Tag: Bandcamp

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The Rosebuds – Christmas Tree Island (2012)

Christmas Tree Island cover

Self-Released
Buy: Bandcamp | iTunes

Few modern bands have had as much success writing enjoyable Christmas tunes as the Rosebuds have. I have hunted down their Christmas offerings on more than one Raleigh-area compilation, and am extremely happy to have a bunch more songs to sink my ears into.

My expectations were high, and they were roundly met. The two tracks I was familiar with, “I Hear (Click, Click, Click)” and “Oh It’s Christmas” are standouts (of course), but so are a good number of the new (at least, to me) cuts. The moody, saxophone-heavy “Xmas in New York” is truly exceptional. The sorrowful “Thru That Door,” also has some fantastic saxophone parts, that if not done so well, would be cheesy. “Melt Our Way Out” may be my new favorite – great music, and wonderful lyrics.

There are only a few tracks that I’m not too into, as I tend to enjoy the Rosebuds the most when the tempo is quicker. Another word of caution – the lyrical content of the record is largely melancholy. So… perhaps not party music – but its probably better than your party music anyway.

Bottom Line: A wonderful effort. I hope this (sort of) compilation does not signal an end to them writing Christmas songs. 4.5/5

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Happy New Year 2008 (2007)

Happy New Year 2008! cover

Elefant Records
Buy: Bandcamp | CD | 7″ | iTunes
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I don’t have much time, so I grabbed a short one for this review. Happy New Year 2008 is out-of-print, and unavailable via Elefant, but still out there for purchase. Nothing really dates it to 2008, so no worries about that.

Anyone familiar with the Elefant label will not be surprised by this indie pop groove. The School kicks it off with “Kiss You in the Snow,” which is a perfectly passable song. Light, happy, and generally a good time. Coming in at 2:18, it is the perfect time – any longer and the saccharine sweetness might wear a bit… but they hit it well.

The second track by Helen Love is probably the one that you’ll come to with the highest expectations, if only for the title, “Joey Ramone Snowman.” Unfortunately, this is the worst song on the album. It sounds like a child is slightly autotuned… and the spoken-word-singing by a child is not only annoying, but ANNOYING. Sorry to be so brutal… but really. It’s just not enjoyable.

Corazón contributes a song in Spanish, which is quite appropriate for a Spanish label. My Little Airport rounds out the disc with a song in Japanese, leaving only the twee-loving Swedes missing from this international celebration of the indie pop new year. With both tracks, the music is quite pleasant, but they don’t catch me as others have in the past. I don’t need to know what people are singing – if the music is engaging enough, that is all you really need. Not quite there.

Bottom Line: Cheap, but nothing truly amazing. The School track keeps this afloat. 2.6/5

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Christmastime, Approximately (2010)

Christmastime, Approximately cover

Where Its At Is Where You Are
Buy: CD | Bandcamp

Christmastime, Approximately is one of the stronger indiepop Christmas compilations of the past few years. This was originally released in 2010 as a free download (500 downloads), and now available as a ₤5 Bandcamp download or as a ₤3.50 CD! I picked up the CD, as I am a sucker for a physical copy.

While every compilation (with very few exceptions) suffers from filler, there are certainly some standouts here worth appreciating. The Social Interaction Foundation (aka Help Stamp Out Lonliness) leads off the CD with a danceable, folktronic version of Low’s classic, “Just Like Christmas,” which is different enough from the original to be interesting. Other standounts are Eux Autres‘s “Teenage Christmas,” The Hillfields‘ folky “Spirit of the Season,” and especially Hexicon‘s “See That Day.”

Bottom Line: The songs are good enough to justify the price. 3.9/5

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