In Stores Now: Crushes - the Covers Mixtape by Mates of State

Cover illustration of American Motorcyclist magazine, May 1972

For the third time in recent weeks, I'm breaking my policy of only reviewing things I've purchased on CD/vinyl to highlight a "digital-only" release. This time it's Crushes - the Covers Mixtape, a stop-gap album of covers by Mates of State, issued for fun while they work on their next album. For me, this is just what the band needed to put out to show that they still know how to have fun - their last couple releases have missed some of the sizzle of their early records. And with a cover by the Mates of State, you know what you're going to get: boy-girl vocals, keyboard, drums, and some pop embellishments. The choice of covers is what determines the collection's quality, and Mates of State have collected a good mix of old and new material, some of which is right in their wheelhouse and some that is more of a stretch.

Only two of the songs on Crushes date back to the '70s or earlier - solid versions of Fleetwood Mac's "Second Hand News" and Vashti Bunyan's "17 Pink Sugar Elephants" are found in the album's strong second half, but most of the material on the album is much more recent. Covers of songs by the Mars Volta and Girls work much better than they should, and their excellent take on Dear Nora's "Roller Coaster Ride" may give that underrated band a little more exposure. But two songs right at the beginning of the collection don't work at all. Belle & Sebastian's "Sleep the Clock Around" is recreated note for note from the original and is the only track on the album that seems undercooked, and Death Cab's "Technicolor Girls" is just a weak song that's missing the key element on this album: fun.

Overall, though, Crushes is effortlessly smile-inducing and surprisingly polished for a less-than-serious release. Two songs on the album do a great job of showing the Mates' intention of wringing maximum joy from their source material. "Long Way Home", one of Tom Waits' lovely "orphan" songs, gets a "pep-squad cheer" makeover, and Daniel Johnston's fragile "True Love Will Find You in the End" is transformed into a pop powerhouse. Crushes does not aspire to "high art" status, but it's a great, summery record for driving around with the windows down.

"True Love Will Find You in the End" by Mates of State