Category: Albums

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J. “Christmas” Phillips – Spring Into J. “Christmas” Phillips (2024)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

I may have tipped my hand in the last post… something about cocaine (Edit: The more I think about it… it must be heroin, not cocaine being referenced in the song I’m about to talk about) and New Zealand if you recall. This blog is, of course, a serial that requires you to read every other post to get the context of what is going on. So get to work, new readers… you’ve got a few years to catch up on before we really get going in December.

A member of the Christchurch, New Zealand electropop band Mount Pleasant, J. “Christmas” Phillips dropped this solo record last November, Spring into J. “Christmas” Phillips, which continues a massive back catalogue of Christmas-related releases under both the Mount Pleasant moniker, as well as via the duo of J. “Christmas” Phillips and Tobias “Santa” Brockie. There is a LOT to sample here… I’m counting over 10 obviously-Christmas releases. How the heck did these guys fly under my radar for so long??

Readers of this blog will know that I’m going to pick out a few tracks to talk about, rather than the entire record, as I am terrified of setting such a precedent. So let’s begin with the track I’ve been teasing, “Snorting a Line.” I love discovering songs so unexpected that you inadvertently pull a face- WTF is this thing going to be? Well, obviously, an alt-country via indiepop Christmas song about getting high with your love on Christmas! Can’t say I partake, but lines like “I can’t believe I have your love. / Hold me close, hold me tight! / Like it’s our last Christmas tonight!” are both incredibly sweet and low-key dark… making it a truly intriguing song. “Snorting a Line” proved to be the hook that pulled me into the rest of the record, so grab my hand and let’s jump in further.

“Christmas with Chloe” is crooning electro-pop that feels equally genuine and glossy, two unexpected flavors bound to tease your tastebuds. J. “Christmas” Phillips has a swagger in his delivery that pairs perfectly with his imperfections – he sounds both incredibly personal, yet affected at the same time. I can’t pin this song down… but it sure does explode with love, and I’m happy to wrap myself in the shrapnel.

Finally, let’s talk about the WONDERFULLY-titled final track, “Christmas Artist of His Generation.” This is an indiepop/electro-pop instrumental that blends these (post-punk?) guitar lines with electro-pop synths. What a fucking combination. I’ll have a second helping.

I am only one album into J. “Christmas” Phillips’ holiday back catalogue. Let’s GOOOOOO.

Bottom Line: This artist/band is totally something I’ll bet a reader sent me years ago. To this person who no doubt exists, I apologize. How the hell did J. “Christmas” Phillips elude me for so long?? WELL. That ends today!

LISTEN

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Communist Daughter “I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up for Christmas” (2025)

girl reaching out to touch a lit Christmas tree.

Self Released
Buy: 7Digital (MP3/FLAC) | Apple Music

It’s official – I’m excited. Saint Paul, Minnesota’s Communist Daughter has announced a follow-up to 2015’s Sing Sad Christmas EP, which featured (IMHO) the definitive version of The Boy Least Likely To’s “Blue Spruce Needles.” This band can take a song, filter it through their fingers, and make something truly special. They just teased us with the first song off their upcoming November release, Sing Sad Christmas Vol. 2, and it’s just what you’d think. Communist Daughter does not shy away from the darker sides of Christmas – so Aimee Mann’s “I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up for Christmas” is right smack in their wheelhouse. I love it when a band looks beyond the same 10 songs to cover – I am very on board and can’t wait for November.

Bottom Line: A dark and delicious tease for what promises to be a highlight of the season.

LISTEN

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Winterval – Sad Christmas Songs (2024)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

We all have some bands where you can simply buy their releases, completely unheard. Those folks who have proven themselves, over and over, to have the talent and taste to earn your trust. For this bloviator of alternative Christmas music, Winterval, the home recording project of Duncan Baird, is most certainly in that category. This new album, his third-holiday release, Sad Christmas Songs, is a warm, beautifully produced collection of original Christmas songs. There is some incredibly clever songwriting here, most obviously expressed in the inspired title track, “Sad Christmas Songs,” which namechecks a host of classic Christmas songs throughout the “alone at Christmas” motif. The way he weaves them all in – it is just brilliant. I’m struggling to not post the whole song here – but here is a healthy chunk to see what I’m talking about:

Hey baby where did this go wrong?
Last Christmas we were something strong
Another silent night alone
Sat here singing sad Christmas songs

The cavalry have stopped,
Santa’s got the blues
I’m the boy that he forgot,
what do the lonely do?

