I am sitting here in my inlaws’ sunroom, perusing the latest releases… my headphones are upstairs and my son is still right next to me. So, I just listened to the first track of Portland, Oregon’s Straight White Teeth‘s new 2-song single, and here we are. As the second single is called “I Think My Dad is Santa” and my son has yet to categorically declare his disbelief, I’m not going to risk that one here on the couch. What I did risk, and thankfully he did not pick up on, was this delightful, sexually suggestive leadoff track, “Let Me Be Your Rudolph.” There are some wonderful lines, which I too will let you listen to around your extended family. I’m not going to ruin ’em here.
Bottom Line: The cheeky jolt of energy I needed today.
I’m busy sitting here, waiting to eat. I mean, real busy, just sitting here. I don’t know how I am going to get through all this sitting. So, I’m taking a quick moment, because that is all I can spare from this sitting here, to make mention of this new single by Melbourne’s Grace Cummings, “Times Like These.” The song sure sounds sad, yet if Grace is meant to be believed, it is one meant to bring comfort… but boy, this song sounds sad. Grace told Rolling Stone Australia:
Times Like These’ is for somebody that needs some comfort and some love. The holidays boast joy and happiness and celebration and togetherness but it’s one of the most lonely times I can think of. My friendship with Jim James has helped me to see some beautiful things in the world, and to be grateful for what I have.
Grace’s voice sounds pretty damn incredible, and the harmony that My Morning Jacket’s Jim James brings to the song feels like a damn perfect match. As for the comfort this song is meant to bring… it will probably be a bit of a Rorschach test for how you’re really doing at the time you listen to it.
Bottom Line: Is this a dirge or a comfy blanket? We’ll see…
Mark your calendars for December 10. This date commemorates Otis Redding’s passing — an artist who holds a special place in the Christmas canon thanks to his iconic 1968 performance of “Merry Christmas Baby,” as well as his influence on Will Sheff and Okkervil River’s indie classic “Listening to Otis Redding at Home During Christmas Day.” December 10 is also the release date for Nantes, France’s Fairy Tales in Yoghourt’s upcoming Wish You a E.P. Christmas, which I am very, very intrigued to hear.
The first single from the EP has already been released, currently titled “High on Christmas.” I say currently because the song was originally called “Christmas, Inc.” when it appeared with different orchestration back in 2022. I loved the song/E.P. announcement on Facebook, which provided some of that background:
“The track was discreetly released in a different production a few years ago, the real ones know, and had received a buzz that I would call minimal. This time we hired an orchestra, so it’s going to be profitable.”
That orchestra is worth every penny! It gives the song a classic sheen that contrasts beautifully with the alt-pop, even psych-pop tendencies of the band. I can’t wait to hear the rest.
Of note: since beginning this post last night, Fairy Tales in Yoghourt have put the EP up for preorder, along with another preview track — the short and psychedelic “How Does Jesus Christ Do It? (Angels Reply).”
Bottom Line: This is sounding like a winner so far! Now… do I delay finalizing my Christmas mix simply to hear the rest of the E.P….
Would you like some lo-fi indie rock Christmas tunes? Well, have I got a record for you! My buddy Ned hipped me to the impending release of LA-based lo-fi stoner-pop outfit The Memories’ new Christmas record, Of Christmas, and it does not disappoint. From the Velvets-esque “What Do You Want for Christmas” and “Winter’s Joy” to the cheekily sexy “Egg Nog,” I’m finding a lot to like here.
There’s some goofy stuff too, such as the list-of-toys ramble in “Santa Bring Me Some Toys,” performed over some cool, muddy lo-fi beats, as well as some sped-up (and sometimes profane) covers of classics like “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World,” and “Deck the Halls.” This isn’t a record that’s going to make you feel all warm and fuzzy about the upcoming holiday season, but I think Of Christmas might be the record that exudes the most holiday fun — which is quite welcome in this grumpy blogger’s Christmas season.
Bottom Line: A great mix of solid originals and fun takes on classics, all wrapped in some lo-fi silliness. There’s a levity to this record that’s going to make you smile.
Ok. How deep do I go in the bio of Sunturns, a classic indie Christmas band? Do I explain how this Voltron of Christmas combines forces nearly every year to bless us with a new track, a vinyl record, or a live show (which, unless I win the lottery and quit my job, I’ll never attend – Dec 12 this year for folks near Oslo)? Well, if you are new here, click this link and read up.
Now that everyone else is reading the old posts, we can finally talk. Sunturns have a new Live EP, Live at Parkteatret, coming out on December 1! You’ve got four tracks off last year’s Christmas III and one from the classic debut, Christmas. Short, but solid. I always love hearing from Sunturns, and this little live postcard from them is a welcome addition to my holiday. It sounds pretty great, too.
Bottom Line: It’s Sunturns! If you know and love them, add this one to the collection – you won’t regret it. If not – dive in!
