Downloads – Page 13 – Christmas Underground

November 23, 2023November 27, 2023

Karakou “Tyst faller snön” (2013/2023)

Ninetone
Buy: Apple Music | Amazon MP3 | Amazon.uk MP3 | Amazon.de MP3 | Amazon.fr MP3

Sweden’s Karakou came into my life last night, and I’ve been doing my best to get to know them better in the past few hours. A hefty bit of Google translate and this particularly good interview from 2019 have given me a glimpse into this excellent band’s world. This world happens to include a Christmas-adjacet song, “Tyst faller snön (Silently the Snow Falls)” which was originally released, unmixed and from their archive in 2013, then again in 2018, finally being lovingly re-mixed with four new versions here in 2023. The song is quite melancholy, as you could likley discern just from the vibe with no knowledge of the lyrics. However, for convenience’s sake, here are the lyrics, run through Google Translate:

We follow things we know nothing about
And you act like those who see no way out
Oh quietly, the snow falls outside our rooms

Silently the snow falls, so we fall
Like a dream

We talk about how everything actually goes
And say sorry before we hang up
Oh quietly the snow falls
Outside our rooms

Silently the snow falls, so we fall, like a dream
We follow things we know nothing about
And how would we have known how everything would turn out?

The snow falls quietly
The snow falls quietly
Silently the snow falls, tearing up everything we hid
Oh quietly the snow falls, so we fall

Karakou’s initial intention was to release this song when Sweden was bathed in the orange glow of streetlights reflecting off the snow… and wow… just close your eyes and visualize that scene. Cinematic, beautiful, and somehow warm.

When I see the term “remix,” I’m never excited. Growing up, that meant that someone made a dance version of a song that shouldn’t be a club song. However, these four remixes aren’t trying to strongarm the song into something it is not. These versions essentially let you choose your own favorite flavor, which each having their own unique, delcious notes. I may be partial to the Frengen remix currently… or maybe the Einestad remix… Shoot… Please help me decide.

Bottom Line: I’d imagine some folks are going to be walking around singing Swedish this year while their friends and family curiously look on.

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November 22, 2023

Idaho Green “Christmas Toonite” (2022)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp (NYOP)

I get contacted by a lot of bands and PR folks, and I’d say about 97% of them have never visited this silly site before. When I hear from someone, and indeed, they seem to have a grasp of what this site is about… well… it puts me in a very good mood. This site exists both to help you make your Christmas mix… and to help ME make MY Christmas mix. Thus when I received a nice note from Idaho Green, a band that claims both Brooklyn and Huntley Project, Montana as their home, hipping me to a fantastic indie rock/spud punk (ha!) Christmas song of theirs, I simply responded with “Yes. You are my jam.” The result of a bit of extra studio time, a few loose riffs and a silly chorus, their 2022 Christmas single, “Christmas Toonite,” shines with crunchy, dirty guitars, a bit of swearing, and a relaxed swagger not often found on a Christmas song. The song begins with a bit about being stuck in Montana during a snowstorm, but quickly pivots into one of the happiest, upbeat Christmas songs you could ever want. The song is downright joyful. So spread some joy, throw a buck at this song, and add it to your life.

Bottom Line: I sometimes struggle to find wonderful, upbeat Christmas songs… so when a song like “Christmas Toonite” comes to you, close your eyes, smile and say, “Yes. You are my jam.”

LISTEN

November 21, 2023

Wake Up and Smell the Sun – The Pedestrian Chronicles Part 2 (2023)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp (FREE)

I was talking with a Christmas music friend the other day (Hi Larry!) and found myself expressing that I don’t feel like I am a very good music critic. I don’t know the ins and the outs of production or music theory, nor can I often put a finger on the influences that have shaped a band or a song. I’ve encountered other folks in this world who are a bottomless well of knowledge (Stubby), and I’m amazed. However, that is most certainly not me. Then how do I find my way in to talk about a song or record? Well, I talk about my feelings an awful lot. So, when I get sent a new Wake Up and Smell the Sun song… I get equal parts excited and worried. First off, John Murray, the man behind this WUaStS project creates some of the most interesting Christmas music I have ever encountered… thus it is always a pleasure to see what he has cooked up. However… I find myself struggling to do justice, to express how interesting and important I think his songs are. So, in a wildly appropriate start to this review, I begin with an apology to the reader, and to John, for its pedestrian nature. —- I wrote that sentence without even thinking about the title of the release… woah 🙂

The new single by Wake Up and Smell the Sun, The Pedestrian Chronicles Part 2, is a pair of tracks that I wasn’t quite sure I’d ever hear. John had emptied the vaults at the end of last year with Soft Angelic Jams, a 7-song collection billed as a “final collection” of Christmas songs, released on Dec. 21… at the beginning of my own burnout phase. Regretfully, I have yet to review it, but I don’t have rules for this site and I feel like John would crack a smile if I reviewed it in April sometime.

