Tag: 4+

Posted on

Bleu Reine presente La Compil’ de No​ë​l #4 (2024)

Bleu Reine
Buy: Bandcamp

Sometimes I get concerned that this site just ends up writing about the same folks over and over again. I suppose there are two ways to look at this – 1. I am lazy and 2. These folks know their shit and do it well. Bleu Reine are #2, and definitely know their shit as they have compiled yet another superb Christmas compilation. (I hereby grant permission for folks to clean up my language if they wish to use a quote as a “blurb.”) The fourth edition is yet again a mix of French bands covering both holiday and non-holiday songs… but you know which category I am most interested in. So… let’s dive into these absolutely killer Christmas songs.

The first, and perhaps the most surprising highlight of a truly stellar record is Summer Camp Girlfriend covering the Pogues “Fairytale of New York.” Who needs another cover of this song… apparently me! This dream pop treatment may just have enough sustain on the guitar pedals to fit on my imaginary shoegaze Christmas mix. Their musical choices feel fresh and exciting… and they don’t use the F word! This thing sounds like no other version I have heard to date – give them a follow wherever you hang (hopefully not Twitter – F* ELON).

Skip down to the middle of the record, and you find yourself with an excellent cover of “You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch,” by Norma. There isn’t much to the simple orchestration, but Norma does a LOT with a little. She doesn’t throw a bunch of musical color to fill up the space but chooses to add a color or two along the way to the strolling guitar lines that propel the song. Norma does four verses of the original six – and hey – I do appreciate a radio edit! Quicker the better when it comes to Christmas songs… this one was a pleasant surprise.

The fuzzy wall of sound that is Rennes, France’s Eeyora’s “Snowman (The Sleepwalk)” may or may not be a cover – I truly have no idea. However, what I encountered will terrify many folks on first listen… a sonic approach that would have been like seeing space aliens to the early rock n’ roll pioneers. But dammit if it hasn’t grown on me. The seesaw between abrasion and sweetness works wonderfully. I’m way out of my comfort zone, but I’m here for it.

Finally, let’s take a look at the Bleu Reine and their inspired cover of the Love, Actually classic, “Christmas is All Around.” The song is meant to be silly in the movie, and yes, the song is silly in reality. However, Bleu Reine has managed to make it feel damn sexy dressed up in some electro/dream-pop clothes. This thing is fucking cool! How did they do that?!

Hey! I missed some of the Christmas songs! THAT is because they were in French! Sometimes I have the balls to talk about songs in another language, and sometimes I don’t. Today is a don’t! Why do I use exclamation marks with reckless abandon when I review THIS specific compilation? I DON’T KNOW!!!!

Bottom Line: Some stone-cold mixworthy songs on this comp – and it raises money for La Croix Rouge Française / French Red Cross!

LISTEN

Posted on

Daði Freyr – How Daði Stole Christmas (2024)

Samlist
Buy: 7Digital (FLAC/MP3) | Amazon MP3 | Amazon.uk MP3

I miss a lot of releases. The world is large, I am small, and my capacity is limited. However, at the very least, I would think I would see releases from artists I follow… but the algorithm lords do not deem it so! I believe I follow Icelandic alternative pop superstar (in my book for sure!) Daði Freyr on every possible platform, yet somehow I did not see his new Christmas EP, How Daði Stole Christmas until Alex Rawls (of the great Twelve Songs of Christmas podcast) told me about it! The EP compiles most of his previous Christmas singles (it is missing the Icelandic language version of “Every Moment is Christmas with You“) and adds four new Christmas covers, all of which are made better by Daði’s wonderful voice. Of particular interest to my Christmas blogging friends is a cover of Wham!’s “Last Christmas.” This version rounds out what may be a banner year for “Last Christmas” covers, as Daði’s comes alive during the second verse (“A crowded room / friends with tired eyes…”), his voice bouncing through the verse in a mesmerizing dance that only Daði can do.

My second favorite (new) song off the EP may be the Icelandic language “Komdu Um Jólin,” which is listed as a Raf and Umberto Tozzi/Gunnar Ólason cover. I loved the electropop production Daði throws on the track. It makes you want to dance! Click that link above and check out the original… the song is wholly transformed, more than any other track on the record.

I initially didn’t find (or look for) the EP collection on Spotify/Tidal/Soundcloud/etc, only watching the fantastic performance videos that Daði had put up on Youtube and believing they were just that… simply videos he was sharing for fun at Christmas. The slow, trickling release of the videos had me on the edge of my seat, as I embraced each new video and waited for the perfect time to write about this neverending series of holiday covers. Well, every good thing has to end, and my dream of an infinite source of Daði Freyr Christmas songs has blown away… but damn there are some winners here. Enjoy.