It’s a Christmas all alone
In the bleak midwinter snow
Turn around and please come home

Hey baby where’s the magic gone
I walked 2000 miles along
A winter fairytale gone wrong
Sat here singing sad Christmas songs

There are about 10 songs worked in there and even more throughout! It was so damn fun to realize what was going on… which I am a bit sheepish to say didn’t happen until the second listen. Absolutely one of the most clever songs I’ve heard this season.

So, the album is called Sad Christmas Songs, and if you want to get into the dictionary meaning of each word… this does make some sense. The title track for sure, despite the fact that you might enjoy the lyrics too much to be caught up in the “Sat here singing sad Christmas songs” of it all. Take a peek at the following song, “Christmas Without You,” and you may very well get more comfortable stating these songs are specifically sad. But listen to the music, and that synthpop-meets-the-Clientele orchestration will get you tapping your feet far too much to feel down. It is rather like those Swedish indiepop songs I love – pretty little pop songs about sadness that make you smile.

Finally, I must mention the closing track, “Making Christmas.” These people are trying so hard to be together, complications at every turn, until they realize “Suddenly, we both know, where we are, we’re making Christmas / Finally, even though, we’re apart, we’re making Christmas.” Throw in this gorgeous, swelling orchestration, and you are playing with my emotions here.

I am only highlighting a few tracks here, but know that there is magic in every song. From the wonderful storytelling of “Krampus,” to “Times Square Elmo,” which is surprisingly funny, and sweet, but also full of longing, this record is a little bit of everything. Truly one of the best albums of the year.

Bottom Line: Sitting here listening to this record… all I can think about is how much I’d love to be sitting in a cozy venue, some Christmas lights hung about, listening to Duncan play these songs. I’ve got a glass of whiskey, and it is the good stuff because Winterval is top shelf in my house.

LISTEN

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Kristian Noel Pedersen – Saul McCartney’s ‘Sauliday Party​!​’ (2024)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

How do you end an era? With a big party, of course! Kristian Noel Pedersen (KNP for brevity’s sake) has delivered his 16th original Christmas album, Saul McCartney’s ‘Sauliday Party​!​’, and boy what a journey this has been. For the uninitiated, Saul McCartney is KNP’s imaginary 60’s pop icon, whose ego has been wreaking havoc through two previous records. I have enjoyed this run immensely, penning rave reviews of every installment… and here we are yet again, with the culmination of the Saul McCartney trilogy. RAVE ON!

How the heck does KNP find the time to put these records together?? The production is so fantastic, so much grander than the bedroom pop that a yearly indiepop project like this would suggest. A perfect example would be the beautiful, brass-infused “What Are You Doing (on Christmas Eve?).” This song has all the pop sensibility and production of a vintage Christmas classic, and is one of those songs that I could see being picked up by some big singer to make KNP a pile of money.

The album’s transition from the vintage-inspired sounds of Saul to KNP’s indiepop begins with the Randy Newman-penned, “Snow.” The bouncing synth lines definitely pinch those “Wonderful Christmastime” receptors, as they invade the 60’s pop production. A perfect lead-in for what may be my highlight of the record, the indiepop perfection of the synthy “Christmas Isn’t Christmas Without You.” The songwriting is absolutely spot-on here. KNP takes a classic Christmas trope, the whole “missing someone at Christmas” scene, and somehow writes this incredibly fresh-sounding, upbeat song, and doesn’t reuse familiar “lonely at Christmas” lyrics. So many songs serve us near-lyrical plagiarism, dressed in different musical stylings… but KNP has found a wonderful new POV here.

