Tag: 2013

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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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Eastern Conference Champions “Saving Christmas” (2013)

RockHampton Records
Buy: 7Digital MP3 | Amazon MP3 | Amazon.uk MP3 | Amazon.de MP3 | Amazon.fr MP3

After a whole night of searching, sometimes you need to just take a layup, rather than try to dunk it. Yeah, I know the fans want that new song from 2020, but you’re just going to have to settle for this ridiculously fantastic song from 2013. Philadelphia’s Eastern Conference Champions may not be with us anymore, but their legacy lives on with a host of fantastic Christmas songs and I may have to throw those up on the blog as well. You can’t ask for much more than “Saving Christmas” when searching for an indie rock Christmas song – this song kicks in, and you are off and running. I can’t believe it snuck by me for so long…

Bottom Line: Eastern Conference Champions were one of the indie rock xmas greats, and this may be their seasonal Mona Lisa. You may even recognize that this song led off my own 2019 Christmas mix, as I do NOT discriminate against older Christmas songs. It it is fucking fantastic, it is in there.

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Sapin “Christmas Eve” (2013)

Sapin - Christmas Eve

Retard Records
Buy: Bandcamp

Don’t you hate it when you find a band, get all excited, then find out that band has JUST broken up. Well… consider this fantastic garage rock anthem Sapin‘s final Christmas gift to us all. This four-piece garage country-rock band from the Rennes, France countryside demands that you move around in your seat. The youthful exuberance seeps out of every pore with this song – from the lyrics of anticipation and angst – to the driving music and carefree, raspy vocals. This song is just damn, damn fun. Prendre plaisir! (Google translate, don’t fail me now!)

Bottom Line: You are sitting on your couch, wearing your headphones, and your family begins to see you slightly convulse, legs wiggling, head bobbing, eyes wide. This sounds about right.

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Gypsy Charms “It‘s Mother Fuckin‘ Christmas” (2013)

nollaig

Brown Bear Records
Buy: Free!

Brown Bear Records released three largely DIY/punk/experimental Christmas comps between 2013-2015, and as with any DIY Christmas release, the quality can have pretty dramatic swings from song to song. That said, there is a LOT to go through when you look at all 3 releases, 66 songs in total, and I thought I’d put a big ‘ol spotlight on the best of the best, this deliciously-titled track by  Chicago’s Gypsy Charms, “It’s Mother Fuckin’ Christmas.” A punk rock track, delivered with attitude and ramshackle, profane glee, this song is brilliant and less than a minute. Yes, I see the 1:40 next to the track title… but believe me, this thing really begins at 0:50. They kick some ass, then get out of the way, which is a sure fire way to win a fight.

Bottom Line: This is expertly crafted punk rock Christmas.

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Four Eyes – 3XMAS EP (2013)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp (NYOP)

Athens’ Four Eyes already has my heart. I mean, come on. Her song from last year was phenomenal, and her songs from 2013… well, they are too. It all comes down to her voice. Four Eyes (Erin Lovett)’s voice is just beautiful. I think she could sing me a phone book and I’d happily sit there eating my Thai leftovers. These tracks from 2013 are stripped down, vocals and acoustic guitar, and they are perfect that way. The first track “Believe (In What Sounds Beautiful)” has her wondering if it is Christmas or family that has her feeling so wonderful… I mean COME ON. That is some damn poignant beautiful stuff. The second song, “I Don’t Remember (Christmas Eve)” has Four Eyes’ apologizing for a drunk Christmas Eve… which, is rather adorable. That, and I love a good Christmas drinking song, and rarely do those contain apologies. The last song, “In a Diner,” is a beautiful story of an interaction in a diner: “Her laugh reminds you of someone / who showed you to believe / in what you cannot see.” This song, when listened to after 2 gimlets on a Tuesday night… makes you nostalgic for an experience you never had.

Bottom line: Simple, short, beautiful songs. What else is there to say?

