Tag: indie rock

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Pascal Babare “Santa’s Seasonal Showdowns” (2013)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

I must assume that everyone who visits this blog listens to my mix every year, notebook in hand, downloading their thoughts and feelings about every single track so you can forever remember that moment of listening to such a wonderful Christmas mix. That is my basic expectation of you all… I trust you haven’t let me down. That being said, I’m sure this song is old news to you all, as Pascal Babare’s “Santa’s Seasonal Showdowns” was a highlight from last year’s Christmas mix, I’m an Igloo (track 11, probably on page 2 of your notes). One of the many Aussie’s whose amazing Christmas songs I’ve been digging up, this one most certainly stands out. “Santa’s Seasonal Showdowns” tells the tale of a sadistic Santa orchestrating a Running Man-style life-or-death competition – kidnapping, assault, weaponry, the works. Color this story with delicate vocals and beautiful guitar melodies, and you’ve got a delightful, unexpected macabre holiday treat.

Bottom Line: Bloody fantastic holiday fare from down under.

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Shirese “Christmas in East Haven” (2024)

Grapefruit Records and C/Site Records
Buy: Bandcamp

I have a recipe for you that you might like… let’s create a musical smoothie of a Christmas(?) song where you take the Velvet Underground, throw it in a blender with 90’s slacker stream-of-consciousness indie rock, and add a dash of…. melodica? Sounds like a high-dollar treat you could find in the trendier New York neighborhoods… or it could be “Christmas in East Haven” by the East Haven, Connecticut rock band Shirese. While I’m struggling to find the Christmas connection in this song (beyond the title), I’m totally grooving on this stepchild of “I’m Waiting for the Man,” as each listen has me bobbing my head a bit more. The chorus is an unexpected surge of energy, which really hooked me. I especially enjoyed the chorus when followed by the bridge… and all those weird little bleeps and bloops… just kinda refreshing, I suppose.

Bottom Line: It’s both 70s cool and 90s weird. Dig it.

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Skegss “December” (2022)

Loma Vista
Buy: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Amazon.uk MP3

Sneaky. Releasing this song as a b-side in February of 2022, Australian punks Skegss are many things to me at the moment. Their song, “December,” is an extremely recent find; the first post of the 2024 holiday season; perhaps the first song I can say will be on my 20th annual Christmas mix. The song is so good, and with 7K+ streams on Soundcloud, I just assumed that it had been picked up by Christmas A Gogo or Von Pip, but alas… it looks to have snuck by them as well. The whole plan with this site was to have more stuff like this handed to me on a silver platter… but 12 years now and I’m beginning to think I was mistaken.

How about we talk a little about the song? Are you a fan of the Sleepwalkers Christmas EP? (Well, you should be). Have you been dreaming of a chill Christmas song that might have been sung by Julian Casablancas of the Strokes? Put that idea in your head and press play. Then stroll around thinking about how great it will sound on your Christmas mix. Maybe get yourself a treat and sit on a bench. Yeah. Deep breaths. Christmas comes for us all.

Bottom Line: A killer debut track for the 2024 season dug up from the early months of 2022. Welcome to the new year, you’re going to like this one.

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Caleb Nichols – So This Is Crimble (2023)

Kill Rock Stars
Buy: Bandcamp

You may recognize poet and singer/songwriter Caleb Nichols from his previous feature on this blog, or perhaps my 2023 Christmas mix, I’m an Igloo, which features his gorgeous 2021 song, “I Fell in Love on Christmas Day.” Well, this year Caleb has packaged up his previous Christmas tunes, including the wonderful, nearly brand new “Christmas, California,” from his 2023 album Let’s Look Back, and added a spectacular new track that is sure to delight many fans of this thing called pop music we all love.

This brand new, exclusive to this release song, as opposed to that old song from way back in October (Christmas, California), is “Crimble Medley.” The title may be a giveaway for hardcore Beatles fans (my son may know about this – he is in bed though!), but this term is apparently Beatle-ese for Christmas, coined on one of their fan club 45’s many a moon ago. I’m going to defer to Caleb’s description, as this song is packed full of Beatley goodies:

“…a late entry into the crowded Christmas music field with “Crimble Medley” — a 4-minute John Fahey-esque folk tune that seamlessly blends holiday offerings from the Beatles solo catalogs, all set to the musical base of the bands’ unreleased, fans-only track “Christmas Time Is Here Again.” Songs from all four Beatles are included in the Americana-twinged medley, including “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, “Ding Dong Ding Dong” by George Harrision, “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney, and the Ringo Starr/George Harrision penned “Photograph”.”

