Author: xmasunderground

Such and such.
Posted on

UPCOMING: The Cords “Favorite Time” (12/06/2024)

Slumberland/Heavenly Creatures
Buy: Bandcamp (Digital/Flexi)

I’ve previously written about how much I look to Scotland (this was just a few posts ago!) for excellent Christmas tunes. The Cords are an excellent indiepop duo from Greenock, Scotland, and this upcoming track has a high probability of being excellent. Normally I might wait to review the track before sharing it here – but as there are flexis available now – and likely not for much longer – and I felt I should let you all know ASAP. So, check out The Cords, decide if they are your jam, and buy it.

Hat tip to @noloveforned for the heads up on this one.

LISTEN

Here’s a non-holiday release to check out the band.

Posted on

The Reed Conservation Society “Funny Christmas” (2020)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp | Discogs (Vinyl)

As we enter the darkest timeline, I’m going to do my best to keep moving. I’m going to provide support to those around me (you all included), and do my part to make this world just a little bit better. I’m going to try to redirect my anger and sadness and be constructive… and boy is that going to be hard because nothing seems to matter. That is going to be me on a good day. Lets hope the good days outnumber the bad.

So, on that note, let’s talk about a lovely song about depression at Christmas! The Reed Conservation Society is a French duo who for some reason has me thinking about Village Green Preservation Society-era Kinks. It could just be the “…servation society” similarity, but the orchestration is the same ballpark for sure. Throw in the Clientele as a touchpoint as well and now you’ve got an idea of where I’m going. The protagonist begins by eating oysters, cheese & crackers alone, and buying themselves “new pillows for my old dream into the sea.” The song might sound sweet, with lines like “Feeling so good to be alone now. Cheers to me, cheers to me, cheers to me.” Though follow that line with “I’ve got a special gift for free. / Médicine pills / angels talk slowly,” and everything takes on a much darker tone. It sure sounds like someone is finding a way out…

I must say, this is a lovely song. Without getting a little insight from the band, I might have thought this song was the happiest “I’m alone at Christmas” song I’d ever heard. I couldn’t quiiiite make out all the lyrics, which also kept me from knowing the true intention of the song. So… perhaps I will stick with that interpretation. Once an artist releases a song out into the world, we are all given a chance to interpret the song our own way. Perhaps “Funny Christmas” is a good barometer as to how I’m doing from day to day – is today going to be lovely and full of “David Crosby singing just for me,” or dark as fuck? Pretty much a toss-up – does today end in Y?

OF NOTE – I’m waiting on an email back from TRCS

Bottom Line: A very pretty or very dark Christmas song… a choose-your-own adventure of sorts.

LISTEN

Posted on

BumbleWasps “Don’t Fuck with Christmas” (2024)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

I’m attempting to take my mind off the election by listening to Christmas music this evening. So when I popped over to Bandcamp… seeing a familiar face was fucking great. Shrewsbury, England’s BumbleWasps is back with his wonderful brand of cheeky bedroom pop, serving up perhaps his sweetest Christmas song yet. “Don’t Fuck with Christmas” is indeed a rather aggressive title, but in practice, it hopes to make the most of Christmas… you only get one day each year, so don’t let the pressure of the holiday fuck you up. The song itself is damn catchy – an earworm that you can’t sing in polite company. Earworm… mantra… two sides of the same coin, both useful distractions from reality.

Don’t fuck with Christmas.
Don’t fuck with Christmas.
Don’t fuck with Christmas.

I feel a bit better.

Bottom Line: BumbleWasps has what many don’t – a consistently original POV on Christmas music, and this may be the best one yet.

LISTEN

Posted on

There Will Be Fireworks – No Christmas Bells / This Christmas Is Forever (2023)

The Imaginary Kind
Buy: Bandcamp

This blog started off pretty preoccupied by Swedes (and their neighbors), but has moved around the globe to French Canada and Australia of late. There is one country that I keep a particular eye on though… Scotland. When Scottish bands release a Christmas song, nine times out of ten… it’s fantastic. I’m thinking Kid Canaveral, Frightened Rabbit, Pictish Trail, Randolph’s Leap, Annie Booth, U.S. Highball to name few. This entire post would be a list of names if I let it get away from me. Thus, when There Will Be Fireworks dropped their Christmas single last year, I took note (I should have written about it then… but I am not a machine!). If you aren’t familiar with There Will Be Fireworks, they are big, emotional indie rock in the vein of Frightened Rabbit/Twilight Sad/We Were Promised Jetpacks. That’s a recipe for success in my book. Not a new band to me, as they featured on a very early mix of mine, 2010’s Write About Christmas, with their excellent song “In Excelsis Deo.” Initially only available on Avalanche Records’ Alternative Christmas compilation, you can now grab this great track on their excellent Because, Because EP.

