Category: Vinyl

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moi Caprice – Advent (2020)

Glorious Records
Buy: Qobuz (FLAC/MP3) | Apple Music | Discogs (CD/Vinyl)

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.

LISTEN

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Tim Baker – Full Rainbow of Light (2024/2025)

a window surrounded by snow.

End Times Music
Buy: Bandcamp | Vinyl

You may be familiar with the excellent Canadian indie rock band Hey Rosetta!, which unfortunately disbanded in 2017. Readers of this site may be most familiar with their holiday EP, A Cup of Kindness Yet. Though… I would have thought I would have written about that record at some point, but I haven’t. So, I suppose this might be new to you as well. Check it out below if you haven’t heard it before, it is quite good.

(If you haven’t noticed, my posts are more like a conversation than a good piece of writing, and I hope you don’t mind.)

I didn’t come here to talk about the Hey Rosetta EP, I actually popped onto the site to talk about the lead singer Tim Baker’s latest LP, Full Rainbow of Light, which was initially released in 2024. The record is filled with beautiful Christmas, New Year’s, and wintery-themed songs. Yes, this is one of those special records we all hope for, one containing nearly all originals. In his initial release, there are only two covers, one traditional and the other, the contemporary classic “I’ll be Home for Christmas.” Tim expanded the record for 2025 with Full Rainbow of Light Deluxe Edition, which features 3 additional songs, including a cover of Jackson Browne’s wonderful “The Rebel Jesus.” This whole record is pretty damn beautiful, and I’m sure a bunch of you will love it.

Bottom Line: Someone in our little Christmas community with a bit more energy and eloquence really needs to take a stab at a review. I know Stubby found it last year on the forum, but that’s the only mention I’ve caught yet…

LISTEN

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Arthur Satàn – I Don’t Give a S**t About Christmas (2025)

Paradise Records
Buy: Bandcamp (MP3/Vinyl)

Bordeaux’s Arthur Satàn, (The Meatards, J.C. Satàn) has just released a stunning 60’s psych/pop Christmas single, the 2-track I Don’t Give a S**t About Christmas. There’s the spacey psych of the A-side, “Nebula,” which I am honestly having a tough time parsing the lyrics of – I’m picking up “skies ablaze,” “on the brink of madness,” so I’m thinking this is a Christmas + apocalypse song (or maybe just an apocalypse song). However, I don’t have a problem connecting with that fantastic, psychedelic orchestration.

The flip is more obviously Christmas-inspired. “Christmas Might Be Over Soon” begins with a musicbox piano line, but expands into glorious psych-folk as the mantra “I begin to lose control” floats in. The lyrics are less drenched in the grandiose orchestration of “Nebula,” so I was able to get a better grasp on this track. “Too many gifts, for you and me / The others torn (?) in jealousy / No time to waste, we must consume / Christmas might be over soon.” Another dark one it appears…

I loved the description on their Bandcamp, which I happily Google translated for you:

Fresh from their “Journey That Never Was,” Arthur Satàn’s warriors are back on the offensive, but this time it’s a Christmas one!

“I Don’t Give a S**t about Christmas,” the new rallying cry from the Bordeaux-based multi-instrumentalist, features two tracks also tinged with 60s pop influences, making up this collector’s 7″ single, another brick in Arthur Satàn’s sonic and graphic edifice.

These two unreleased songs comprise a limited-edition collector’s 7″ single, whose cover art extends the visual universe of Arthur Satàn, who is also a graphic designer and visual artist: a “Ship of Fools,” populated by warriors piled high in a pyramid, brandishing swords and shields as they aim for the gift descended from heaven.

In the delicate realm of representing the “magic of Christmas,” there’s no doubt: Satàn packs a punch!

The artwork on this baby is something else for sure, which Arthur is also responsible for. And for those who like to hold records in their hands, and maybe even play them… there is a 7″ available. Unfortunately, it carries all the costs of buying records from overseas, so it would be about $35 shipped for that 7″, which I’m just not quite up for after all this Christmas shopping. Blast!

Bottom Line: Some dark Christmas psychedelia!

LISTEN

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Ronnie Martin “The Sound of Snowflakes” (2025)

Velvet Blue Music
Buy: Bandcamp

Ronnie Martin has been releasing electropop Christmas music since 2021, all of it featuring truly excellent graphic design. I appreciate that greatly! I’ve been sampling his latest offering, Evergreen Melodie, and find myself compelled to take note of this fantastic song, “The Sound of Snowflakes,” and these New Order/Depeche Mode vibes it is giving me. This pulsating feeling of Christmas nostalgia is truly overwhelming. Turn it up and dance like an idiot.

Bottom Line: Wonderful electropopness!

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UPCOMING: Polish Club – Christmas Stinks! (2025)

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

Sydney, Australia’s Polish Club put out one of the best — and hardest to get — Christmas 7-inch singles I’ve ever had the pleasure of writing about when they dropped the excellent Xmas Single back in 2017. That thing is amazing! I still don’t have one… Hell, they’ve even got a New Year’s release worth checking out — “Countdown” (which I should really write about) — which was so fantastic that it closed out my 2020 Christmas mix, Christmas Storytelling.

So… when they teased the cover art on their Facebook page the other day, I pretty much freaked out. I found the site, saw the vinyl, tried to buy one, got rejected by geolocation — and here I stand. Not quite sure what to do. But they did respond to my comments… in due time, I’m assured.

Christmas Stinks! is being debuted on Facebook, with a new cover posted each day for 20 days (they’re on day two as of this post), leading up to two shows on December 20 and 21. There was even a write-up in Rolling Stone Australia yesterday — not sure why they didn’t debut it here! This site is massive!