Wrapped in a tight 4:13, Caleb packs a whole ton of seamless Beatle fun into this song. I’m sure it is going to be a favorite for the next few days… then again starting next September for you crazy folks (like me), and perhaps July for our southern hemisphere friends. Ah hell, if Caleb can put incredible Christmas songs on his “normal releases,” we all should work incredible Christmas songs into our “normal listening.” Justification found!

Bottom Line: What a lovely Crimble gift for us all.

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Big Society “December, forever” (2023)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

Manchester’s Big Society is becoming one of those bands you must watch when December rolls around. With three Christmas releases since 2020, they haven’t put out a dud yet. I somehow missed “On a Winter’s Night” last year, but with the last few days of Christmas deluge, I have to cut myself a break. Thankfully, this year’s glorious new track, “December, forever,” dropped early enough to be featured on my 2023 mix, I’m an Igloo. What do I like about it? It sounds warm and lovely, despite the complicated feelings that run through the song. To think they achieved this as a live take (in their custom-built shipping container studio) is pretty crazy. Yes, some drums and backing vocals were added later, but truly impressive. Is that a banjo? Am I crazy? I think I am. I am. That is a guitar right? Ah hell, I just love it. This is why I don’t get paid to do this – I’m not a reliable source of useful information.

Bottom Line: Big Society with another stone-cold mixworthy tune. Sales benefit The Boothe Center in Manchester, a charity that provides services for the homeless. Open up those wallets folks.

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Duz Mancini “Christmas Special” (2023)

Lolipop Records
Buy: 7Digital (FLAC) | Apple Music | Amazon MP3 | Amazon.uk MP3 | Amazon.de MP3 | Amazon.fr MP3

Los Angeles’ Lolipop Records are ALWAYS a good source for excellent indiepop/rock Christmas singles, having dropped excellent tracks by Jacklen Ro (I can’t believe I missed the cover of “Happy Christmas (The War is Over)” from 2021 – though it is streaming only) and Lost Cat in previous years. This year they are releasing an excellent new track from New Orleans/Los Angeles/Nashville’s (lots of places appear to claim him) Duz Mancini. “Christmas Special” is that kind of laid-back alt.country that pairs well with a cold drink. The lyrics are simple and clever, and the attitude and vibe has me RIYL Dougie Poole… This one is mixworthy, and you may hear it soon enough on mine.

Bottom Line: Wait for the music to really kick in. You’re going to love it. “When the lights turn bluuuueeee……”

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PHONY (featuring Ratboys) “Christmas Eve Day”, “Wedding and Funeral Family” (2022)

PHONY Industries
Buy: Bandcamp

Have you ever wondered what an Elliott Smith Christmas song might sound like? I say this, and realize that you could make a case for adding “Junk Bond Trader,” “King’s Crossing” or “Angel in the Snow,” should you be so inclined, I suppose… Well. Where do I go with this review other than saying, “Christmas Eve Day” by PHONY (the solo project of Neil Berthier, guitarist for Joyce Manor, ex-Donovan Wolfington) sure sounds like a great Elliott Smith Christmas-adjacent song. This song shares the same beautiful, haunting qualities I’ve always loved from Elliott, though best compared to his earlier, less-ornate work. The finger picking, the harmony provided by the excellent Julia Steiner from Ratboys, even the quality of Neil’s voice – I can’t shake that feeling I’m listening to a ghost when I close my eyes. That second verse is particularly vivid, especially with that repeated line at the end.

parliaments torched to the filter
on an empty stomach
christmas eve day
it had poured rain 
for the first time in ages
took my demons outside of their cages
i thought about you
and how there was
just no way to solve it
success and failure 
sound the same
a sweet evil silence
a sweet evil silence

I don’t mean to only talk about comparisons with this review. I just can’t shake them. I do believe that PHONY made something quite beautiful here, and just like an Elliott Smith record, the unflinching introspection does put you in a particular kind of space. Do you like that space? I own every Elliott Smith record, so I sure do, but I know many (my wife included) who do not. But not every song here is for everyone, but every song is surely for someone.

For folks who are on board for PHONY from that first track, “Wedding & Funeral Family,” also has some pretty explicit Christmas imagery, and Neil shakes the Elliott Smith vibe of “Christmas Eve Day” for more of an emo vibe. And yes, there are many flavors of emo, and that is a term that some folks avoid, but the song is worth it.

always on a weekday
come up with something more
than christmas cards i couldn’t save
wish you had
your cardboard box of ornaments 
i could help you hang them at 4 pm
just get out the white wine
put on some elvis to remind me of some better time
when all the lights would flash more than red and yellow
we get together but don’t seem to say hello

Did you think the first song was heavy? “Wedding & Funeral Family” takes the emotion to a new level. The record was written after Neil’s father passed from dementia, and I find this song so personal that it feels like an invasion of privacy, like I’m peering through a crack in the door. Again, I find these things interesting and beautiful – and I grant it may not be quite what your mix is looking for, but it might be what you need someday.

