The High Tropics threw a new song at us at the end of last season, and unfortunately I often lack the opportunity (or energy) in those busy final days to write about all the deserving new music that gets released. But please, don’t take my laziness as any sort of judgement against a song – an “it’s not you (the song), it’s me” scenario.
I hope you have had a moment to check out the High Tropics’ previous Christmas tunes, as I heaped a good bit of praise on them last year – right before they released this latest song! “Got a Message for Santa” has a distinctly different, non-Strokes-y vibe. Yeah, that Casablancas-esque casual vocal delivery is still there, but those bongos and synthesized backing vocals paint a very different picture from those earlier High Tropics’ seasonal gems. This song is less indie rock, and a bit more pop – but don’t worry, plenty of folks aren’t going to appreciate the lines about “getting high” mixed into their family get-together soundtrack – take that squares! This song may sound sweet, but it has enough bite to keep your badass alternative Christmas cred intact.
Bottom Line: Yet another solid seasonal tune from this Aussie band, who are now 3-for-3 if my calculations are correct. Just got to carry the one…..
I’m back, ready to write about some Christmas tunes, fret about the world we live in, and make an attempt not to take each day for granted… as we wait for the AI-apocalypse.
Sufjan Stevens is back too… with a bunch old songs, and a small sprinkling of new. Announced today, the new compilation LP, Worst Christmas Ever!, pulls together some of (what they consider to be) Sufjan’s best Christmas songs onto one album. I imagine this is a better physical-media listening experience than most of the EPs, which require lots of flipping, swapping and listening to some of those throw-away tracks.
Now for the main reason to consider this record… the new song. Technically… there are 2 new songs, one original and one cover. The original, “On This Christmas (It Only Gets Better)” is included on the LP, as well as on a limited 7″ only available from the label (as a bundle) and some select stores to be named later. The 7″ is really where it is at… as it has an additional unreleased song, a cover of “Christmas Time is Here.”
I sure would love to just buy that 7″… I will wager that I’m going to pass on this bundle (which would set me back nearly $50) in the hopes of grabbing that 7″ elsewhere… and it is going to slip by me. I waited on the vinyl box sets as well, and regretted that too.
Will I learn from my past mistakes? I’m human, and American… so probably not.
EDIT: There are a few additional versions out there – variants via Rough Trade and a Dinked Edition (which has exclusive stickers and a different vinyl colorway) so far. I’m sure there will be more.
Bottom Line: I’m equal parts intrigued and conflicted (Do I need to buy these songs again?) and waiting for my $5000 check from Daddy Trump. Oh orange god-man, please give me money to buy records. I will let you destroy everything for record money…
(If you don’t sense the sarcasm… I assure you it is there.)
Christmas has happened, and the New Year is nearly here.
Thank you all for reading this silly thing for yet another year. I’m not saying I won’t pop back in here on occasion, but it sure feels different writing when you know there might be someone on the other end reading… and there is a season for folks checking out my little corner of the internet. I do love hearing from folks who share this very, very niche interest, so thank you especially to those who dropped me notes, comments, and Ko-Fi’s this year. Knowing that anyone cares… that is what keeps this little site going.
Les petits Mutins de Noël are a Christmas punk band, comprised of more French bands than you can count on one hand: Monster Mash, Supersports, Acid Gras, Die Vräcks, Louis Lingg and The Bombs, and The Flug. This new song, “La Bombe avant Noël” (The Bomb Before Christmas), piqued my interest simply based on their sound. This may be a whole mess of bands smashed together – and somehow they sound fucking great. The song itself, after some AI-magic translation, appears to be about coming into a family Christmas with the intention of blowing it up (metaphorically). That sounds like a perfect premise for a punk Christmas song – way better than pop-punkifying a Christmas carol…
I also really loved their intro to the song on Bandcamp, posted below in translation:
Oh Oh OooOoh Shit! For this end of the year, a little log to toss in your fireplace, on your screen (with a fake fireplace), or in a barricade (with a real bastard fire) to stoke things up. Short, slow-burning log cut by your favorite forest rangers: Monster Mash, Supersports, Acide Gras, Die Vräcks, Louis Lingg and The Bombs, and The Flug. With Love, Elf’s word
This is a record that’s been bouncing around my playlists for a long time. Many years ago, I got into moi Caprice, a Danish band that was geographically and sonically close enough to my Swedish pop obsession to get swept up in the search. Their song “The Art of Kissing Properly” became a playlist staple. I picked up a few CDs and very much consider myself a fan. How I managed to miss them releasing a Christmas EP in 2020 is beyond me. I’m only half joking when I say I consider this oversight a personal failure.
Yes, moi Caprice released a Christmas EP, Advent, in late December of 2020, and it is absolutely excellent. Four tracks, each of which could make a strong case for being the best song on the record. “Christmas, the Magic Is Back” has a wonderful rolling rhythm, peppered with evocative lines like, “’cause the magic is back / and I can do the whole thing from a child’s view.”