Side A of this Christmas single, “No Christmas Bells” begins with a Sigur Ros-esque piano melody, setting an emotional scene that is only heightened by lyrics that are honestly, getting me a bit misty as I write. I tried to think of a lyric that I’d want to highlight… but fuck it… I keep changing my mind. The entire song is below. Let’s listen along.

This weather’s getting old
And Tinseltown is grey
And work, it gets me nowhere
I need a holiday

But the Christmas lights are on
In the home that we have built
And the love that we’ve put in it
Is all that matters still

And it’s not like me to say this
And I know you never asked
But you know you are the greatest
And there’s a time for saying that

When the kids are in their beds
And the tv flickers on
And we stumble round the kitchen
Dancing to those Christmas songs

I’m done with looking back
There will be time for that
A movie reel of memories
Shines golden through the black

Next year will be our year
I feel it in my bones
But for these short few hours
For once we are alone

No Christmas bells are ringing
No star in Glasgow’s sky
No choir of angels singing
But who needs that tonight?

If this is all there is
It’s all there needs to be
A simple quiet moment
Unfolding happily

Damn. It really gets going in that second verse and doesn’t let up. Why is it that you hear a song one day and are completely fine… walking the dog… just listening, then hear it another day and you are in fucking tears. I never claimed to have this be a real musical review blog… this really has always been an emotional review blog. Anger, sadness, anxiety, nostalgia… those are my references, the tools of my trade. Christmas music is just the vessel I suppose.

Now… can I maintain and talk about the back half of this single, “This Christmas is Forever?” I’ll give it a run. This song is a quick snapshot of a loving family at Christmas. I’m tempted to post the lyrics here as well… but instead, drink in this stanza that sets up the dramatic finish – it is so damn great.

And maybe I’ll sing a little thing
Some half-remembered hymn
It’s here and it’s gone
But aren’t we all?

Do you have a family to share this Christmas with? Well, this song will tear you up. Are you without a family to share the season with? Well, this song will tear you up. These guys are laser-focused on your heart, so don’t press play if you sometimes cry at commercials and you happen to be in public.

All proceeds go to Social Bite, which provide meals, gifts and essential items to homeless and vulnerable people. Easy purchase.

Bottom Line: There Will be Fireworks are back in the game with a 1-2 punch of beautiful, heartfelt Christmas songs.

LISTEN

Posted on

Winten “Holidays” (2023)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

Wow. Rip you heart out. Winten’s “Holidays” is a deeply emotional song about the emptiness one feels after a breakup. It is simple and direct, with these short little moments that, while you haven’t specifically lived them before… you have. The emotion conveyed by (Bridgette) Winten’s voice is perfection, both surgical and fragile in equal measure. She gets in there… it is spooky.

The holiday connection comes in the last verse:

And do you remember two days before Christmas?
Houses were glowing like they knew things
But you don’t live there anymore
I’ll always be here and you’ll be somewhere.

Nobody gets out of this life without a few wounds along the way. This song captures this so, so well.

Bottom Line: This one is gonna get a few folks where it hurts.

LISTEN

Posted on

Eyes Lips Eyes “Slept In Through Christmas” (2011)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

Every so often I’m going to highlight a song that some of you may have missed, often from years ago. Hell, throw in a pandemic and it feels like a lifetime ago. Provo, Utah and/or Los Angeles’ Eyes Lips Eyes “Slept in Through Christmas” is simply a damn fun song. Angular guitars, handclaps, jingle bells, and a baseline that will get you grooving enough to reach your movement goals. Gotta keep your figure so you can ruin it over the holidays. I don’t think the band is still together, as their social media hasn’t been updated in years… but time marches on for us all. Some groups disband and delete everything, and thankfully this is not the case so far. “Slept in Through Christmas” was featured on my 2018 mix, How to Solve Our Christmas Problems, and if it hasn’t been on your mix yet… well, what are you waiting for?

Bottom Line: Great, upbeat Christmas songs are like finding gold in a stream. This one glows – so grab it.

LISTEN

Posted on

Brave Baby “It’s Christmas Time… Oh Yeah” (2012)

Self Released
Buy: Soundcloud (Free!)

I want to stress to folks who submit songs and records… I can’t promise I’ll get to your song this year, next year, or any year. I will very likely listen to it pretty quickly. I will digest it. I will live with it. I might get so crazed that I must write about it immediately. I might let it sit around for a few years, then put it on a mix… and still not write about it. I can’t tell you what gets me to write a post, nor when. I’m just one guy, with limited time, looking for that hook to get me writing about Christmas music.