Bottom Line: Daði Freyr is such a unique voice… I could listen to him sing the phone book… which he’d probably put a sick beat under!

LISTEN

Posted on

Slow Salvation “The Ghost of Last Christmas” (2024)

Velvet Blue Music
Buy: Bandcamp

I sure hope someone is out there compiling an incredible dream pop/shoegaze Christmas record… because here is another! New Jersey’s Slow Salvation are bringing their effects pedals to Christmas with the wonderful “The Ghost of Last Christmas.” This genre is often mainly a vibe, with the walls of buzzing guitars and airy vocals creating an atmosphere for the lyrics to live in, though Slow Salvation has even brought some lovely, simple lyrics to the table: The gifts I bring / Are filled with memories / That we sing / Take Me Home.” Just a gorgeous song.

Bottom Line: Shoegaze Christmas is gonna be a thing, and this song is a highlight.

LISTEN

Posted on

Kestrels “Last Christmas” (2024)

Darla
Buy: Darla (MP3/FLAC) | Bandcamp

I am thoroughly sick of most popular Christmas songs. Somehow… “Last Christmas” is not in that category. It is likely my love of George Michael that keeps me from going full Grinch. However, most versions bore me to death – the same old same old. Thankfully, Halifax’s Kestrels have found a fuzzy, droning bassline that has given me permission to enjoy this song once again.

Bottom Line: Kestrels deliver a quick and easy thumbs up from a grumbly Christmas blogger.

LISTEN

EDIT: Looks like this isn’t the first run with “Last Christmas!” Here is Kestrels member Chad Peck from 8 years ago 🙂

Posted on

Elliot Maginot “Waiting on Christmas” (2024)

Audiogram
Buy: Bandcamp

I hope you all aren’t afraid of some grand, sincere, emotion in your Christmas songs. Montreal’s Elliot Maginot has returned with his annual tune (often featured on CU!), and it raises the drama of what has already been a pretty grandiose Christmas catalog. “Waiting on Christmas” begins with Elliot nearly in a whisper, and as the emotion grows, so do the strings. The centerpiece of the song is the lovely spoken word in the refrain provided by Michael Taylor Hick, whose lines are initially echoed by Elliot in the background, “I will lay down my head / I will forgive my body / shedding my pain as I go / I will show only love to they neighbor / I’ll let in everyone that I know / I’ve been waiting on Christmas / just to let it snow down on me.”

I feel that. Somehow I’ve got this little part of me that thinks this Christmas will fill us with the strength we need to get through the uncertain year we have awaiting us. This song captures that, with the hope that everyone accesses that well of shared humanity.

Bottom Line: Elliot Maginot is a truly unique voice. Listen with an open mind.

LISTEN

Posted on

Pinemoon “Christmas Together” (2022)

Pinhead Music
Buy: 7Digital (MP3/FLAC) | Apple Music | Amazon MP3

The swell of new releases is beginning… and here I find myself writing about a song from two years ago. I stumbled upon Copenhagen’s Pinemoon, and they just hit me right. 2022’s “Christmas Together” is a swooning, shoegazing trip that reset my mood last night. Searching for Christmas music is digging in the digital mines and more often than not, feeling hopeless and frustrated. Merry Christmas! So when you stumble upon something like “Christmas Together,” it calms your nerves and lets you fall asleep, ready to dig another day.

Bottom Line: This is a shoegaze Christmas classic.

LISTEN

There is a piano version too!

Posted on

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

Posted on

Cheetah Cheetah Bison “A Little More Christmas” & “December” (2020)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp | Amazon MP3 | 7Digital MP3 | Apple Music

A random song in my email. A casual click on a link. VIRUS! EXPLOSION! Wait… that didn’t happen – just wanted to add to the drama. My head bobs, my feet tap… I love this song. Who the fuck is this guy/band/mystery? Well, it only took me a year to properly follow up and figure this shit out. Cheetah Cheetah Bison happens to be Andrew Kerr, who can also be found in the NYC post-punk band Grassfight, as well as his country project Rabbit Montgomery. Grassfight released a couple EPs in the 2010’s and their full-length LP, Vampires, in 2023 (though it was recorded 10 years prior). As for the Cheetah Cheetah Bison moniker, this is pandemic Andrew. In a fantastic, stream-of-consciousness response to my random questions, Andrew explains, “Early into the pandemic in 2020, I realized I was going to have some real time off at home, so I dusted everything off and decided I was going to get into the world of solo stuff and see what happened. I’m very blessed to be able to play most of the key instruments, so I said hey why not.” Why not indeed. “A Little More Christmas” is an affirmation, singing out from the depths of the pandemic. Along with the season synths of “December,” Andrew was feeling the spirit in 2020: “It just felt right releasing some sort of positive project, given everyone’s mood about the possible end of the world.” I feel it, man. I wish I had heard these then… those were dark times.

