Like my fellow friend-in-Christmas Stubby, I too believe that the Swedish country-punk band, The Linedance Fever, have recorded one of the most wonderful and original versions of the oft-covered Wham! classic, “Last Christmas.” I have included a few covers of this song on my mixes in the past, each one quite distinct from the other… and this version joins the Erlend Oye version as the best that you can find. (They also have another Christmas tune, 365 Days of Christmas, and I may review that at some point… and I do hope they make some more.)
Bottom Line: A gem. If you have any taste, you’ll think so too. 🙂 5/5
Marsh-Marigold (EP) / Siesta (Compilation) Buy:Discogs (CD/LP) | Amazon UK
Associated with the wonderful Acid House Kings (in that they share one member), Red Sleeping Beautywere active from 1992-1997 are recently back in the swing of things with a new track (a cover) on the bonus disc of Alpaca Sports’ debut release. For those, like me, who have followed that Swedish indie-pop rabbit hole down a good ways, this is good news.
Red Sleeping Beauty, like the Acid House Kings, dabbled in a seasonal tune on their first release. Amazingly enough, both songs were titled “Christmas,” and were released in the same year (1992) on the same record label (Marsh-Marigold). However, one song is significantly better than the other – and my (unfortunate) distaste for the AHK song left me with quite low expectations for the RSB tune. I was, however, quite pleasantly surprised. Red Sleeping Beauty recorded a perfectly fine indie-pop Christmas tune, very much in the style of the genre, but with a nice bed of fuzz to build the male/female vocal interplay upon. Originally released on their 1992 debut EP, Pop Sounds, it is much easier located on 2000’s Siesta singles compilation appropriately titled, Singles.
Bottom Line: Solid indie-pop from Sweden gets my vote. As I live with this tune some more, it might get a few more points… we’ll see. 3.9/5
Memoryhouse released their second Christmas tune this past season, a cover of the Andrews Sisters’ minor classic, “Christmas Island.” As to be expected, it is quite pretty. The synths and drum machine give it an atmosphere that I haven’t heard on this song before – so it certainly checks off that “make it your own” requirement of a good cover. Not quite sure how I feel about the guitar solos, but I’ve never been a guitar solo guy to begin with. The track also benefits the New Moon Rabbit Rescue, so with every seasonal dollar you send, they help care for some adorable rabbits.
Bottom Line: Memoryhouse highlight a less-often-covered tune, and do it well. They might not have knocked my socks off (yet), but I’ll give it some more time to sink in. Generally well chosen, executed, and intentioned. 3.9/5
!!! can’t put out music that doesn’t make you smile. They always seem to have groove spilling out of their clothes, and their first Christmas effort is no different. While it may have taken a listen or two for me to really get into, they eventually got me to the place where I love this song. With lyrics like, “It was nothing but a crush, / I was long resigned. / Thats all it was, / just something that stayed on my mind. / But I’ve been round the world / seen all kinds of girls but I’ve seen nothing better / than you in that sweater.” It may not seem like much… but the way they say sweater is just fantastic. That funky guitar really tops it off, and my foot can’t stop tapping, and my butt can’t stop moving in my office chair. Brother’s gotta work.
Bottom Line: This is a steal as a digital download (WAV! FLAC!)… and while a bit more pricey as a 7″, it is limited to a jaw-dropping 100 copies. Yes, you read that right. 100. 4.8/5
Cherrytree/Interscope Records Buy:Amazon (Try to find it elsewhere – eBay is often cheaper)
A side project of both singer-songwriter Marcus Srunegard and Adam Olenius (of the Shout Out Louds), Serenades (now known as “We Are Serenades“) put out a fantastic little EP, Come Home, to indie record stores in late 2011. A friend at our local college radio station proceeded to hip me to the fact that the title track is actually a Christmas song! And what a Christmas song! Melancholy Swedish Christmas songs are pretty much my favorite thing, and add a big chorus and I’m pretty much putty in your hands.
Bottom Line: These swedish songsmiths have created a song worthy of all-year-round listening – not bad for a Christmas tune. And hey, you can get this CD for CHEAP. 5/5
One of Benoît Pioulard‘s labels, Ghostly International, offered up three free tracks for Christmas way back in 2005, one of which was the wonderful track “Rays in the Tallow,” by Michigan’s Benoît Pioulard. If you are unfamiliar with his work (its a stage name, do your research if you are so inclined), then there is a lot out there for you to get into. This particular track is well within his style: beautiful, melodic, haunting and effecting. So take particular pleasure in glory that is this, the long-lost Benoît Pioulard Christmas track, “Rays in the Tallow.”
Well thank you so much Bob and the Christmas Chaos Radio Show! I have been buying Wild Nothing records ever since his first Summer Holiday 7″ , and boy am I happy to find this pop into my life. Wild Nothing takes this fantastic Captain Sensible song and really makes it their own. Their Empty Estate-era synth-heavy production definitely works for this tune. Certainly one that I would love to get ahold of someday… how about it Wild Nothing?? Add a download link of a WAV file? Yes… I ask for the moon.
Bottom Line: Wild Nothing needs to cover more Christmas tunes. 5/5
“Lights on the Tree” is an excellent little tune by Raleigh, NC’s Eston. Brought to my attention by Stu from the Love Language (who lent his production skills, synth and backing vocals to the track), its warm production is a pleasant change from the largely emotional Christmas songs I’ve been writing about (and loving) lately. The lyrics are quite good too. My favorite part comes in the last verse:
Now you’re hardly gonna know so the day comes and goes mostly goes
feel it from your bed when your wrapped up in red,
Now your toes unfroze so that’s how I told you it goes
round and round the tree there for you and for me.
I love a song with a good ending.
Bottom Line: Great original tune, a free download, and it never hurts to have one of indie rock’s most accomplished Christmas songsmith’s fingers in mix. 4.4/5
Joe Pernice (Pernice Brothers/Scud Mountain Boys), Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) and Mike Belitsky (The Sadies) have created an alt.country/power pop supergroup called The New Mendicants, and are looking to release their first full-length LP on January 28. This would be news in itself, but the fact that they also released a limited, white vinyl 7″ entitled A Very Sorry Christmas Eve is the reason why I write this post! Joe has a history of some Christmas-related songs in the past (see SMB’s “A Ride” and another that I can’t put my finger on), but nothing so explicitly so. Thank goodness it finally happened! “A Very Sorry Christmas” is a fantastic song, the perfect bummer for the humbug in your family (which would be me!). But as with any Joe Pernice project, its a bummer that sounds beautiful while sucking out your soul. As for the B-side, “A Very Sorry New Years,” is the exact same song, just adjusted for New Years Eve. Oddly hilarious to have done so.
Bottom Line: If shipping from Canada wasn’t SO EXPENSIVE, I would rate this higher. I honestly don’t know when I’ll be able to afford it. Why I am telling you about it before I have the chance to own it… I have no idea. Perhaps the world will have some cosmic justice and I’ll get a copy. 4/5
Adam Arcuragi has a number Christmas tunes… and every damn one is excellent. He has been on 2 of my mixes, and this one narrowly missed making it onto this year’s (strictly a flow thing). It will remain the in the hopper for 2014…
This version of the oft-covered “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home),” has just what I look for in a cover – originality in interpretation. He re-imagines it with much darker production, slowing it down and finishing with a beautifully emotional last chorus. Hey, its short too. I always gotta love a short one, especially when its slowed down.
Bottom Line: I will likely write about Adam’s other tunes, but if you are so inclined, hunt down “The Belgian” and “Christmas Song.” This man needs to put out a Christmas record. 4.7/5
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