Finally, the wonderful album closer, “Silver, Never Gold,” where Smiths guitar lines marry beautifully with those classic, Saul-era brass touches. This album is a stylistic journey, wonderfully narrated by the truly delightful Saul McCartney (Harlan Guthrie) throughout, and this final song closes out the Saul McCartney trilogy perfectly.

This record is a wonderful finale to one of my absolute favorite Christmas music projects I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing and I can’t wait to see what Kristian and his crew of merry collaborators have for us next.

Bottom Line: I don’t want to wear you all down with more effusive language… you read the review above if you got here. KNP is on fire.

LISTEN

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Hit the North Pole: A Festive Charity Compilation for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fun (2024)

Hit the North Records
Buy: Bandcamp

Who is ready for some more “Last Christmas?” My son would say no. Oddly… I would give a hesitant “sure,” as this year has been especially good. That said – I put this out into the world – BANDS! Pick a new song! Speaking of new songs to cover… The new Christmas comp from Los Angeles’ Hit the North Records has everything you want. Songs not often covered? We got em! More “Last Christmas?” YES! It has three versions! That said, I’d say three solid, distinctly different versions starting off with a fuzzed-out stroll by Steel Wool, followed by the warm pop approach of Jacob and the Moon, and finally the amped up chiptune-meets-punk of Kurupi. These versions live in separate worlds… but having 3 versions of the same song does make this a record to be mined for singles, rather than to be listened to as a Christmas record IMHO.

Another often covered standout for me is Tiberius’ loose and lovely “Christmastime is Here.” The song has a feeling of ramshackle comfort. I really enjoy the back half of the song when the orchestration expands and you get harmonica, melodica, and maybe French horn? Quite nice.

So now let’s talk about two songs not often covered, which I thoroughly enjoy by both reminding me that these great originals exist (sometimes you forget!), as well as enjoying what these bands bring to the song. Little Bit kicks into “Snow Day” at the end of the record, and I immediately jumped in recognition – this was a Matt Pond PA cover! There have been years of my life devoted to loving Matt Pond PA, and that Winter Songs EP definitely sits on my shelf here at home. Little Bit serves the song well, giving it a light, airy feel. Super solid.

Finally, Small Shake & Fur Trader team up on the Harvey Danger indie classic, “Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas,” which they execute perfectly. Dare I say… is this a dream-pop version?? Those effects pedals! The beautiful, floating vocals! Give me that shoegaze/dream-pop Christmas record!

I only scratched the surface on this record, as I only really have time these days to scratch, but there aren’t any duds on here, and you’ll have much here to add to your Christmas mix/playlist.

EDIT: Just an FYI, this compilation is ONLY available on Bandcamp, and will not be available on streaming.

Bottom Line: As of this moment, you are only able to sample one of the songs… but know that this record is quite solid – and for charity. Well worth the purchase price to support children and mine for fantastic singles.

LISTEN

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Aux Caroling – Most Likely You Ho Ho Ho Your Way (And I’ll Ho Ho Ho Mine)(2024)

A painting of some fur trees in the snow.

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

You all are catching me in the final stage of my Christmas mixin… doing my best folks!

Aux Caroling (aka Scott Deaver) returns for the third year in a row with a handful of new, original Christmas tunes… and once again, I’m smitten. These songs have a warmth and humor that I enjoyed so much that I then went and bought them, despite being sent the MP3s earlier. I loved every song, but clever readers will know that I set the bar a long time ago to never talk about every single song on a record, either out of laziness or arrogance – you decide! (They are all great btw.)

You will never hear another Christmas song quite like “Bob Dylan and the Band Box Set,” which runs through the Bob Dylan box set the protagonist hopes to get for Christmas. How does one do this? Well, disc by disc of a 27-disc box set of course. I listened to this on the way to drop my son off this morning, and he found it amusing enough to comment on even while reading comics. High praise.