I did love one quote from Novak that really sums up what they’re doing:

“I used to be somewhat of an edge-lord holiday hater, but I’ve grown to really appreciate how the holiday period affords us a sleep-in, a big belly, and some genuine quality time with people you perhaps should spend more time with,” Novak admits. “I’ve also learned that if you’re sick of Christmas carols and holiday tunes, the best way to get over that is to record your own rock’n’roll versions and embrace the Christmas chaos.”

I’m game, folks. I’ll be listening — hoping that one of these covers makes it onto my next mix — and that I can figure out a way for myself (and everyone else outside of Australia) to exchange money for goods and services.

Bottom Line: I’m listening…

LISTEN

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UPCOMING: Slow Xmas 5 (2025)

Bone Sound Inc Worldwide/Blank Check Podcast/Mutant
Buy: Vinyl | Bandcamp

Coming soon to a Bandcamp feed near you… Slow Xmas 5. The lead single by Death Valley Girls, “Season of Dreaming,” has dropped and is making the rounds on the bigger (normal) blogs, such as Stereogum and Under the Radar. But what do you know… it is getting pressed on vinyl this year, 500 copies on ice blue wax. So, if very slow Christmas music is your jam, here you go!

From the website:

Available on vinyl for the first time as a Mutant exclusive featuring holiday standards and originals from Meridian Brothers, Shannon Lay, Zach Cooper of Grammy award winning King Garbage, Eric Slick of Dr. Dog, and Dave Hartley of The War on Drugs (Nightlands) among others.

Pressed on 140gm and iced out in a translucent ice blue variant (Limited to 500 copies). Offered in 45 RPM so you have the option to play regular slow or EXTRA SLOW at 33 1/3 RPM!!

And for the analog hogs, the majority of the album artwork is practical with an original sculpture by Matthew Rosenquist and studio photography by Robin Takami.

Bottom Line: Got me – only heard one track so far! Frankly, I’m usually grasping for songs to speed up my mix…

LISTEN

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Alela Diane & The Hackles – It’s Always Christmas Somewhere (2023)

Rusted Blue Records
Buy: Bandcamp | CD/Vinyl

I know I write about a lot of grubby little songs. I love grubby little songs. I love weirdo Christmas—it nearly became the title of this entire site. However, every so often you come across a Christmas record that’s just good. I’m talking about the kind of record you might put on while opening presents with Grandma and Grandpa.

Alela Diane & The Hackles’ It’s Always Christmas Somewhere is exactly that kind of record. The album is filled with expected classics (“Christmas Time Is Here,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” etc.), some lesser-known covers (“One Little Christmas Tree,” “Pretty Snowflakes”), and a solid original (“The Santa’s Gospel”).

However, I’m here specifically to talk about her cover of Joni Mitchell’s classic “River.” If there’s a standout on an already lovely record, this is most certainly it. The gorgeous woodwind lines, the contemplative guitar, the delicate harmonium—each contributes small melodic variations that sneak up and make you smile. Perhaps my favorite cover of this song ever—it might be yours too.

Bottom Line: What a lovely Christmas record. Recommended for the alternativo folks, as well as for those who just love classic, non-cheesy Christmas records.

LISTEN

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Birdcloud “Cool Christmas” (2011/2024)

Self Released / yk records
Buy: Bandcamp

I have a whole bunch of solid excuses as to why I’m not posting enough. Everybody loves complaining! Andddddddd…. Nah.

I’ve had this song by NSFW Nashville duo Birdcloud for a long while now, but it popped back into my field of view with their release of a “Honeybacked Ham Hologram” 7-inch record coming out Dec. 20. The song is all energy and attitude. It is abrasive. It is silly. The chorus is oddly sweet. This is the kind of song that won’t be a broad crowd-pleaser but might be some weirdo’s favorite track. I’m quite curious what the b-side – their version of “Silent Night” (which is not available for preview) will sound like…

Bottom Line: This thing is both a grower and a shower.

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Pleasure Systems “Merry Christmas” (2024)

Primordial Void
Buy: Bandcamp

Of all places… The Fader (not known for breaking new Christmas music) tipped me off to this excellent new Christmas tune by Pleasure Systems (aka Clarke Sondermann). Well, certainly glad I caught it, as “Merry Christmas” is one of the strongest bedroom pop tracks of the year to date. Laid back, with lyrical and sonic twists that keep you engaged throughout, Clarke’s relaxed speak-singing style (as well as the lyrical approach) gave me some real Soltero vibes (who also have Christmas songs… that I might have to write about as well). (Edit: How did I not hear a Postal Service comparison before! Totally!) The song is warm, with fluttering accents popping in and out of the arrangement. There is a lot here in less than three minutes. Leave them wanting more, and I do.

Reading a bit about the motivation behind the song, I felt this rang true for many of the Christmas-ish songs I tend to feature on Christmas Underground. Clarke states “Merry Christmas” is, “A meditation on holidays as marking points in time… not quite Christmas music, instead utilizing familiar winter imagery as a backdrop for self-reflection on cyclical relationships and past versions of oneself.”

Christmas really does have a power, and whether you are a believer or not, the nostalgia, the sentimentality, or simply the flagpole it plants at the end of every year is something that many of us grapple with, whether we are aware of it or not. There is a heightening to everything… fertile ground for good art if you can find your way inside the artifice. I think Pleasure Systems found themselves a key.

A quick final note. For those who like holiday vinyl, there’s a 7-inch that is limited to 100 copies. Feel free to send me one if you are feeling generous!

Bottom Line: My son really started grooving on it last night, and was happy to have me play it over and over… so that is a rather large vote for this being mixworthy. He is really going to have a weird concept of classic Christmas music when he’s my age 🙂

LISTEN

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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.