Norwegian electropop band Flunk has just dropped Xmas EP, a very chill new five-song release that gathers four beautiful, sparse covers (all of which have appeared in some form before) alongside one reworking of a previous song, “Sanctuary,” reimagined as a stripped-down Christmas version.
I’ll touch briefly on the covers, if only to point out that while Flunk is commonly known as an electronic band, three of the four tracks are accompanied only by solo acoustic guitar, with the remaining track featuring a lone electric guitar. The guitars exist mainly to frame the true centerpiece of these songs: vocalist Anja Øyen Vister’s beautiful—and yes, I have to say it—Björk-esque vocals.
“Sanctuary,” in its original form, is a lovely, chilled electropop track. Here, it’s pulled apart and rebuilt with gentle bells and subtle textures, the drums removed entirely, creating something far more ethereal than the original. I can easily imagine this track closing out someone’s holiday mix.
Bottom Line: Some gorgeous stuff here – surprised I hadn’t sniffed it out before!
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.
I am going to have to take a break from writing about Exnovios (those rascals apparently have ANOTHER Christmas song). This post is really for my friends over at Under the Radar (subscribe!), who I know are in love with LA’s Magdalena Bay. I happened to sniff out this cover of “Last Christmas” that they dropped on their Facebook page back in 2016, the year that the band first got together! It has been scientifically proven that nobody needs another cover of “Last Christmas,” thus, when you put this on your mix, you may get an initial sideeye from your snobby friends. But when Magdalena Bay works Daft Punk and Julian Casablancas’ “Instant Crush” seamlessly into the song, your friend’s face will scrunch up, and they’ll ask, “Who is singing this?” Followed by a, “Fuck, that was fun.” Enjoy!
Bottom Line: A fun nugget from the past with a band of the future!
I may have tipped my hand in the last post… something about cocaine (Edit: The more I think about it… it must be heroin, not cocaine being referenced in the song I’m about to talk about) and New Zealand if you recall. This blog is, of course, a serial that requires you to read every other post to get the context of what is going on. So get to work, new readers… you’ve got a few years to catch up on before we really get going in December.
A member of the Christchurch, New Zealand electropop band Mount Pleasant, J. “Christmas” Phillips dropped this solo record last November, Spring into J. “Christmas” Phillips, which continues a massive back catalogue of Christmas-related releases under both the Mount Pleasant moniker, as well as via the duo of J. “Christmas” Phillips and Tobias “Santa” Brockie. There is a LOT to sample here… I’m counting over 10 obviously-Christmas releases. How the heck did these guys fly under my radar for so long??
Readers of this blog will know that I’m going to pick out a few tracks to talk about, rather than the entire record, as I am terrified of setting such a precedent. So let’s begin with the track I’ve been teasing, “Snorting a Line.” I love discovering songs so unexpected that you inadvertently pull a face- WTF is this thing going to be? Well, obviously, an alt-country via indiepop Christmas song about getting high with your love on Christmas! Can’t say I partake, but lines like “I can’t believe I have your love. / Hold me close, hold me tight! / Like it’s our last Christmas tonight!” are both incredibly sweet and low-key dark… making it a truly intriguing song. “Snorting a Line” proved to be the hook that pulled me into the rest of the record, so grab my hand and let’s jump in further.
“Christmas with Chloe” is crooning electro-pop that feels equally genuine and glossy, two unexpected flavors bound to tease your tastebuds. J. “Christmas” Phillips has a swagger in his delivery that pairs perfectly with his imperfections – he sounds both incredibly personal, yet affected at the same time. I can’t pin this song down… but it sure does explode with love, and I’m happy to wrap myself in the shrapnel.
Finally, let’s talk about the WONDERFULLY-titled final track, “Christmas Artist of His Generation.” This is an indiepop/electro-pop instrumental that blends these (post-punk?) guitar lines with electro-pop synths. What a fucking combination. I’ll have a second helping.
I am only one album into J. “Christmas” Phillips’ holiday back catalogue. Let’s GOOOOOO.
Bottom Line: This artist/band is totally something I’ll bet a reader sent me years ago. To this person who no doubt exists, I apologize. How the hell did J. “Christmas” Phillips elude me for so long?? WELL. That ends today!