“Michael Clayton Blu-ray” continues the saga that began with “Is Michael Clayton a Christmas Movie?” on Aux Caroling’s 2022 record, Holly, Jolly, Melancholy. The song is quick and clever, and according to Scott, the song is “the running joke that will not die. Though the original was less a joke and just a song. But definitely in joke territory now.” I do enjoy the joke 🙂

My favorite moment of this record is actually the ending. The final song, “Keep it Together,” is a slow meditation, what I imagine to be an affirmation to get through the season with those complicated people and relationships in your life. “Keep it together / Say Merry Christmas and go away.” I connect with that… but I was most moved by the orchestration itself – how the outro builds in with these gentle, abrasive, beautiful tones. La da da dadada…

Bottom Line: Yet again, short, funny, beautiful, poignant and sad all mashed up in a way that only Aux Caroling can.

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Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas (Volume IV) (2024)

A Benefit for Crisis
Buy: Bandcamp

Today is the day. The fourth and final (…you never know for suuuuurrre) volume of this magnum opus of alternative Christmas music has dropped with a whopping 65 songs. Amongst these 65 songs, you’ll find many names that I’ve championed on an occasion or two (Whyte Horses, Dark Horses – ha! – The Photocopies, Skiing, Aux Caroling, and many more) – but unless you’ve been reading this silly blog since 2012, you likely haven’t come across many of these songs. If you have been close-reading this blog, you might even take special notice that Applennium’s “Is this Christmas” is on the tracklist. Not only is this a great track for that imaginary shoegaze/dreampop Christmas mix someone out there is making, but this is the first time one could get an actual FLAC of this song. I honestly had forgotten how great that song was.

This record is a fantastic afternoon listen, one that may very well get you in the spirit enough to finally put up your tree, finish your mix, or dig a bit deeper into that band whose song has just made you hit the back button to listen again. For a quick £7/$8.50, you’re that much closer to indie-Christmas nirvana. That, and ALL proceeds go to  Crisis at Christmas, a UK charity supporting people experiencing homelessness. Sounds like an easy call folks.

Bottom Line: If this is the first you’ve heard of this series – there are 4 of them, totaling 208 songs. They are required listening if you are at all interested in this alternative Christmas music. Now go! Listen!

LISTEN

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Bleu Reine presente La Compil’ de No​ë​l #4 (2024)

Bleu Reine
Buy: Bandcamp

Sometimes I get concerned that this site just ends up writing about the same folks over and over again. I suppose there are two ways to look at this – 1. I am lazy and 2. These folks know their shit and do it well. Bleu Reine are #2, and definitely know their shit as they have compiled yet another superb Christmas compilation. (I hereby grant permission for folks to clean up my language if they wish to use a quote as a “blurb.”) The fourth edition is yet again a mix of French bands covering both holiday and non-holiday songs… but you know which category I am most interested in. So… let’s dive into these absolutely killer Christmas songs.

The first, and perhaps the most surprising highlight of a truly stellar record is Summer Camp Girlfriend covering the Pogues “Fairytale of New York.” Who needs another cover of this song… apparently me! This dream pop treatment may just have enough sustain on the guitar pedals to fit on my imaginary shoegaze Christmas mix. Their musical choices feel fresh and exciting… and they don’t use the F word! This thing sounds like no other version I have heard to date – give them a follow wherever you hang (hopefully not Twitter – F* ELON).

Skip down to the middle of the record, and you find yourself with an excellent cover of “You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch,” by Norma. There isn’t much to the simple orchestration, but Norma does a LOT with a little. She doesn’t throw a bunch of musical color to fill up the space but chooses to add a color or two along the way to the strolling guitar lines that propel the song. Norma does four verses of the original six – and hey – I do appreciate a radio edit! Quicker the better when it comes to Christmas songs… this one was a pleasant surprise.

The fuzzy wall of sound that is Rennes, France’s Eeyora’s “Snowman (The Sleepwalk)” may or may not be a cover – I truly have no idea. However, what I encountered will terrify many folks on first listen… a sonic approach that would have been like seeing space aliens to the early rock n’ roll pioneers. But dammit if it hasn’t grown on me. The seesaw between abrasion and sweetness works wonderfully. I’m way out of my comfort zone, but I’m here for it.