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Husbands – Xmas (2013)

husbands - xmas

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp (NYOP)

How in the world did Husbands‘ Xmas sneak by me for nearly 3 full years? That’s what will happen when you don’t have “Christmas” in the tags on Bandcamp. (Man, Bandcamp needs to up their search game.) Thanks to the tweets of Jonathan Fowler over at Fowler VW (yes, THAT Fowler VW), this oversight has been remedied, and Husbands’ stellar Christmas record, Xmas, is now mine. This record is so much fun, it is truly ridiculous. I’m going to call out a few of my favorite tracks, one of which might be a bit of a surprise to loyal readers…

Xmas begins with “Little Bummer Boy,” which is, for all intents and purposes, “Little Drummer Boy.” But wait… it is FUCKING GREAT. Yes, a version of “Little Drummer Boy” that is great. I truly enjoy, nay, love this song. Their chillwave styling brings in so many beautiful colors, its groove becomes viral.

“Hey Yew” is the kind of track, that had Animal Collective wrote it, would have been on every indie Christmas mix on 8tracks from now until the end of time. The harmonies and the rhythm are so uplifting and fun, I dare you to not turn it up and groove in your seat.

“Holly Jolly Donut” throws the traditional “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” into a pot of simmering beats and synths that makes my head sway back and forth in absolute pleasure. Throw in some Beach Boys harmonies and this song is ready to eat.

“Holly Jolly Donut” segues perfectly into the “Jingle Back Margaret,” whose upbeat, shimmering melody is perpetually battling it out with “Hey Yew” for my favorite song on the album.

Yeah, my review is pretty front-heavy, as I have a particular attachment to these first few songs. But don’t let that discourage you from the latter half, where you’ll discover the layered sonic landscape of “Slayer Ride,” and the absolutely beautiful meditation of “Midnight.” Simply put, this record is an absolute pleasure. Over the holiday season, I played it for a few different folks, and have yet to find a consensus on a favorite song; Everyone finds a different track that they are drawn to. Which one will be your favorite??? Maybe let me know in the comments!

Bottom Line: Xmas is populated with enough stellar songs to justify every single reader of this blog to buy the whole damn thing. Of note, “Hey Yew” leads off my 2016 mix, and thus, mints this album with stone-cold classic status. This record needs to be spoken about in the same breath as the Parenthetical Girls, Sufjan Stevens, and Low when the seasonal indie rock Christmas blog posts make their way back onto the pages of Stereogum, Pitchfork and the like.

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Kristin Kontrol “Last Christmas” (2013/2016)

Kristin Kontrol - Last Christmas

Self Released
Buy: Stream on Soundcloud | Download

I first came across this synth-heavy (not that the original wasn’t) version of “Last Christmas” via Kurt Feldman, the producer of this track and the driving force behind the equally synth-heavy Ice Choir. Of course, I grabbed it and filed it away. Jump-cut to this past week, as I began to get back in the swing of things, and I came across the Minneapolis-based blog WeHeartMusic (who also did the great graphic above), and their feature about this song (including a download!). Kristin Kontrol (AKA Dee Dee from the Dum Dum Girls) recorded this classic Wham! song back in 2013 as a sort of a b-side to the spectacular Dum Dum Girls’ “On Christmas.” At the time they weren’t allowed to release it, but after the death of George Michael, KK said:

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(Here is a twitter moment that I’ve created showing the progression of tweets – including the reference to “On Christmas” being proto-KK”)

Thus, we have this cool, very Kurt Feldman + Kristin Kontrol version of “Last Christmas.”The beats are slightly amped up throughout the song, and it gives a perfect pacing to a song that I sometimes find just a hair slow. My favorite part about this track comes in at around 3:20, when they bring in these subtle little bits of percussion; They sound like synth bongos or something of the sort. Spot on KK & KF.

Bottom Line: Truly a killer version of THE Christmas pop song of the 80s.

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Gotta go to Soundcloud for this. They won’t let me embed it!

 

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Hanemoon “The Smells and Bells of all Christmas Songs” (2013/2015)

Hanemoon Christmas

Self-Released
Buy: Soundcloud (Free!)