As we all stumble through the darkest timeline, I find myself reaching for comfort food. If you’ve been reading this blog over the past thirteen years, you probably know that my north star is Swedish indiepop. So hold my hand, and let’s travel back to 2010. We’ll listen to this perfect three-minute specimen that represents everything I love about Swedish indiepop: lyrics that mix melancholy with sweetness, paired with upbeat electro-indiepop-disco—absolute perfection.
Art Acoustic may have disappeared from the searchable internet in 2013, but “X-Mas in the Woods” has remained on my playlist ever since I first pressed play. That was another time. It feels like we’re a million miles away from it now.
Hope you enjoy, and welcome to 2025. We are all in this thing together.
Bottom Line: Swedish pop perfection from a long-lost project. Art Acoustic – should you ever find this, drop me a line.
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!
I don’t have the time for this today. Two of the biggest releases of the season, each popping up in succession on my Bandcamp feed. I’m not going to give away the other one yet (those in the know… know already), so I’ll start with the biggest news – a full-length holiday record from Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500/Luna/Dean & Britta), Britta Phillips (Luna/Dean & Britta), and Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3). While this was not necessarily expected, it is not exactly a surprise. Dean & Britta have long-dipped into holiday music, with Luna’s “Egg Nog” being a particular favorite. Dean did a Lagniappe holiday session a few years back on Aquarium Drunkard, and the pair also booked a full, holiday-themed livestream concert a few years ago (which was wonderful). However, the spiritual ancestor to this release is most certainly the holiday 7″ from back in 2007, “He’s Coming Home,” which features all three of these folks – and was absolutely killer. I’ll drop the press release below.
In a season where we all seek comfort, tradition, and a return to a home of sorts, a trio composed of indie music’s foundational members have gifted us A Peace of Us—an album of diverse holiday tunes filtered through their musical imaginations. Dean & Britta, well-known from their work defining a genre with Galaxie 500 and Luna, join Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom, another bastion of indie’s collective adolescence, to bring to life a collection that draws from early ‘60s pop, garage, country, James Bond soundtracks, Christmas carols, and electronica. Dean Wareham recalls a sentiment from his DJ friend Chris: “You can experience all the emotions of Christmas through music: love and hate, joy and heartache, nostalgia, regret, anticipation, and frustration.”
Their venture into a holiday album was organic, spurred by a few cover tunes over the years, a Christmas special during the pandemic, and finally collaborative sessions between Dean & Britta in L.A. and Sonic Boom in Portugal. The trio all contributed vocals, with guitars by Wareham, bass and keyboards by Phillips, effects, and mixes by Sonic. The result is an album of exploration as well as comfort, “like Bing Crosby…on acid,” Britta adds, the tracklist a reminder that the holidays are complex and tragicomic.
As is often the case with holiday merriment, the album has a soft undertone of the bittersweet. Wareham sings one of David Berman’s final songs, “Snow is Falling in Manhattan,” one Dean believes is “destined to be a holiday classic.” Its lyrics foreshadow Berman’s tragic death: “Songs build little rooms in time / and housed within the song’s design / is the ghost the host has left behind.”
The Christmas blues surface again with Willie Nelson’s “Pretty Paper,” rendered here as a duet between Britta and Sonic Boom, their pulsing synth-heavy production updating the song for a darkened nightclub rather than a bright honky tonk. This collection steers clear of the usual Christmas chestnuts, but fans of classic indie haze may find a new favorite in “Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy” (created for Bing Crosby and David Bowie’s 1977 TV duet). Wareham notes that “Our favorite version is the German one by Marlene Dietrich, so that was our jumping-off point.” All three sing this one together: Wareham’s tenor, then Sonic Boom’s thrumming baritone, and finally Phillips’ soothing contralto making the plea for peace.
If collaboration is the fuel, peace and mutual understanding is surely the fire, and A Peace of Us has us gathered around it. “Christmas is mostly for children anyway,” says Dean. Sonic adds, “Or the inner child in all of us. Goodwill to all men. Hopes and fears for the year to come. And light in the darkness. Where this festival began.”