So… all that said, this song from 2012 – I discovered it last week. I haven’t been sitting on it for 12 years… but you know I mentioned the need for a hook? Well… in this post, that’s the hook! The hook is the hook! I don’t make sense. But this song does! Charleston, South Carolina’s Brave Baby crafted a clever song from Santa’s perspective, with cheeky (slightly-dated, “Sears??”) lyrics and a rollicking, familiar chorus. “It’s Christmas Time… Oh Yeah” isn’t as happy as the title (and my initial description) suggests, with lyrics about reindeer who have passed and children who are alone at Christmas, but the chorus kicks it up to a high enough gear to leave you feeling like the song was a good time. Hey man, I just dug it… the oddly dark lyrics, the echoey vocals, and the indie rock casual attitude… this is most definitely a recipe this site supports.

It always surprises me when a song like this can elude me for 12 years…

Bottom Line: A clever, free original for clever, free people.

LISTEN

Posted on

Liza Anne “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (2020)

Tone Tree Music
Buy: Bandcamp

I hear the same songs all the time. Give yourself a win if you are not knee-deep in Christmas music for 4-5 months every year. Thus, when I hear something markedly different from the norm, I grab on for dear life. Nashville’s Liza Anne has provided this rescue buoy with her refreshing rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” The orchestration makes this sad song sound downright happy, as instruments bounce around, popping in and out of the familiar melody. The damn thing just made me smile. This song is a vibe, one that I’m happy to surf on.

Bottom Line: Liza Anne has beautifully reimagined a classic.

LISTEN

Posted on

Les Hay Babies “Mam pis Pap” (2020)

Simone Records
Buy: Bandcamp

I’ve been thinking about this song for a while. Of course, you all might expect that as an American, I do not speak any other languages. You would assume correctly. Do I wish I could? Damn right I do. I was born on Bastille Day… boy I would love to go to France for my birthday, watch the Tour de France, drink great wine and pass out in a tiny camper on the side of a very windy road. Perhaps not quite the Quebecois French experience lived by the indie folk trio Les Hay Babies, but hey… in the neighborhood! Of note, I had my car stolen in their neighborhood… Montreal… on July 4th! Kind of a reverse Bastille! Fun times…

Les Hay Babies happens to feature a performer that I’ve had on this site before, Julie Aubé, who has not only been featured on CU, but also on a yearly mix! But I did say trio and this is very much a group affair, including the equal efforts of Katrine Noël and Vivianne Roy, each a wonderful solo performer as well. The group took a break after their 2020 LP, Boîte aux lettres, but have since reunited, have a new record (Tintamarre), and are touring once again… thus a perfect opening to talk about this song! “Mam pis Pap” is sung by a daughter who is watching her parents stop celebrating Christmas, as they are older and there is nobody to celebrate with in their house anymore. So, she’ll save her pennies and go home next year, try to recapture the holiday and celebrate with her parents. It is a simple sentiment, one that I can put myself in, both as a son… and as a parent. The holidays are a lot of work – I could see myself phoning it in someday as well. But hey, sing it in French with 3 wonderful voices? Sounds far lovelier a song than this realistic rumination on aging could ever be.

Bottom Line: A lovely trio with a gorgeous, unique, and realistic approach to Christmas.

LISTEN

Posted on

Young Jesus “Christmas Day” (2024)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

This is a very small community – I see my stats. I feel like I know most of my readers’ full names and have even met a few in real life (Hi!). So I was delighted to get a ping to my Twitter this morning, as Bennett sends me notes from time to time (sometimes hidden in a package of REAL MAIL), and today he tipped me off to this wonderful song by Young Jesus (aka John Rossiter). “Christmas Day” can be found on John Case, a 5-song benefit EP that dropped today, with all proceeds to be split between the hurricane relief efforts of BeLoved Asheville, and a Gofundme that is created to help a 93-year old woman find a new place after being evicted. So the motivation behind releasing the record is great… how about we take a look at the song itself? Bennett highlighted the first line in his note to me, which is no doubt fantastic, but get a few lines in and you get lines like, “Love’s the only prayer that lasts.” I mean… fucccck.

I met your ass on Christmas Eve
broken nose and your torn-up sleeve
You said God won’t love you
unless you bleed.

I met you and your fancy shoes
gold necklace and a crooked tooth
Love just waltzed into the room

They say the holy ghost gone mad
so walk with me and take my hand.
Love’s the only prayer that lasts.

Those lyrics may be the highlight (for me), but I must also mention John’s intriguing voice. John’s voice has a patina far more interesting than those who can belt it out like you hear on the TV. I love this kind of voice… like a gap-toothed supermodel; The flaws are part of the package, part of the beauty – what makes someone uniquely interesting. Thanks again Bennett – this one’s pretty damn fantastic.

Bottom Line: “Christmas Eve” benefits from multiple listens, so why not throw some money down (on this #bandcampfriday) and get cracking. I need the universe to send me more of these.

LISTEN