Finally, let’s take a look at the Bleu Reine and their inspired cover of the Love, Actually classic, “Christmas is All Around.” The song is meant to be silly in the movie, and yes, the song is silly in reality. However, Bleu Reine has managed to make it feel damn sexy dressed up in some electro/dream-pop clothes. This thing is fucking cool! How did they do that?!

Hey! I missed some of the Christmas songs! THAT is because they were in French! Sometimes I have the balls to talk about songs in another language, and sometimes I don’t. Today is a don’t! Why do I use exclamation marks with reckless abandon when I review THIS specific compilation? I DON’T KNOW!!!!

Bottom Line: Some stone-cold mixworthy songs on this comp – and it raises money for La Croix Rouge Française / French Red Cross!

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Daði Freyr – How Daði Stole Christmas (2024)

Samlist
Buy: 7Digital (FLAC/MP3) | Amazon MP3 | Amazon.uk MP3

I miss a lot of releases. The world is large, I am small, and my capacity is limited. However, at the very least, I would think I would see releases from artists I follow… but the algorithm lords do not deem it so! I believe I follow Icelandic alternative pop superstar (in my book for sure!) Daði Freyr on every possible platform, yet somehow I did not see his new Christmas EP, How Daði Stole Christmas until Alex Rawls (of the great Twelve Songs of Christmas podcast) told me about it! The EP compiles most of his previous Christmas singles (it is missing the Icelandic language version of “Every Moment is Christmas with You“) and adds four new Christmas covers, all of which are made better by Daði’s wonderful voice. Of particular interest to my Christmas blogging friends is a cover of Wham!’s “Last Christmas.” This version rounds out what may be a banner year for “Last Christmas” covers, as Daði’s comes alive during the second verse (“A crowded room / friends with tired eyes…”), his voice bouncing through the verse in a mesmerizing dance that only Daði can do.

My second favorite (new) song off the EP may be the Icelandic language “Komdu Um Jólin,” which is listed as a Raf and Umberto Tozzi/Gunnar Ólason cover. I loved the electropop production Daði throws on the track. It makes you want to dance! Click that link above and check out the original… the song is wholly transformed, more than any other track on the record.

I initially didn’t find (or look for) the EP collection on Spotify/Tidal/Soundcloud/etc, only watching the fantastic performance videos that Daði had put up on Youtube and believing they were just that… simply videos he was sharing for fun at Christmas. The slow, trickling release of the videos had me on the edge of my seat, as I embraced each new video and waited for the perfect time to write about this neverending series of holiday covers. Well, every good thing has to end, and my dream of an infinite source of Daði Freyr Christmas songs has blown away… but damn there are some winners here. Enjoy.

Bottom Line: Daði Freyr is such a unique voice… I could listen to him sing the phone book… which he’d probably put a sick beat under!

LISTEN

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Ceramic Animal – Tinkertown: A Christmas Tale (2023)

Self Released
Buy: Apple Music

With all the new stuff coming out (which Christmas A Gogo is handling quite nicely!), I find myself writing about things I missed from past years… My methods are quite scattershot, and I never quite know what I’m going to hit… so when you bring back yet another song, the taste of satisfaction is sweet.

Doylestown, Pennsylvania’s Ceramic Animal dropped a 6-song Christmas EP, Tinkertown: A Christmas Tale, which has a swagger that I appreciate. A silly sense of humor runs through the songs, which makes perfect sense when you see their press photos. These guys look like a good time. There is most certainly a standout in “Santa Please (Spare My Wife),” which has the narrator bargaining with Santa not to… well… seduce his wife.

Santa, Santa, in your sleigh
Spread that joy in a different way
I believe in magic, in love and in life
But Santa, don’t bang my wife

Hehe. I remember listening to this song the first time, and I hadn’t really registered the title yet, and the whole premise had me shaking my head and chuckling. Then on the third or fourth listen, I started to kinda dig their whole laid-back sound. For those who enjoy a bit of comedy in their mixes, this may fit the bill.

Bottom Line: Funny and full of swagger, Ceramic Animal might have the levity you all need this season. Of note, I could only find one place to purchase this record – iTunes/Apple Music.