DIY – Christmas Underground

December 5, 2023

Vom Vorton “One Turkey Sandwich” (2023)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp (NYOP)

In response to the excellent song posted over on Christmas A Gogo today (Pen Pin’s “Office Party”), I have decided to hip you all to another excellent office party-themed Christmas song! What can I say, I want to join the party and the peer pressure is intense… The A-side to Vom Vorton’s new Christmas single (also the titular track) is the excellent “One Turkey Sandwich,” which follows the narrator’s bad decision-making at an office Christmas party. He begins by being quite sensible, as he has just started working there. Well, the night goes on and the drinking increases, and some poor decisions are made… though it doesn’t get too unbelievable to not be relatable. Simply a clever, very well executed song that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Bottom Line: Well that was a rather quick and sensible review. It’s early, and I don’t want to make a scene. Great song! Mixworthy!

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September 15, 2023

Bag of Cans “Sorry Mum that I Was Hungover This Christmas” (2023)

Just so we are clear, everyone knows that the best Christmas songs come out in March. Right?

Norwich-based Bag of Cans blend of humor and Wave Pictures-esque laid-back instrumentation scratch a rather significant itch that is always so damn itchy. I believe there is a cream for this, but then I wouldn’t be enjoying this song so damn much. Christmas A Gogo has been jamming on it for a bit as well, deeming the song good enough to emerge for a mid-summer post (a rare feat for my seasonally-inclined friend). You really have to sample this track yourself… as it is certainly a contender for mixes this year…

Bottom Line: If a Christmas song makes me RIYL Wave Pictures, be rest assured you are on the right side of history. God Save Bag of Cans!

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February 3, 2021February 3, 2021

The Pats Pats “Christmas” (2020)

Self Released?
Buy: Bandcamp

When I crash, I crash hard. Christmas 2020 was like a brick wall. After an exhausting 2020, the deluge of songs and records that hit in those last 2-3 days before Christmas was overwhelming. I have so many tabs open that they haunt my dreams. I didn’t know when I was going to feel motivated enough to dip my toes back in, but I’ve been driving my wife’s car the past few days (which has a CD player) and popped in my latest Christmas mix… I really love those songs. So now I need to find good Christmas and Christmas-adjacent tunes once more…

I don’t speak Japanese, but I do speak fun (…sometimes). The Pats Pats are a “girl band from Tokyo” (I don’t believe you need to qualify what the sex of a band is, but they specifically do), and their particular brand of upbeat DIY-pop is an absolute pleasure. I have so little more to say about this perfect little pop nugget, which may be why this song is exactly what I needed to get back to this gig. Zero pressure, all fun.

Bottom Line: Japanese-DIY-pop perfection for anxiety-riddled, demanding jerks like me.

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October 31, 2019October 31, 2019

The Turtlenecks – The Turtlenecks Do Christmas (2018)

Sea Speak Recordings
Buy: Bandcamp (NYOP)

TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BAND! I mean come on! Searching, and searching, and searching. The label is nearly as mysterious as the band, but they at least have a Bandcamp! This little Christmas EP by the elusive The Turtlenecks is a damn pleasant trio of lo-fi indiepop holiday tunes. Catch me on the right day, and one of these simple, synthesizer-driven tunes might just sneak their way onto a mix of mine. From the chill repetition of “With Care,” to the pulsing “Snowblind,” or the boozy fun of “Christmas Bender,” pop on The Turtlenecks Do Christmas, chill out, and let these tunes soothe your DIY-jones.

Bottom Line: Three solid tracks by some band from somewhere, released on a label that might be from Louisville. Occam’s razor would suggest that it must, therefore, have been recorded by me, in my sleep, with no musical training. Enjoy!

I should have contacted them before writing this piece – but I’ll update it if they write me back 🙂

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November 19, 2013October 9, 2024

The Wave Pictures “I Love You Like a Madman” (2008)

Moshi Moshi / Little Teddy
Buy: Discogs (CD/LP) | Bandcamp

Every so often, I strike gold and pull out a double, as in I love the Christmas song and also find that I love the band. The Wave Pictures are indeed one of those true finds, that hooks me in the Xmas and reels me in for the rest of their catalog. Their 2008 release, Instant Coffee Baby, contains “I Love You Like a Madman,” one of the most interesting and enjoyable Christmas songs I have ever experienced. Their style is as if Jonathan Richman had listened to a good bit of Dexys Midnight Runners while reading Raymond Carver stories (I am stretching here… I can’t find the perfect combo). The chorus begins with “The air in here is dead / But we’re not finished yet / Throw the back door open / Let me see your breath.” It’s this kind of simple, visceral visual that I find in Evan Dando at his best and David Berman at his most poignant, and is indeed, a large part of why I love music.

Bottom Line: Like a weird short story that you can’t help but see yourself in. 5/5