There’s just too much damn music out there to keep up with all of it. No matter how devoted a sound junkie you may be, we’re inundated with so many new bands and songs, it’s easy to miss out on something amazing.
Thankfully, Crave is here to help. We’ve put out a Voltron call to our music contributors from around the world to bring you a killer weekly mixtape playlist. Here’s how it works – each week we’ll deliver a handful of must-listen tracks, most of them new, some of them classics, all of them awesome. You can kick off your weekend with the best sounds and just a little bit more sauce in your step, knowing you’ve got a leg up on the good shit.
Raury feat. Big KRIT – ‘Forbidden Knowledge’
The Atlanta rap prodigy gives a deep-thought lyrical run on the latest cut from his brand new album All We Need, pondering that “forbidden knowledge is too great for a man”.
The insightful, buttery collab chillflexes through musings on existentialism while waxing wise about stones from Stonehenge. Raury’s versatility as an artist is impressive, with a casually strong showing from KRIT as the duo ponder the danger of the knowledge they seek.
– Johnny Firecloud, Crave Music Editor
MKO Sun – Michiko
Brisbane muso MKO Sun is back with another fire track off the back of her latest single “Black Seaweed”. Like its predecessor Michiko packs a thwarting punch, alternating soulful vocal acrobatics with with fierce electronic production, all held together by a dramatic piano melody.
The two tracks will feature on Opus Opalus, MKO Sun’s “iridescent new 7-track EP”, due to drop this November. Already earning her stripes as one of Australia’s most exciting new talents (and one of the best dressed ones if her Facebook page is anything to go by) make sure to pay attention to MKO Sun and watch this space.
– Nastassia Baroni, Australian Editor
World Champion – ‘Avocado Galaxy (Lissvik Remix)’
This Lissvik remix of World Champion’s debut single Avocado Galaxy takes the already spaced out psych pop number and rockets even further into outer space. Part of a forthcoming remix EP featuring the likes of Melbourne club royalty Tornado Wallace and LA based Ras G, the LIssvik remix turns the trippiness up to 11, with the bubbling synths from the intro of the song extended throughout the whole song.
Turfing the 60’s soul inspired hand claps and bassline, the remix seems to slow down the fast paced psych-tronica of the original without actually slowing it down at all. Some really great light touches of production tie it all together, with the end result being a very new take on the track that is still kind of hard to separate from the original. Very excited to hear what else the remix EP has to offer after this.
– Michael Carr, Australian Staff Writer
The Belligerents – ‘Looking At You’
2015 continues to be a kickass year for Brisbane indie outfit The Belligerents, with a rip-snorter of an appearance at Australia’s version of SXSW, BIGSOUND music conference, and a Fatboy Slim praised cover of “Praise You,” just the beginning of a stellar 12 months.
The “Looking At You” vid, filmed in Lewis Stephenson’s own lounge room, sees the lead singer go full Mulligrubs (google it non-Aussies) and get his face-warped freak on in a VHS-quality alternate dimension or something, I’m not really sure to be honest, but I feel like a just smoked one of Dad’s friend Reggies’ “funny cigarettes”.
– Mitch Feltscheer, Aus Editor
Majical Cloudz – ‘Downtown’
Montreal-based duo Majical Cloudz go straight for the heart in the latest single ‘Downtown ‘taken from their forthcoming new album due out next week. Heartfelt lyrics delicately sung over sparse organs, what we have on our hands here is a straight-up, honest song about being in L-O-V-E love.
“Nothing you say will ever be wrong, ‘cause it just feels good being in your arms,” sings frontman Devon Welsh. It’s a sentiment that could easily border on the saccharine, but is delivered with such conviction and gravity, that you immediately feel a sense of the inevitable sadness that somehow always sits adjacent to love.
“One thing I’ll do, if it ever goes wrong, I’ll write you into all of my songs,” he continues. “And if suddenly I die, I hope they will say, that he was obsessed, and it was OK.” Ooooof. Let’s forget the hot mess that is that Macklemore song and make this the ‘Downtown’ we remember from 2015.
– Nastassia Baroni, Aus Editor
John Grant – ‘Global Warming’
Perhaps the first songwriter to discuss global warming in terms of the impact that it has upon his complexion, John Grant’s knowingly self-indulgent lyricism reaches greater heights on his latest LP Grey Tickles, Black Pressure, and stand-out track ‘Global Warming’ is a fine example of his acerbic wit.
“I’m so sick of hearing people talk about the sun, they sound like a bunch of Aztec Indians” John raps, his pointed criticisms of the sunburnt masses wrapped in that tremendous baritone of his. An anti-summer anthem if ever there was one, listening to ‘Global Warming’ at the beginning of winter will make you glad that you’ve seen the back of the sun for this year. – Paul Tamburro, UK Editor
Protomartyr – ‘Dope Cloud’
It’s difficult to not appreciate a band that quite clearly draws more inspiration from your homeland than they do their own native country, and while I may not be as keen on the Fall as the next middle-aged-guy housing their ever-expanding discography on vinyl, Detroit’s Protomartyr quite clearly take their cues from the legendary Manchester band whilst applying their own unique flavour into the mix.
With its marching drumbeats, distorted riffs and Joe Casey’s throaty vocals ceaselessly repeating the hopeless refrain of “it’s not gonna save you, man,” ‘Dope Cloud’ is a highlight of the band’s third studio LP The Agent Intellect, and for those who want to hear what it sounds like when a band from Michigan emulates English post-punk and somehow excels at it, it’s vital that you listen to it.
– Paul Tamburro, UK Editor
WALKEN – ‘Even If It Kills Me’
Brand new Brisbane based two-hander WALKEN have ripped their way through to the music scene, much in the same fashion as an AFL team runs through one of those big sheets of paper before a game. (Could that sentence have been anymore Autralian? No. No it bloody well couldn’t have, mate.)
“Even If It Kills Me” is a ripsnorter of a new song which feels transported from my late 90’s angsty rock music phase. Like, I can envision myself listening to this on full blast in my bedroom whilst lying on my Buffy the Vampire Slayer doona, thinking about life and shit.
Grungy but with hooks for days, “Even If It Kills” me is totally rad MUM and no, I won’t turn it down and come to dinner, LET ME FEEL MY FEELINGS.
– Mitch Feltscheer, Australian Editor
Pogo – ‘Hoo Ba Ba Kanda’
“Hoo Ba Ba Kanda” is an absurdly amazing dance remix by Nick Bertke (aka Pogo), created by editing clips of idiot-leeching televangelist Robert Tilton. You remember the guy – he’s the scandal-plagued, Heaven-promising scum who’s spent decades convincing Grandma to donate her social security checks as “declarations of faith” as he pretends to speak in tongues and channel the Holy Spirit. The clip is magnificently produced, utilizing a remarkably high number of Tilton’s utterances and soul-raping deceitful antics to build the beat and melody of the track.
