtape playlist.
In addition to a run of new tracks you need to get your ears around, we’ve infused the list with some immortal jams that have made an impact already – but are too good to let fade into the archives.
Mt Warning – ‘Collapsed Collage’
‘Collapsed Collage’ is the third single to be taken from Petrified Heart’, the recently released EP from Mt Warning, led by main man Mikey Bee. After leaving home at 16, Bee set up shop in Northern New South Wales, home to the mountain and ancient volcano that inspired his project’s name.
That cinematic imagery is apt here as Collapsed Collage plays out like a dramatic stream-of-consciousness, starting with steady handclaps and soft synths accompanying the Bon Iver-style vocals, before erupting into a stormy, desperate crescendo and then dipping down once more into some sort of cathartic resolution.
Nastassia Baroni, Crave Australia Editor
Broken Hands – ‘Who Sent You’
We’re just catching on to Canterbury rockers Broken Hands, and on the heels of a Royal Blood and DFA 1979 Summertime, their latest offering is a perfect fit for the last waves of sunshine passion. If ’Who Sent You’ is any indication, the band’s debut album Turbulence is going to kill when it arrives on Oct. 9th. The track, as frontman Dale Norton explains, “describes the moment when paranoia takes over from fun experiences and [a] strange other worldly voice enters your thoughts.”
Johnny Firecloud – Music Editor, Crave (North America)
Justin Bieber –‘ What Do You Mean’
I know, I know, it’s Justin Bieber, noted recalcitrant, petulant turd-monster who has released a bevy of glittery, nonsense pop music for several years now, gaining all-caps, emoji-laden adoration from teenage girls and detestation and ridicule from pretty much everyone else (myself included).
Jump to 2015 and the newly relaxed and respectful Bieber 2.0 has now released first new track in ages ‘What Do You Mean’ and you know what, it’s actually pretty good. Operating as a reverse ‘Blurred Lines’ in which Biebs openly discusses consent, the low-key combination of tropical synth-beats and an irresistible metronome percussion, ‘What Do You Mean’ brings the chill. Guys! I think I like Bieber?
Mitch Feltscheer, Crave Australia Editor
Hollywood Vampires – ‘Whole Lotta Love’ (Zeppelin Cover)
I was not at all prepared to like this. Led Zeppelin can’t be replaced, and of the countless attempts to recreate the magic through covers of their music, very few do the classic psychedelia rock circus any justice. But Hollywood Vampires are a unique blend who may just fit the bill, a rotating cast helmed by Alice Cooper and man-of-too-many-hats Johnny Depp, with contributions from Paul McCartney, AC/DC singer Brian Johnson, Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction, Ringo’s drumming son Zac Starkey and The Eagles’ Joe Walsh.
Yeah, that’s a hell of a lineup. The odd collection of superstars teamed up to record an album of classic rock’n’roll covers – including Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”. Released as a specially designed antique book, the self-titled album will arrive September 11 with all proceeds going to music charity MusiCares.
Johnny Firecloud – Music Editor, Crave (North America)
Eagles of Death Metal – ‘Complexity’
If you like the Rolling Stones’ seminal hit “Brown Sugar,” you’re already halfway to being a fan of Eagles Of Death Metal, Josh Homme’s Queens Of The Stone Age side-project duo with partner in grind Jesse Hughes. The song serves as the framework for virtually everything EODM have created – and that’s a good thing.
The project hasn’t released a record since 2008’s fantastic Heart On, but the upcoming fourth studio album – Zipper Down – promises even more of the garage-glam scuzz-dance party that got our pants tight in the first place. Among the first sonic offerings from the new record is the punchy strut of “Complexity,” with a video right out of old SNL sketch “Sprockets.” We’re in.
Johnny Firecloud – Music Editor, Crave (North America)
Crown City Rockers & Destani Wolf – ‘Sidestep’
Rehearsal footage for the return of Crown City Rockers is an exquisite gift from the long-slept Bay Area collective, a Goldilocks melting pot of soul, funk-laced grooves and old-school inflected rhymes.
Raashan Ahmad, Woodstock, Kat Ouano, Headnodic and Max MacVeety form the azz-funk hip-hop known as Crown City Rockers. They mix classic soul samples and funktified beats with classically-trained live instrumentation that creates a rich, full sound behind Ahmad’s introspective, socially conscious lyricism and party-rock flow. Sure, it’s a no-brainer that white kids find easy immersion in the Tribe Called Quest lineage of hip-hop that Crown City belong to- it’s music they (we) can understand and be a part of without resorting to retarded hand gestures, bored, recycled misogyny and tacky materialism.
CCR’s greatest strength is the group’s collective ability to sonically gel. Each member plays a pivotal role, and personality shines through the sonic tapestry like multicolored rays. With the addition of Destani Wolf’s gorgeous vocal on the hook, the ‘Sidestep’ revisit is exciting as hell – and hopefully a sign of much more to come.
Johnny Firecloud – Music Editor, Crave (North America)