That song, along with the one that follows, “Year of the Rat,” are very much Christmas 2020 songs—COVID Christmas songs. However, neither suffers from being too firmly locked into that moment. Both retain a timeless quality, especially in the coda of “Year of the Rat,” where they repeat, “And our kids fall asleep to the sound of our heart.” It’s just ridiculously gorgeous. (It is also featured on my 2025 Christmas mix, A Bit of Christmas.)
The biggest song on the record, at least by streaming metrics, is the third track, “I’m Dreaming of a Christmas That Isn’t So Extremely White.” The concept is interesting, as it references familiar seasonal cultural touchstones like Home Alone and It’s a Wonderful Life, while hoping for new perspectives. A good song, but it somehow lacks the emotional pull of the other three tracks. We’re all different; this may be your favorite!
The final song, “Merry Christmas,” closes out the EP with a promise to make a Christmas song that “truly has the sound / of a Merry Christmas,” and it absolutely delivers. The melody is gorgeous as it floats along on lead singer Michael Møller’s wonderful voice. This is the bullseye—a song that could land on just about anyone’s Christmas mix, in any year they decide to dip into moi Caprice. It is undeniably delightful.
For those who love physical media, you can still hunt this record down on either 12″ vinyl or CD. And wouldn’t you know it—shipping from Germany isn’t terrible these days. I’m glad I can finally write about this now, as I’d been nervous about covering something I hadn’t yet picked up myself, fearing it might sell out before I could. But now I’ve got a 12″ on the way, thanks to the generosity of you all, after coveting it for nearly a year. Truly, thank you all.
Bottom Line: This entire release can be mined for mixworthy songs. It really is pretty damn spectacular.
Lord knows this song has been covered to death. But there are some songs that I don’t mind hearing cover after cover of… and Low’s “Just Like Christmas” is most certainly in that camp. Heck, Christmas A Gogo has a yearly post gathering the latest covers. So, another cover… what can you find in yet another cover of this song? Perpetual Doom is a label that I love, often releasing singer/songwriters who have a tendency for alt.country, but perhaps a bit more attitude than would suit the mainstream. I admit, I’m predisposed to be excited to hear something from this label, and thus I’m here chatting with you about Daphne’s Demise, and their new cover of “Just Like Christmas.” Daphne’s Demise (aka Zoë S-Bouffard) takes this song, nearly strips it of all adornment, and lets you bask in the simple beauty that is this classic song. This is my ultimate Christmas song… and when someone can find themselves in it… I’m here for it.
Vermont’s Lonesome Doves have released a 4-song EP of original Christmas songs, the appropriately titled Lonesome Doves Christmas Album, all of which share a slow tempo, as well as the beautiful vocals of Scarlett… who truly does not miss a note. It is not often that an indie rock band is notable for the vocalist’s ability to sing… but Lonesome Doves are certainly an exception. You may find yourself attracted to the first track, “Peacegiving,” as you contemplate our current state of affairs. Perhaps you’ll connect with the vegan-leaning “Psyciatric Help 5 Cents,” which not only sings about not killing things that breathe, but also about dancing around like a cartoon, which we very much do in my house. These songs are the kind of songs I might want to listen to at night, drinking a spiked eggnog and looking at the fire. It’s not going to get you all amped up, it’s the kind of Christmas music that is going to leave you sitting… thinking…
Bottom Line: These aren’t pop hits, but they might touch something a bit deeper if you let them.
I’ve updated my Submissions page to try to be as explicit as possible as to what your expectations should be if you submit a song. I’m just one guy with a website and a few minutes to spare. I’m going to disappoint a lot of people, even people who put out music I’m into. I don’t mean to, but it is going to happen.
Hey! Is The Bret Tobias Set lining up to be a yearly Philadelphia Christmas tradition? Can I manifest this? We’ll see… (I missed 2024’s song… but go check it out!)
I wrote about The Bret Tobias Set’s excellent 2023 cover of Everything But the Girls’ “25th December” earlier this year, with what might be one of my shortest reviews of recent memory. I don’t know why I get sheepish about that kind of stuff – I just don’t want folks to think because I haven’t gone on and on about their record that I don’t really love it. Some days I just have a few minutes to spare, a headache, or existential ennui… you know… shit happens! Do all those words above count towards the review? I hope so!
The Bret Tobias Set is back with a reworking of a 2004 song that Bret wrote with his previous band, The Bigger Lovers, for their last record, This Affair Never Happened… And Here Are Eleven Songs About It. Bret calls the Lovers’ version “blue-eyed soul,” and I suppose I hear that – but it just sounds like a rock ballad to me. When I hear the term blue-eyed soul, I think about half the bands on Colemine Records, not The Bigger Lovers. But I am NO expert, despite this silly site.
Bret’s new version, which he calls a “country pop duet,” has Bret sharing vocals with Krista Umile, and man, these voices sound lovely together. The song lightens with the addition of Krista as well as the increased tempo, and as a result, the length shortens enough to leave you wanting more. I do hear the country twang, but I don’t know if I’d call this “country pop.” I would call it an “alt.country power pop ballad.” Gotta complicate things!
Bottom Line: This song’s arrangement feels like it has found its forever home.
