Years ago, I found the track “Christmas Mourning” while doing research into whether a different band’s “Christmas Mourning” was an original song – and while theirs turned out to be Julian Cope cover, the Bristol-based Weary Band‘s original stayed with me. They have re-recorded it for 2014, with all sales going to the Bristol-based charity Survive. It’s a melancholy song, with lyrics like “We’re older now / Old and blue. / How many wishes of yours came true?.” It’s grounded in a reality that gives it power, and perhaps if you take a listen, you’ll feel the same.
Bottom Line: There is something beautiful here. 4.8/5
I knew I should have posted this days ago when it had 5 plays on Soundcloud – Blast! Kudos to you Christmas A Go Go! Australian punk/garage rock band DZ Deathrays‘ cover of Mud’s “Lonely This Christmas” appears to be one of (perhaps two) the seasonal selections from the Too Pure Records singles club (which after last year’s fantastic release, may raise expectations). They definitely rock the hell out of the song. This will certainly fit the bill for some punk/pop-punk Christmas music fans out there.
Bottom Line: Not quite there for my personal tastes, but remember, I’m a bit twee. 3/5
I wonder if not really having seasons effects how you feel about the holidays? LA’s The Lonely Wild have released a great, bitter Christmas tune to really get you into the holiday spirit. I love a good anti-Christmas song as much as I love a Christmas song. When you add lyrics like “Holidays are coming / to rip your heart open. / Just don’t freak out / Just don’t let me down,” and “Miracles are waiting / to be found in the gutter,” you know you are in for an anti-Christmas treat! Beautiful harmonies and some killer guitar make this song one of the highlights of the (anti) season for me.
Bottom Line: I love me some bitterness at Christmas. You need a healthy mix of sweet and bitter to not rot your ears. Hey, Lonely Wild, put this on Bandcamp, why don’t ya?? Thanks! You did! 4.7/5
PDXMAS is back for its third installment since its debut in 2009. Those old tracks from 2009 & 2010 can also be found on their revitalized Bandcamp page. As I recall, when I originally hunted the PDXMAS comps down, they had a full, standalone website. They then disappeared, then reappeared on Bandcamp with a very incomplete tracklist – but everything appears back now. The third installment benefits a charity, as most of these local comps do, specifically Mercy Corps NW. This fact leads me to want to talk up the compilation a bit more than I likely would. Honestly, I find most Christmas comps so hit-and-miss, that I would equate baseball batting averages as comparable (as in .300+ batting average is stellar). PDXMAS 2014 however, just can’t get above that Mendoza line. There are some notable names on here, Typhoon being perhaps the most recognizable outside the Portland, OR area. Their take on “Silent Night” is just fine, but certainly nothing to write home about. The lone standouts (for me) are Ben Darwish‘s soulful “All I Need,” and Timmy Straw‘s mournful “Hard Times.” There are certainly other songs that were fine, just not many that spoke to me. I am most certainly not the final word on taste, so please judge for yourself. I have been known to be wrong… I remember when I didn’t quite get Father John Misty. Then, one day I did, and my world became better for it. Perhaps a song lives on PDXMAS that I’ll come back to, and truly love.
Bottom Line: There are a few special tunes on here, and its for a good cause. Listen for yourself and support some local Portland communities. 3/5
YES, Los Campesinos! is going to put out a Christmas 12″, which will no doubt become an indie classic. It compiles their three previous WONDERFUL efforts with three more holiday tracks. I can’t imagine they’ll be pressing too many of these, so I would order early and often.
‘A Los Campesinos! Christmas’ || Monday || Limited edition Vinyl/Digital EP pre-order and new single stream pic.twitter.com/yKkOIRtvIz
Los Campesinos! have finally confirmed the release of this new EP – and they will have a new track streaming, as well as a direct-from-band preorder (which they will have some in the US store too) on Monday. This also confirms that this release will also be available digitally, and my fingers are crossed that the digital copies may be available slightly earlier than the vinyl (for my mix!).
EDIT: Both the EU and US preorders are sold out. We have learned that the vinyl will include a CD inside it as well, and if you were one of the lucky 400 to get a copy from the band, it will apparently ship well before the official release date. Hooray!
Side A:
1. When Christmas Comes
2. A Doe To A Deer*
3. The Holly & The Ivy*
Side B:
4. Kindle A Flame In Her Heart*
5. The Trains Don’t Run (It’s Christmas Day)
6. Lonely This Christmas
THEY ARE BACK! Faye and the Scrooges have returned with a new song for 2014, and much earlier than they usually do! (Well, I just found out that it’s technically 2013’s song – they just hadn’t shared it yet!) It’s fun, funny, and well produced. This song greatly shares my sentiment – “What were they thinking when they wrote those Christmas singles / This year, something’s got to change.” I have a ton of work to do today, so I’m simply going to post it and let you do the listening.
