The blazing heat is gone, the ghosts and goblins have devoured their sugar handouts, and Fall is fully upon us. While we’re still adapting to the oddity of turning our clocks back, we’ve put together a Fall Freak playlist full of new music to soundtrack your pre-winter chill.
Grimes – ‘Scream’ ft. Aristophanes
Ferocious. Grimes – aka Claire Boucher – is releasing her new album Art Angels on November 6 via 4AD, and after prefacing with a joint video for “Flesh Without Blood” and “Life in the Vivid Dream,” the spiky chanteuse enlists Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes for a complete script-flip.
Wall – ‘Cuban Cigars’
New York post-punk quartet Wall stomped all over CMJ this year, and “Cuban Cigars” is a good reasoning indicator. Sam Yorke’s vocal is a bi-polar vacuum of enchantment.
Weezer – ‘Thank God for Girls’
We were prepared to hate the new Weezer single, because damn, how many “Buddy Holly”s can they write? But when frontman Rivers Cuomo tweeted that “it’s a perfect mix of Weezer past and future,” we couldn’t help but agree. “The chorus soars on melodic wings. It rocks sooooo hard. I think this may be a big hit single,” Rivers gushed. “I hope I’m not overselling it but I think it’s great! (adventurous, brave, fun, compelling, rocking, & I just LOVE it.)” Yeah, he oversold it, but it’s still badass.
Puscifer – ‘The Remedy’
Puscifer has returned with the spectacular new LP Money Shot, with standout track “The Remedy” serving another beautifully damning backhand in Maynard James Keenan’s signature fashion. Woven around singer Carina Round’s gorgeous vocal, Maynard’s enigmatic presentation continues down the foggy corridor of his familiar poetic mystique before the badass takedown tattoos itself in our minds:
“You speak like someone who has never been smacked in the f***in’ mouth – that’s ok, we have the remedy. You speak like someone who has never been knocked the f*** on out, but we have your remedy…”
Lil Dicky – Save That Money
It’s impossible to know where reality ends and the show begins, but Lil Dicky is a tremendous talent with a relentless knack for getting what he wants. The Snoop Dogg co-sign hits up T-Pain’s video shoot to get footage of Dicky rubbing all over half naked thick Florida chicks, buzzing mansion homes and expensive clubs trying to convince rich folks to let him stunt in their zone to film his video. Most of the time it was a failed effort. But all it takes is one yes to get you to the next…
Lana Del Rey – ‘Art Deco’
We’ve resisted the pseudo-tragic ghost of Sharon Tate vibe LDR has thrown off thus far, but “Art Deco” is undeniably irresistible. The master of glorious vapidity, Del Rey hits a powerful peak here.
Eagles of Death Metal – ‘Silverlake’
It’s enormous, it’s absurdly ridiculous and over the top, and it just so happens to perfectly fit the town of its title. Neither eagles nor death metal, EODM remind one of vikings on ecstasy singing the Stones’ “Brown Sugar” a cappella. Constructed by Jesse “The Devil” Hughes and Queens Of the Stone Age Papa Grande Josh Homme deep under the influence of a lifelong friendship and rock comradery, the Eagles have five albums of bluesy white-boy sex rock under their belts, brimming with swagger, flash and more than a few hundred sexually suggestive metaphors. Here we continue down the sex-pop rocking’ road…