As the new year began, John began releasing his music within the construct of The Pedestrian Chronicles – not as a record or as singles, just as a continual recording project. With this drop, we get Chapters 5 & 6, two Christmas songs that despite John’s insistence that he must break with the holiday, have found life within the new, continually expanding recording project. John mentioned the existence of “Chapter 5: Jingle Humming” to me last year, and I feel so fortunate that he decided to finish it. “Jingle Humming” is one of those songs that checks so many boxes for me – a melancholy political Christmas song dressed in incredibly clever lyrics and a soaring chorus. That last verse is a killer:

I lit candles for forgiveness. Prayed novenas in my room…
…for the feast of silver linings and the politics of doom. (THIS LINE- wow)
It’s still no near to ever ending. Dim lit blissfulness is trending.
It’s the Christmas that you wanted.
All your consciences are haunted…
…by the energy you’re spending…
…on the partisan positions you’re defending.

As with any Wake Up and Smell the Sun release, you may struggle to pick a favorite… but let me release you from the worry. You can love them, and you don’t have to rank them. They will love you back, in their own unique way. “Chapter 6: The Anvil and the Angel” has a completely different vibe. While Chapter 5 was recorded, engineered, and produced by the wonderful team of Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey at the Miner Street Recording Studio (which is often the home of WUaStS releases), Chapter 6 was self-recorded and produced by John. The song is a series of posed questions, their repetition suggestive of a mantra of someone working through how they feel about Christmas. It is the kind of song that I’d imagine hits differently now than it would a few weeks later, in the thick of the holiday, with all of its emotional baggage.

Wake Up and Smell the Sun records are often low-key chock-full of Philadelphia-area indie rock luminaries. On Chapter 5, you’ll find Patrick Berkery, who has played with War on Drugs, Strand of Oaks, the Bigger Lovers, Danielson, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, etc, etc, on drums and bells. You’ll also hear Robbie Bennett of the War on Drugs – he plays the piano and organ. I love the way that John describes Robbie’s contribution: “Robbie just sprays his keys all over, lifting, riding, and tapping into the rhythms and melodies. It always works.” You’ll also hear Art Difuria, formerly of Lilys and currently and always of the Photon Band, on both Chapters 5 & 6, adding background vocals and guitar. John’s got some serious partners in crime here, as he often does.

These songs are why this blog exists. Holiday music shouldn’t be relegated to celebrating the latest worked-over Christmas cover when there are songs like this, waiting to be discovered, headphones on, nodding your head, and smiling with every beautiful, surprising, clever, touching line.

I leave you with a short paragraph that John sent over, which I do believe captures his work perfectly:

I don’t write candy pop songs for the Christmas Card Committee and I don’t send family pictures to my friends. My songs are not sing-song, feel good, jingles and they’re not soaring springs of praise. Whatever a guitar and a microphone gives me, that’s what I get. Rejoice in the melancholy people! It’s all around. See it. Smile at it. Laugh at it. Wish it well. Screw it, like a volunteer.

Bottom Line: Wake Up and Smell the Sun have created a body of work that is some of the most beautiful, fascinating, clever Christmas music I have ever heard. Go listen.

LISTEN

November 16, 2023

Everett Darling “Pictures 1-3” (2021)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

There will be those days that I throw big ol’ softballs – songs that I’ve already, in one way or another, expressed my love for previously. In this case, Everett Darling’s “Pictures 1-3” was featured on last year’s mix, but never featured on this site. Today, we remedy that. Everett Darling was the primary songwriter and singer of the excellent German indiepop band Skiing, who have featured prominently on this blog in the past. There are two tracks on his first solo record, Winter, that could be considered Christmas-adjacent. “Pictures 1-3” is obviously one, as well as the instrumental, “Tinsel,” but I’ll leave that to you to hunt down. “Pictures 1-3” is a beautiful song about Everett’s father and the Christmas tree he bought in his last year of life. He cycles through 3 photos of him, describing each one, with the Christmas tree remaining in the background… stuck on demo mode and cycling through its programmed display settings. The song’s stripped-down, 2 guitars and vocals approach, conveys a warmth that I am struggling to describe… Truly touching, absolutely gorgeous, and highly recommended.

Bottom Line: I learned my lesson in 2021 when I originally missed this release… check in with Everett every year just in case… he is just so damn talented.