Bottom Line: This “band” knows how to put together a fun Christmas song. 4.2/5
Mark Kozelek took his classical guitar into the studio in November/December 2013 and recorded a (largely) classical guitar, classic Christmas record. Classic, you say? Yes, but I mean it more in the terms of the subject matter than the execution. The whole tone doesn’t exude the warmth that most classic Christmas records do – I don’t know if Mark Kozelek could do warm & fuzzy, it’s not in his (performing) character. Don’t get me wrong though, the record is lovely. So, if melancholy classical guitar Christmas loveliness is what you’d like, then this LP is for you. This record will fit the bill if you have left-of-center tastes (as in, you love that Low Christmas record) and have a soft spot for very traditional Christmas tunes.
Mark excels in the early traditional songs on this record, such as “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and “Away in a Manger.” There are moments that you can imagine one of those songs being played over a melancholy scene in a Christmas movie. The more contemporary you get, the more hit-and-miss it can become. “Christmas Time is Here” is a standout track; the classical guitar approach is refreshing on a song that has been covered more often than it should, and the spoken word section adds a bit of humor that is very much appreciated. “O Christmas Tree” is a misstep if only for the song selection. Do you know anybody who really loves that song? It’s Christmas white noise, one of those songs that you hear, don’t hate, but truly… never love. Mark’s stab at the Pretenders’ “2000 Miles,” while pretty straightforward, is also excellent (though its ending feels quite abrupt). It’s simple, and quite lovely. I very much admit my bias here, as I lean toward new Christmas, rather than classic Christmas, when it comes to my Christmas mix. There is nothing on this record that I completely disliked, probably because I enjoy Mark Kozelek’s voice too much. However, it did leave me slightly underwhelmed. I appreciate Mark for taking a stab at the Christmas genre that he has flirted with for years, but the Christmas genre is one I am way too familiar with to find full satisfaction with a release with not one original song on it.
Bottom Line: Having a dinner party or scoring an indie Christmas film, add a full point to this score. Otherwise, a missed opportunity by one of our greatest living songwriters to have penned an original song. 3.7/5
Eager Beaver Records (JP)/A.D.D. Records (US) Buy:Bandcamp
Worthwhile Way is a country punk band hailing from… Japan! This track comes off their split release with Madison Bloodbath, The Moon in the Darkness, which was originally released on CD in Japan in October 2013, but got its first stateside release via A.D.D. Records on 10″ Vinyl in January of 2014. I tried to find some lyrics, to no avail. That said, it does appear that the song is sung fully in English. Despite the lyrical challenges, I am quite confident in saying that the song is most certainly not a cover of the classic “White Christmas,” but a wholly original tune. I like the vibe, even if I can’t make out the lyrics. Check it out for yourself!
Bottom Line: If you need something more upbeat for your mix, these Japanese cowpunks might have the song for you. 3.9/5
Sugar & Tiger‘s “Noël Christmas” has been around since 2011, but the song was not properly released until this year on their debut, Télévisage. An extremely fun tune, sung largely in French with some English in the chorus, these Parisians expertly straddle the pond. They list their influences as the Ramones, the Raveonettes and Phil Spector… so it makes perfect sense that they recorded a rockin’ Christmas song.
Bottom Line: Upbeat with that certain, I don’t know what (hehe) that makes me want to listen to it multiple times. If only it were easier to purchase as a single song! 4.1/5
Its official. I just received word from Robert over at the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club (SCSC), and we’ve got 2 new singles for 2014! Hannah Peel and Nancy Wallace (both from the UK) are this year’s lineup, with the same format as last year – one original and one cover. They will be limited to 500 copies, and are pressed on snow-white vinyl. If you did not take advantage of this stellar club last year, you can still pick up three of the four releases directly from the club. Do some digging, and I’d imagine you’ll find that Smoke Fairies 7″ for sale somewhere too (There’s a signed one on Amazon!).
Nancy Wallace ‘January’
I can’t recommend these releases enough. The Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club is working hard to bring us wonderful NEW Christmas songs from interesting artists. SCSC are not website throwaways, but some of the best Christmas songs of the season. That Miserable Rich tune from last year is one of my favorite Christmas songs of the last decade – no joke.
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record) and have a soft spot for very traditional Christmas tunes.
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Christmas Underground 