Tag: 2015

Posted on

UPCOMING: Indie for the Holidays, An Amazon Original Playlist (2015)

Indie for the Holidays cover

Amazon
Buy: Stream

Amazon has announced a follow-up to their (IMHO) “meh” 2014 playlist, All is Bright. Their playlist was expansive, 43 songs, and with such a wide scope, there was no way that they were going to make this indie grinch happy. Too many expected covers from too many a coffee-shop friendly artist. This year, however, Amazon has tweaked their formula, and decided to curate a more adventurous playlist. The first song, Sondre Lerche & Jherek Bischoff‘s “Surviving Christmas” is presently streaming exclusively over at Stereogum. Its lovely throwback production is unsurprising, as I feel Sondre has been moving toward crooner for a years now (certainly not a bad thing – he’s great!). The lyrics are most certainly poignant, while sometimes remaining playful – Frank Sinatra would be proud. I am, however, very curious what electropop wildcard YACHT‘s track will be like, or serially grumpy Guided by Voices frontman Bob Pollard‘s What Begins New Year’s Day.” Rogue Wave have tried their hand at Christmas tracks before, as has (to a lesser extent) Langhorne Slim. There are also some newcomers (to me), such as Irish singer/songwriter SOAK, Seattle folk-pop band Ivan and Alyosha, and Swedish gothic pop singer Anna von Hausswolff that all have interesting biographies that make me want to hear more. I am most definitely intrigued, and hope that something great will come out of this for my 2015 mix. The entire playlist will be released on November 20th, so until then… just gotta wait.

LISTEN

EDIT: I’ve added all available (free) streaming songs to a playlist.

Posted on

UPCOMING: Phoenix – Alone on Christmas Day 7″ (2015)

Phoenix - All Alone on Christmas Day

Glassnote Records
Buy 7″: Amazon | Amazon.UK | Amazon.DE | Amazon.FR | Bull Moose

Stubby! I heard that Phoenix was the push behind the new Mike Love (god I hate Mike Love) Christmas tune… why the heck didn’t I do a cursory search to see if they were going to release anything??!!  The realization of a Phoenix Christmas 7″ has pretty much made my day. I can’t wait for the Bill Murray Christmas special that it will, no doubt, feature in. Why? Cuz Sofia Coppola directed it!

Well, I’m excited, are you? I’m even excited, despite the fact that I believe its a Mike Love cover!

UPDATE: So… nearly all the listings have disappeared. Where did you go, Phoenix 7″? It’s back! Links above!

Posted on

Computer Perfection “When the Key Turns” (2011/2015)

Love, Detroit Vol. 02

Self Released
Buy: Stream

What can I say? I am super-connected. I have been talking to the folks over at Computer Perfection for about a week, and we are totally the best of friends. How can I make such a wild claim? Well, they’ve invited me to Christmas dinner (they don’t know this yet) and they sent over a new mix of their wonderful 2011 Christmas track, “When the Key Turns.” Originally released on Love, Detroit Volume 2 (still available for free download!), this new mix is absolutely beautiful; it shimmers out of the headphones. Computer Perfection fancies this song to be their most beautiful work to date, and I would not argue them on that fact.

Bottom Line: Absolutely beautiful indie pop from masters of the craft. 5/5

LISTEN

Posted on

UPCOMING: Sunturns – Christmas I & II (2015)

Sunturns - Christmas I & II

Fika Recordings
Buy LP: Bandcamp | Norman Records | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Jigsaw Records (US)
Buy Digital: Bandcamp | Amazon UK MP3 | Amazon DE MP3

The Swedish indie-supergroup Sunturns put out a fantastic Christmas record a few years ago, simply titled Christmas and released on CD (and digital) to the delight of the masses (of underground Christmas fans). Comprised of members of Making Marks, Moddi (had previously made a mix of mine), The Little Hands Of Asphalt (ditto), Psyence Fiction, Monzano and Einar Stray Orchestra, these are some Norwegian pop heavyweights. The album was packed with great songs, including my personal favorite, “Looks Like Styrofoam.” Now… would this be considered a cover if it was recorded earlier by Little Hands of Asphalt, if the person singing it was indeed… also Sjur Lyseid, aka Little Hands of Asphalt? Chicken? Egg? I’ve gone crosseyed.

Enough! Let’s talk about this NEW record! Christmas II is upon us! Being released by Fika Recordings, those Christmas-loving folks in the UK. They normally spend their time releasing records by CU favorites the Wave Pictures & their associates (god I love the Wave Pictures), but somehow they found some time in their day to release this lovely Norwegian pop Christmas record!  10 new songs and a Ramones cover!