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November 15, 2023November 15, 2023

Brittany Ann Tranbaugh “Put a Bow on It (Holidays are Hard)” (2023)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

If you aren’t writing a new Christmas song, at the very least record something unexpected. I believe I fall asleep every night muttering something along those lines… thankfully we are all psychically connected, and Philly’s Brittany Ann Tranbaugh took it to heart. Today, Brittany Ann releases a cover of a Jackson Emmer & Clint Alphin song, “Put a Bow on It (Holidays are Hard),” which is a great little song whose clever lyrics will put a smile on your face: “we’ve got us / we don’t need to fit in / I know we’re both a little crazy / but we ain’t half as bad as them.” I doubt it’s much of a stretch to say that readers of this blog (you interesting people who take time to read about Christmas music) might be a little bit crazy yourselves… so… relatable! Brittany Ann’s voice is, as always, full of character and beauty, but this time she brings in her friend Emily Drinker to add harmony – a perfect seasoning to the dish. Brittany Ann is now 2-for-2, with a pair of songs (check out “The Christmas Flannel Song” from last year) destined for a discerning mixtape. Keep it up!

Bottom Line: From song selection to performance and production, Brittany Ann has earned a spot on the good list for sure.

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November 14, 2023

Heyrocco “Christmas Shopping in Santa Monica” (2022)

Cobraside
Buy: Apple Music | Amazon MP3 | Amazon.uk MP3 | Amazon.de MP3 | Amazon.fr MP3

Is a band from the town they started in, or the town they have resided in for a while? Like, are the National a Cincinnati band, or a Brooklyn band? I find myself mulling this over as I think about Heyrocco… who are either from Charleston, South Carolina or Los Angeles. So, pick your flavor, and now that I’ve placed them in the general United States, we can move on. Heyrocco’s most recent release also happens to be their excellent 2022 Christmas song, “Christmas Shopping in Santa Monica.” This song has a late 90s – early 2000’s powerpop feel that I love. The jangling rhythm guitars, the layered vocal harmonies, all the “oh yeahs,” I’m transported back in time. It’s a fun one, you’ll like it.

Of note, this is not the only Heyrocco Christmas song… there are a few Bandcamp accounts that all appear to be associated with the band, and they covered (as did everyone) Wham’s “Last Christmas” back in 2014. Low-fi demo quality, but interesting to hear in comparison. Around 2:20 it gets weird, which is worth a listen if you’re curious.

Bottom Line: This is the kind powerpop that I love.

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November 13, 2023November 13, 2023

The Happy Somethings – Don’t Mention It (2023)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp (NYOP)

Amongst indiepop Christmas music aficionados, The Happy Somethings are quite well known for their underground classic “It’s Christmas Time (we’re as miserable as hell).” They’ve reworked the song into various treatments and versions over the past few years, but something unexpected and dramatic has happened, and they’ve stumbled into an entire holiday record! I love the description they’ve posted on their Bandcamp:

DISCLAIMER!

We should perhaps apologise for releasing a Christmas album – it seems a pretty ‘uncool’ thing to do. But then we pride ourselves on being a pretty uncool band!

And in our tinseled defence, we didn’t really mean to write another festive song but ‘Nothing’s Just For Christmas’ thrust itself upon us in an unignorable fashion.

So we thought, why not put it with eleven other songs that could reasonably be heard as ‘seasonably appropriate’ and make an album?

So we did!

Some of these tracks weren’t originally written as Christmas songs at all but have been repurposed for this release as they seemed apt – and a couple have been ‘re-formed’ into instrumentals.

Hopefully we offer you and yours an alternative festive musical backdrop – if only for around 30 minutes!

And of course, it’s free – or for just 50p you could even gift it…

I totally get the whole “uncool” thing. I mean… I write a blog about Christmas music. It isn’t the first thing I tell folks when I meet them for the first time. You have to wait at least 15 minutes before dropping that bomb!

The whole record is quite nice – very much reminiscent of the wonderful Boy Least Likely to Christmas record. As you see in their description, not all these songs are explicitly Christmas but when viewed within the context of a holiday record, they totally work. There are some great lyrics here too. I certainly had a chuckle with this line from “Nothings Just for Christmas:” “Don’t want to hear the dang dong ding. / Don’t need a message from the King. / Not really into worshipping / except for Frank and Bing.” Another wonderful line I just adore is the first bit of “The Present,” which was originally released on their excellent 2023 full-length, A Gathering of Sorts: “the present is an excellent way / for someone to say /for someone to show / how little they know about you.” Ha! So clever… again, has me feeling some really great Boy Least Likely To vibes… so highly recommended.

Bottom Line: This record might be a bit cobbled together, but I enjoy a well-made cobbler. This would be a nice opportunity to throw them a buck or two to help them celebrate the holidays too, especially if you are a member of the indiepop Christmas music-loving community.