I must say, this record sounds incredibly promising. I already know that it features both “Old Toy Trains” and “He’s Coming Home,” both stellar tracks, the first single – a cover of Willie Nelson’s “Pretty Paper,” is an electropop gem. One might say they found some wonderful new wrapping on this track… you could call it pretty for sure. And a cover of David Berman’s “Snow is Falling on Manhattan!” Not the first time Dean & Britta have tackled it, as it was featured on a Section26 compilation a few years back… curious if they’ve reworked this in a similar fashion…
The anticipation is killing me, and boy was this an expensive holiday music day.
Dallas, Texas’s dynamic 80s-loving duo Prizm has somehow made a lush, synth-drenched version of “Silent Night,” and I had to take a break from working on my mix to write about it. Press play on the song, and it is going to sound like a *nice* electro-pop version. Not too much crazy going on here… then they transition into “The First Noel,” and that is fine too. But if you hang in there until 3:50, the guitars come flying in, the drum fills ring out, and then that saxophone pulls your ass straight into the joy that is this song. I want to eat that outro for fucking breakfast.
Why am I swearing so much?
Bottom Line: Rarely will I just let a song play like that, especially a song I’ve heard a million times before. Thank goodness I did. There. I stopped swearing!
A quick search for “Guinness book of world records most Christmas songs” comes up with the usual results – mainly that Bing Crosby’s performance of “White Christmas” is the biggest selling single of all time. There is not a record for MOST Christmas songs yet… though if there is (and there should be), Kristian Noel Pederson will have a shot at it. In what is his 14th record of original Christmas songs (not including the Hanson’s Snowed Incover record), Saul McCartney’s Magical Holiday Season is a triumph. A concept record that follows an alternate-universe pop star from the 60’s starting anew with a solo career, this record feels joyful and light. Perhaps this is the freedom of writing from a wholly new perspective outside of yourself? I’m not in Kristian’s mind… yet. There are so many wonderful moments on this record, but as I start thinking about which one to talk about, I realize that I’m gravitating to all the horn parts. The use of brass on this record is just perfection – it is that final seasoning on your Christmas meal that makes you sit up and take note… creates those neural connections that will make you talk about that meal for years to come. I’m in the midst of “I Hope it Snows Tonight” for the third time, delighting in every moment- horns, guitars, the whole damn thing. Please listen to this record – it is an absolute joy.
Bottom Line: A Kristian Noel Pederson record is always one to look forward to, and this has to be my favorite yet. I would buy this on vinyl – 100%
LISTEN
I’m going to post a bunch of single tracks, then the whole thing so that they aggregate in the Hype Machine. There is a method to the madness below.
I’m rather active on Twitter, and will not let the giant turd who owns it keep me from hanging out, spouting off, and never clicking on ads. Shrewsbury, England’s BumbleWasps gave me a shout the other day, hipping me to his latest Christmas single, “Mr Christmas.” I always listen to suggestions at least once, and this track was interesting enough to not only have me listen to it a few times but to dig a bit deeper and discover that this is not BumbleWasps first rodeo. He put out an 7-song Christmas mini-album last year, F U Christmas, that is packed full of catchy hooks and seasonal fucking sentiment. Hey, BumbleWasps gets a bit fresh, and I will too. So… let’s just say that I was getting prettyyyyy amped as dove into the discography. “Mr Christmas” is BumbleWasps’ indiepop diss track targeting Mariah Carey, Shakin’ Stevens, Bing Crosby, Elvis, Elton John, Wham! (amongst others), pretty much all the Christmas legends… and it is both catchy and goddam hilarious. I don’t think I’m mistaken in thinking this is some of the best-produced bedroom pop that a little bit of money and a lot of effort can produce (confirmed!). F U Christmas obviously shares the same humorous point-of-view, but you’re going to find some touching shit in there as well. Thanks for reaching out BumbeWasps, you obviously checked out my blog and had an idea that I’d be down for your weirdo Christmas tunes.
Bottom Line: BumbleWasps is carving his own xmas niche, and (if you enjoy reading this blog) you’re going to like this fucking niche.
Christmas Underground 