For some reason “A Litte More Christmas,” gives me My Morning Jacket vibes – hell, they should cover this! Make Andrew some money! I like to imagine these big bands (or more likely, their managers or interns) mining this blog for Christmas album material. Hell, I’m happy to take on a consulting fee! Ha!

Bottom Line: You never know where you’ll find wonderful Christmas songs. The world is a wonderful place. Look… I’m even feeling optimistic now. Crazy shit.

LISTEN

Posted on

You, Me & The Curries – Once Upon a Christmas (2024)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

Kristian Noel Pederson is so full of Christmas spirit, he just might burst. Year after year, he releases his jolly spirit in the form of Christmas records, and some years are jollier than most. This year we’re getting two records from Kristian and friends. The first one is a front-to-back reimagining of the classic Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers’ 1984 Christmas record, Once Upon a Christmas. This is Kristian’s wife’s favorite record… so it appears Kristian is putting all of us to shame in the gift-giving department. Teaming up with Rob Currie, Andrew Currie, and Michael McDonald (not that one!), the collaborative project gets a “You, Me & The Curries” billing, with Kristian’s upcoming record continuing his solo series. The guests on this are quite excellent as well, most notably Bet Smith in the pivotal Dolly role!

Christmas a GoGo! did a great job giving more context to the production of the record, quoting Kristian, “I’ve always been a bit turned off by the 80s production, and wanted to reimagine the album as a fast paced, country album. Admittedly, it gets a little wild at times, but all in all, I’m so happy with how it turned out.” They have created an absolutely charming, heartfelt cover record that I’m sure you’ll find a few favorites on. Of particular note, this is the first time (if I am not mistaken) that Kristian is releasing a record on a physical format – the beloved cassette tape! Only 15 available online (2 gone already – ordered one for me and one for @noloveforned), so go now if you want one!

FYI: This is not the first time Kristian has covered an entire record. Check out his cover of Hanson’s Snowed Inn from back in 2019 if you are curious!

Bottom Line: The first of two records from camp Kristian is yet another triumph in a string of steller indie Christmas records.

LISTEN

Posted on

Herr Wade – We Still Remember Funky Christmas (2024)

Platiruma!!!
Buy: Bandcamp

Gotta look for stable things to grab onto these days. I already see myself leaning harder into Christmas traditions, both as a source of familiar comfort and frankly, to have some sense of control in a world of uncertainty. Just ordered a new fake Christmas tree… yes, we are a fake tree family. This one is supposed to feel real… I bet I could find something there to write about. Feeling real…

Some bands have begun to establish themselves within my Christmas traditions – bands I look to every year with anticipation of something new and wonderful. Herr Wade and the whole crew at Platiruma!!! are most certainly in that exclusive club. This year’s offering is Herr Wade’s excellent 4-song EP, We Still Remember Funky Christmas. Herr Wade is a collaboration between Jørn Åleskjær (The Loch Ness Mouse, Monobird, Sapphire & Steel) and Sebastian Voss (Nah…, The Fisherman and his Soul, Cinema Engines), and this duo have now dropped mixworthy tracks for three years in a row. The standout of this EP is (IMHO) the German disco track “Schulbus auf dem Eis” (Schoolbus on the Ice). I speak a liiittttllle German, but I’m certainly not quick, so I was most appreciative when Sebastian gave me a bit more context for the song: “The story is about the slippery situation on the street after snow was heavily falling, the last day before x-mas season and being at least able to hold hands with your crush who‘s sitting next to you….”

Well, isn’t that just great? Christmas! Young love! Danger! An earworm of a chorus and a Nile Rodgers groove that satisfies German and non-German speakers alike!

Stone-cold mixworthy.

Bottom Line: In a world spinning out of control, Herr Wade are here for you and will make you move dein Hintern.

LISTEN

Here is a Google translation of the paragraph at the beginning of the video:
With my most heartfelt thanks to my bus driver at the time, Herbert, in whose accordion bus I boarded twice a day between 1985 and 1994 as a “Reckenfeld bus child”, and who knew how to stoically maneuver the white Büssing vehicle with his equally white clogs through wind and weather. To this day, he has made many friends on his travels throughout Europe and Asia, but also on the scheduled services between Greven and Reckenfeld, and has covered thousands and thousands of “completely accident-free kilometers”. I take my hat off to this committed man, who has been so versatile right up to the ripe old age of almost 87, i.e. right up to the present day, and who has hardly changed in appearance in the past 30 years.