November 10, 2023November 13, 2023

Elliot Maginot “Marie-Noël” (2023)

Montréal’s Elliot Maginot was one of my favorite finds of 2022, despite the fact he had been recording wonderful Christmas songs since those halcyon, pre-COVID days of 2019. Sometimes it takes a little bit for me to find these folks… but I’ve found Elliot, and now he is stuck with me. 2023 brings Elliot’s first French-language Christmas release, the beautiful “Marie-Noël,” originally released by Bobby Charlebois. I’m sure it is no surprise that I don’t speak French, as I am an American, and we traditionally expect the world to speak English with us. But boy do I wish I did – I’d be going to the Tour de France in a heartbeat. (Fun fact, that is my sport of choice.) Wow, it is really taking me a long time to get to talking about this song. Lots of detours and pointless banter. Did you know it is raining today?

I ran “Marie-Noël” through Google translate, and I do think that some of the beauty & flow is lost in translation. The things that don’t need translation are pretty damn wonderful. Those woodwinds – so warm and inviting. Elliot’s delivery – so present and emotional. Elliot Maginot has an incredible ability to perform these ornate pop Christmas songs that feel so clean and polished… and somehow breathes real life into them. In other hands, these songs might feel too clean, perhaps surgically sweet. Thankfully, this is not the case, and Elliot’s added yet another beauty to his Christmas catalog.

Bottom Line: I’m here for the woodwinds. Change my mind.

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November 9, 2023November 9, 2023

Middle Kids “Driving Home for Christmas” (2023)

When Sydney’s Middle Kids dropped Lost Friends back in 2018, that was one of my top-5 records of the year. The goodwill generated within me based on that record alone… well… it is pretty substantial. Thus, when I saw they had dropped a Christmas single, I was pretty excited. Would I like it to be an original song? Yes. However, as this song is less ubiquitous in the States, this version may be the first time you hear “Driving Home for Christmas.” If so, then you’re in for a treat. Middle Kids add nice touches to the song, such as the textures that (if I’m not mistaken) the slide guitar adds throughout. It is a lovely production, from the vocal to the warm bass lines, and perhaps most especially… the shortened run time. I aaaaallllways appreciate a brief Christmas song that doesn’t drag, and they chop off more than a minute from Chris Rea’s original. Middle Kids have surely scored a solid cover, now let’s see what they can do with their own material!

Bottom Line: An extremely solid cover of a UK-Christmas classic. Might be an Australian classic too… because you know… colonialism. Did you know that the Chris Rea song came out the same year as Australia gained full independence? 1986!

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November 8, 2023November 8, 2023

Lunar Vacation – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) EP (2023-ish)

I don’t make my Christmas mixes with Christmas parties in mind. When I picture folks listening, they are walking around with headphones on, or perhaps driving in the car. Those driving, I also imagine them explaining to their children that “It is ok to have swear words in songs if you understand that they are indeed swear words, and that you don’t use them at school.” This is not meant for a work Christmas party, despite the fact that I’m known to hand these things out at work… it’s complicated. All that said… Lunar Vacation may have found that sweet spot where they make interesting versions of familiar songs, ones that you won’t have to explain to your kids about but are cool enough that they don’t bore you. Their new EP (destined to be a feature on Stereogum in 3… 2… 1…), is actually their old EP, A Living Room Christmas, with one new track – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” so if you picked up last year’s, just grab the one track and you’re all caught up. I did not cover last year’s release, so let’s dive in and see what is here.

This EP is stacked with four covers done in their “pool rock” vibe, each with that laid-back groove that works so well at your holiday eggnog fiesta. There are the obvious covers, the title track which we all know, as well as Vince Guaraldi’s “Skating” and the Wham! classic “Last Christmas” (ever heard of it?), which Lunar Vacation first released back in those dark times of 2020. There is one track that is a bit less obvious, the Norah Jones cover of “Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones),” which I appreciated more than the others if only for the fact that it is less familiar to my ears. They add these wonderful synth and chorus guitar flourishes to many of these tracks, as well as the warm bass lines that particularly stand out in “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” but can be felt throughout. Quite a nice collection, which could easily be expanded to be a very good indie Christmas LP sometime in the near future… just sayin’.

I don’t want you all to think I’m dismissing this EP because I said it is great background music, as that still means that I think it is indeed cool enough to listen to and genuinely enjoy – which I often cannot say about a collection of covers. So… invite some folks over, relax and enjoy.

Bottom Line: Chill by the pool, in the kitchen by the punch bowl, or near the office conference table and impress your friends with some nice, slightly askew classics.