I know next-to-nothing about Hanemoon, other than that he claims to be from Tirana, Albania, and that he has some seriously great Christmas songs. Yes, I said songs… there are more… you may find out from me (or others) later. “The Smell of Bells and Christmas Songs” seems to smash together Summerteeth-era Wilco and American Analog Set at their most poppy into a groovy little synthesizer-dusted, melancholy Christmas tune. The song starts out with some lovely imagery, “Staring at the sea was fun / and surfing till the waves were gone. / Now they’re working on a silver sun to replace the gold one.”  But it quickly gets darker as the chorus kicks in, “The smells and bells of all Christmas songs / sound so wrong / and taste like waste / till New Year’s day.” I don’t have much context, but perhaps its about the emotional letdown that can come after Christmas has passed, leaving you staring at Christmas decorations that you need to take down. That’s just my take. I certainly do not have a full understanding of this song… but I very much enjoy the atmosphere it creates.

EDIT: So, at times, I have a hard time hearing words from beneath the music. Of course, I saw Hanemoon’s Christmas playlist on his page, and listened to all the tracks multiple times, but initially didn’t hear the references. Thus, I thought they were not necessarily Christmas songs… but I have heard them now! “Mushrooms” specifically references Santa and reindeer! I’m don’t see the connection to “I’d prefer the mammals,” nor “Save Projects,” but I’ve inquired and am trying to get some lyrics to better review the whole collection as a whole.

Bottom Line: Hanemoon is as mysterious as their Christmas songs, and who doesn’t love a good mystery!

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Skiing – Holly (2013)

Skiiing "Holly"

Self-Released/Späti Palace
Buy: Bandcamp

On day two of my Skiing trip, we visit 2013’s Holly. Upon initial discovery, I nearly flipped out and thought the entire record was Christmas… but alas, I’m only going to point to two… two stellar tracks on this overall fantastic release. Let’s begin with “Skiing,” the eponymous second track on the album. Here, skiing is used as a metaphor for life, blazing paths and picking up (and staying with) friends. While this is not explicitly a Christmas or winter song, the imagery and the nostalgia evoked by looking to the past and relying on your friends certainly brings out the spirit. Similarly, the title track “Holly” is another metaphor song, this time for a false friend. However, the dressing of this song in this Ilex opens the door to a seasonal attachment – to use this particular metaphor (to me) grounds the time period the song takes place in as the holiday season. I know, I know… maybe a bit of a stretch on these two… but I’m flexible. I just like this band too damn much to talk myself out of this post.

If you are interested in picking up any of these Skiing releases, they are often only print runs of 100 or so… so if you are like me and like a physical copy of a disc/cassette, you’ll grab them sooner than later. Of note… Holly appears to be gone, gone, gone.

Bottom Line: Did you enjoy my attempts at Christmas-mix gymnastics? If you did or didn’t, I hope you join me in just enjoying the hell out of this band.

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Skiing – Generous Fire E.P. (2013)

Skiing Generous Fire E.P.

Self-Released
Buy: Free!

Skiing have just popped onto my radar… in an absolutely massive way. This will be the first, of a few, posts about this superb band from Berlin. Frankly, I’ve only held out posting about this band until I could pick up a few releases that I knew would be hard to get after the massive interest generated by this powerful, taste-making blog. Comprised of “Everett Darling and his current, future, and ex-friends, family, and lovers,” Skiing have been releasing superb “post-adult contemporary” indiepop/rock since 2012, and how I do love those descriptors. They exude this wonderful, sophisticated sense of humor, which is one of many reasons why Skiing is such a pleasure. The Generous Fire E.P., released in 2013 as a Christmas present to the fans, is a hot 3-track E.P. with a loose connection to the Christmas holiday. While only one specifically name checks-Christmas, I see all the songs as taking place during the season.  From the aggressive DIY decorating of “Interior Design,” to a clever play on words and the disposability of Christmas presents in “26th December,” and finally the dark side of generosity in “On Me,” Skiing has created a wickedly short and concise piece of consumerism criticism that belongs at any slightly grumpy (me!) Christmas table.

Bottom Line: With each song coming in under 2:00, this fun-sized E.P. will start your anti-holiday season off with a bang! And what do you know… it’s free (obviously!).

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