Now, I know you are asking, “I have all this money hanging around in my pocket and I want to throw it at something… what should I do?” Here’s the scoop. There are 300 copies of this baby on red and white vinyl, presently available from Fika Recordings (Bandcamp), Norman Records, Amazon UK, Amazon DE and in the US… Jigsaw Records (Coming Dec. 4!). It not only includes this new record, Christmas II, but also the classic Christmas! For folks that are financially-challenged, such as myself, you may want to opt for the cheaper, download-only version. You can find these at all the links above, but I strongly encourage the Bandcamp option, as the artist gets paid more and you get a FLAC.

You know what… I haven’t even talked about the songs yet! Sunturns has released 2 tracks ahead of the proper album release on December 4. I honestly have already spent enough energy talking about the record, that I haven’t much more left for these fabulous songs. “Would You” reminds me of the best parts of The Stars… the layered vocals, the rising music, the drama. Beautiful. “The Axis Tilt” is a wonderful piece of songwriting, and that voice has to be Sjur Lyseid, right? He’s got a way with a turn of phrase, and boy can he work in some basic physics into a song!

Bottom Line: Buy it early and often. But perhaps not for $43 from Fika shipped to the US… shop around. If you’re looking for a value, Norman Records is your best bet at the moment. 🙂 5/5

LISTEN

Posted on

Chris Farren (feat Evan Weiss and Into It. Over It.) “Cold Front” (2015)

Chris Farren "Cold Front"

Soft Speak Records
Buy: Limited Vinyl | Bandcamp | Limited Vinyl Repress

Chris Farren released the absolutely wonderful Like a Gift from God or Whatever digitally last year, and its unique songwriting and fantastic production made it a quick favorite in the CU household. This year, Chris and Soft Speak Records decided to wrap a bow on the record and give it to us again. But… what a bow! A limited vinyl release! 100 on gold vinyl, 270 on red vinyl, and 30 handmade editions (only to be sold at The Fest in Gainesville, Florida this upcoming weekend). However, the story does not end there. There is a wonderful vinyl-only bonus track, “Cold Front,” featuring Pet Symmetry‘s Evan Weiss and Into It. Over It. Melancholy seeps out the of every crack in this Christmastime memory. For new readers… Christmas melancholy is something that I’m most certainly a sucker for. The song builds slowly, setting the stage – “The dead of winter, / the streets covered with salt. / I’m in the front yard, / wondering where you are. / The lights shine brighter / when you’re around. / The snow stops mid-fall / and avoids the ground. / The congregation ends the prayer. / Somebody told me it was not my fault / Somebody was wrong.” The music lifts and we go back to a time that was filled with love. The emotional roller coaster that is Christmas, wonderfully reflected in a song.

Oh, and all proceeds benefit NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. So buy a record, support a good cause, and get this awesome bonus track.

I have been so, so, so busy lately. I really wanted to write about this earlier, when there were more versions of the vinyl available, but alas… there is only red left. But take heart! At least there is SOMETHING left.

EDIT: Just announced today (November 6, 2017) – Randomly-colored vinyl repress of 500 copies!

Bottom Line: Chris Farren can write a bonus track for me any day… just make it available for those who can’t grab one of the 400 copies and I’ll give back that .1.  4.9/5 5/5 (I keep my promises – available for download now!)

LISTEN

Posted on

Violent Femmes “Happy New Year Next Year” (2015)

Violent Femmes - Happy New Year

Self-Released
Buy: Band (LP) | 7Digital FLAC/MP3 | Amazon UK MP3

Proto-indie rock legends the Violent Femmes returned in April of 2015 with a new EP, tantalizingly titled Happy New Year. Originally a Record Store Day release, the LP (and download) is now available everywhere! Simply said, the song is about how the year has been ruined by January 1, so next year will be the happy one. It has a classic Violent Femmes sound, and comes in at under 2 minutes. Certainly something to consider when crafting your 2015 mix.