There are some assumptions that one can simply assume. One of these assumptions is that I’m going to write about Elliot Maginot when he releases his yearly Christmas song. There is no mistaking a Maginot Christmas tune – it’s going to be lush, it’s going to be emotional, it’s going to feel both extremely present but of another time. Elliot’s 2025 release, “Holy,” is yet another wonderful addition to this top-tier Christmas talent. Elliot absolutely loves Christmas, as he notes in his introduction on Facebook: “This might not be THE Holy night, but HOLY, my new Christmas ditty is out at midnight. I keep writing these Christmas songs year after year, cause this shit really matters to me. Christmas doesn’t solve anything and it doesn’t miraculously make us better humans but it seems to be the only time of the year when are collectively giving a shot at kindness and togetherness so let’s take this shit seriously yah? Love you guys merry christmas”
That mix of hopefulness and reality Elliot expresses above, well, that is the essence of the song. This is best displayed as the song enters its last verse:
And I know you did not come here for a lesson But sometimes I wonder if you’re even here at all But come on don’t you know tis the season The most wonderful season of all
I’m not waiting on no miracle The bells will ring/the snow will fall But It’s gotten talking about it If you want a life you gotta live it now
I don’t believe no angels would ever come this way But I don’t have an answer Especially not today No sacred book gonna sway me I may be lost but I’m not crazy Now I’m not quite sure what else to do Well very merry christmas to you
Really great stuff, once again. Oddly, this is the first time I’ve ever listened to Elliot and felt a connection to Conor Oberst. Though “Holy’s” orchestration feels quite outside of Conor Oberst’s wheelhouse, there is a quality to their voices, an emotion that comes through, that I can’t believe I haven’t heard before…
Bottom Line: Another fantastic, unmistakably Elliot Maginot Christmas song.
I’m apparently back in 2022, when I was in my “somehow writing exclusively about French-language Christmas songs” phase. To be stereotypically American, I don’t speak other languages, and French just sounds so damn nice to the ear. I suppose that’s why the one language I do have some experience with—German—doesn’t often appear here on Christmas Underground… it just doesn’t have the same musical quality. I know, I know… how obvious. Well, buckle up while I do my best to share a song and not embarrass myself once again.
I’ll check out pretty much anything on Secret City Records. When something new drops, I explore. Thus, I’ve found myself over the past year picking up all of Klô Pelgag’s (aka Chloé Pelletier-Gagnon’s) records, and I’m only about one away from having them allllll. Again, I largely have no clue what the heck she’s singing… but I absolutely love the music. And to make it even better—she has Christmas songs.
Looking at Klô Pelgag’s holiday catalogue, they all share one quality: a more spare, classic production, rather than the upbeat alt-pop found on many of her records. So while the vibe is more straightforward, the result is no less spectacular.
Klô Pelgag began her holiday releases with 2019’s “Toute seule pour Noël,” which I believe to be the only original she’s released so far (unless she has another hidden on a proper record). Should you wish to translate it, you’ll find it’s quite a sad song—as the title “All Alone for Christmas” suggests. Her voice begins accompanied only by piano, but then the cello slips in and the emotion builds. It’s beautiful if you can get over the sadness, and sad Christmas songs are largely what I peddle here at CU.
She added to her holiday catalogue again with a cover of “Le sentier de neige,” or “The Snowy Path,” once again using a sparse piano arrangement. Originally released in 1964 by Les Classels, this Christmas waltz is about a couple in love who shared a kiss on a snowy path in the woods. Getting mushy in the mush!
Her most recent holiday track is a beautiful cover of “Marie-Noël,” first released by Robert Charlebois in 1967. You may recognize this song from Elliot Maginot’s 2023′ cover, which I obviously also recommend. Judging by the sheer number of covers, it seems to be a true Québécois Christmas classic. Klô Pelgag continues her sparse, piano-driven approach here, once again singing with an emotion that transcends language barriers.
Bottom Line: I think we all can agree that Klô Pelgag should release an entire solo piano Christmas record… right?
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.
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!
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…
It turns out my friends Exnovios — whose absolutely stellar new track “Ya Es Navidad” I reviewed yesterday — do indeed have another Christmas song in their back catalogue. In fact, you have to go back ten years, to 2015 and their first release, Demo.
The “sister song” to their new one, “Ya casi es Navidad,” follows a very different musical path. With its fuzzy tones, thumping drums, and spacey vocals — while the new track rocks you in your head, this one rocks you in your chest. The lyrics are once again something to embrace, carrying all the mystical hopefulness that only a perfect psych-rock Christmas song can provide.
Here’s a translation for us English-speaking folks:
If you want to fly, you can think of something enchanting — it’s almost Christmas.
AND FLY…
If you want to fly, you can think of something enchanting — crystal toys.
AND FLY OVER THE SEA AND REACH ALMOST, ALMOST, THE END.
(EDIT: It turns out that the lyrics are built with phrases from the following scene in Peter Pan! Amazing!)
I think the Exnovios crew has carved out a wholly unique place in the alternative Christmas canon. They’ve found this beautiful backdoor into Christmas that I didn’t know existed — one of pure hope and beauty, while still sounding like one of the coolest bands on the planet.
Bottom Line: I could have been listening to this song for ten years! As could you have. Well, our lives begin anew today, and all your dreams will come true. This is a pretty great song 🙂
Christmas Underground 