Bottom Line: I’ve been creeping on your Bandcamp purchases, and am quite pleased to discover this song, this band, and the Ratboys connection makes it even sweeter. These are deeply lovely and emotional songs for the kind of person that needs a hit of this on occasion.

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Arlie “Come as You Arlie (The Christmas Song)” (2018)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp (NYOP)

Sometimes you find one of those songs that you get so excited about that you both want to tell everyone, and nobody, about it. This is one of those situations… hold it until it is revealed on your mix (which is not set in stone yet, so anything can happen still!), or help the wider community impress their friends with a fantastic song. Well, I’m going with the latter as I’m sure a bunch of you are going to enjoy this one…

As for the review, I’m not going to get too specific, because I really just want you all to press play and smile. However, I will give a little background to this fantastic song. Nashville psychedelic indiepop band Arlie put this song together back in 2018 and tried to get it fully-cleared to be on Spotify/Tidal/etc, but alas, the music publishing gods had other ideas. Thus, it existed under the radar for several years, with not much on the net about it beyond a few Tiktoks that use the song, as well as one where Arlie addresses the song’s unfortunate fate. Somehow, with zero press, the song still amassed over 10K streams on Soundcloud – the only place (until VERY recently) where one could find this full song. I reached out the Nathaniel Banks, the frontman of the band, a few weeks ago just to make sure that he’d be cool with me writing about the song, as I didn’t want to stir up any trouble for him. He was happy to give me the green light – and even put the track up on Bandcamp for you all. So… warm up whatever finger you prefer to smash play with, and proceed.

Be sure to check out Arlie’s excellent full-length record, Break the Curse, as it is not on the Arlie Bandcamp. You can find it on your favorite streaming service… or perhaps from your favorite record store. Bands get WAY more money from a purchase than a stream, and everyone’s got to eat, folks.

Bottom Line: This one is going to bring a smile to many faces. And remember, name your own price means you can drop a dollar in the pot, so please do so.

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Neil Brogan & Band “Our First Christmas” (2023)

Brogan Records
Buy: Bandcamp

I’m curious… can we consider this whole Neil Brogan writing a fantastic Christmas song a tradition? No pressure, Neil, but I’m in favor of this. After last year’s stone-cold classic, “christmas with a small c,” Neil returns with the touching “Our First Christmas.” The song is a touching stroll through that special feeling you have towards the first Christmas with a loved one. Neil’s voice is really the selling point of this song, soft and emotive – that “ya know” he sings, somehow makes this song feel more deeply personal than a song usually can – like someone is talking just to you. Simple and beautiful.

Bottom Line: Following up one of my favorite songs of the past 5 years was a tough bar to clear, but Neil decided to stroll around it with a lovely, wholly different, and touching song.

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Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas (Volume III) (2023)

A Benefit for Crisis
Buy: Bandcamp

You know what is better than a few cookies? How about an entire bag! Hot on the heels of last year’s epic, two volume, 108 track opus of alternative Christmas music… it comes for us once more. Fellow weirdo Christmas-music fan Kevin McGrath didn’t plan to put this record together, it really just, kind of happened. He meant to add a few tracks to each record, slap a deluxe sticker on there, and raise some more funds for Crisis, a UK-based charity that services the homeless. Soon, Kevin realized that it would be easier and likely more successful to market the record if those additional songs he had received clearance after the cutoff last year, were put together in their own, new collection – which sounds like a fine idea; let’s maximize the potential to do good. So back into the fray, back to the hunt for more bands’ contact information for Kevin… and after one more, final herculean effort, Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas (Volume III) is now under our tree. This release, just like the stellar duo who preceded it, is lined with hit after hit after hit. There are many bands here that the 15-20 folks who read my blog will likely already know and love (Virgin of the Birds, Wake Up and Smell the Sun, Charlie’s Hand Movements, The Ornaments, etc, etc, etc.), but I’m sure you’ve missed a few here and there, and the chances you’re going to love it are pppprrrreeeettty high. Oh, didn’t you forget to pick up that Jacklen Ro song you loved, since it wasn’t on Bandcamp? I can also see you picking this record up, and listening to a song you’ve heard before, but connecting with it on a deeper level – yeah, you just needed some time to grow with that song. I’m thinking you should probably pick this one up, even if you’ve already got a couple of the tracks… just to be safe.

Volumes 1-3 are a guidebook to an alternate universe of Christmas music that few know exists. If you already live here, celebrate it. If you are just dipping your toes in the water, jump in because these 143 songs will provide you with plenty of depth. Swim with us, won’t you?

Bottom Line: You’re getting 35 stellar songs, conveniently packaged by a man high on his own supply of Christmas cheer, and all your money goes to help the homeless. That’s a win for everyone.

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