Bottom Line: While I liked it, I did not LOVE it. However, it could certainly find a place on your mix, if the mood was right. 3.9/4

LISTEN

Posted on

Dog Legs – Holiday E.P. (2015)

Dog Legs - Holiday EP

Soft Power
Buy: Cassette | iTunes | Amazon.uk

Lo-fi indie fuzz pop. That’s my stab at explaining London/Brighton’s Dog Legs. They have an edge and a sense of humor that immediately grabbed me. April saw their latest release, Holiday E.P., and mixed into the shotgun silliness that is Dog Legs, were two songs that could be considered Christmas/holiday tunes. “Holiday” leads off the release, and this song, more-so than any other on the release, has a much more traditional lyrical structure. You know… verses, choruses, those things. Some of their songs, such as “Ice Cream Cone” are pretty much one sentence of fun. Its got a great sound – certainly a contender for my mix. The second prospect is the much sillier “Xmas Cookie.” Great music, fun, certainly silly – it all depends on what your mix needs. Too much heavy stuff? Lots of yearning for lost love and childhood? “Xmas Cookie” might snap you out of it.

Bottom Line: I really dig this whole release. I wish I could find a place where “Xmas Cookie” was also available, because it appears that iTunes/Google Play/Amazon.uk only have a 2-song single version with “Holiday.” Sorry that the cassette is gone too – with only 100 copies, it was not going to last long. Perhaps if a groundswell of interest amasses from my extremely influential underground Christmas music blog, they will repress. So, all four of you dedicated readers, contact Soft Power Records and beg. I will update the post if any additional options develop. 4.6/5

LISTEN

Posted on

Coal: A Winter Split (2015)

Coal: A Winter Split

Breadking Records
Buy: Bandcamp

Milwaukee’s Breadking Records first release is a 4-track, winter (and Christmas) themed E.P…. released this February! The lead-off track, “On A Quiet Winter Night” by Hello Death is a beautiful weaving of three voices, a cello, guitar and brandy. J.E. Sunde‘s “Rest in the Everlasting Arm” blends layered vocals, sparse notes and waves of electronic instrumentation; truly a break from the norm while remaining in the folk genre. Boom Forest‘s take on “The Holly & the Ivy,” is yet another excellent stab at a recent cover du jour. It’s quite atmospheric, as the instruments ring and seem to hang in the air. Christopher Porterfield bats cleanup on the E.P. with my favorite track on the release. Porterfield may be better-known as frontman of the Milwaukee-based folk band Field Report, but with this solo track, he leaves the genre behind to rock out a bit more. “Christmas Ghost” is a stone-cold lock for my 2015 mix. The driving beat, the shimmering keys, the booze… sign me up.

Look for this release to be released on cassette later on in the year, but for now, you can buy each single track on Bandcamp.

Bottom Line: Solid all the way through… this truly lives up to the label’s intent. 4.8/5 

“When I was growing up, every other Christmas or so, my mom would forget about a really awesome present and randomly find it some months later. It would always be one of the sickest gift and have a lot of thought and love. Please accept this release as a very late present on behalf of all of us at Breadking.”

LISTEN

Posted on

Pupppy “Puking (Merry Christmas)” (2015)

Pupppy Christmas

Father/Daughter Records
Buy: Cassette | Bandcamp

I love a grimy Christmas as much as the next guy, and Pupppy’s “Puking (Merry Christmas)” is as grimy as it gets. The smell of New York permeates this song – as Pupppy’s brand of “twister folk jangle pop” spins a tale of a drunken train ride home on Christmas eve.

“Twisting thought and bending time, / your soul weeps inside your mind / as you puke up all of that red wine / in the morning time. / But there you stand on both legs / feel the snow your head.”

It begins with an alt.country twang, then moves towards the dirtier qualities (no synths, no beats, no shimmery guitars) of indie rock as it progresses. The song would certainly help keep your Christmas mix from being too family friendly, and I consider that a good thing.

Bottom Line: I love a slightly fucked up Christmas song, and Pupppy fucks some shit up quite well. 4.5/5

LISTEN

 

Posted on

Faye and the Scrooges “X M A S” (2014/2015)

Faye and the Scrooges

Self Released
Buy: Stream

Well, I got tweeted at earlier this month – which is always a treat for a niche music blogger.

I immediately began listening to the new Faye & the Scrooges Christmas track, much to the dismay of my wife. I mean really… who could live in my house and be sick of Christmas music. Well… perhaps the dog isn’t sick of it… I haven’t asked him yet.

“X M A S” has a bit of a “Terrible Presents” groove (their wonderful song from a few years back), but the subject matter makes perfect sense for this festive band. Each year, this group of friends gets together and records a Christmas tune to share on Christmas eve at the pub. It makes wonderful sense that they might document these holiday shenanigans in song. Too many jager-bombs the night before (no doubt while passing around their new song) leads into a food and drink-filled Christmas day. This is the kind of Christmas day that I also look forward to, but mine doesn’t usually have a good beat.

Bottom Line: F+TS remain one of the best Christmas pop bands out there. 4.3/5

LISTEN