indiepop – Page 26 – Christmas Underground

December 1, 2015December 2, 2015

Sweet Baboo “Don’t Be Alone (This Christmas)” (2015)

Moshi Moshi
Buy: Bandcamp | Moshi Moshi (MP3/LP) | iTunes UK | Amazon.UK (LP) | Amazon.DE (LP)

Welsh artist Sweet Baboo is no stranger to Christmas tunes, having appeared on Bubblewrap Collective’s 12 Days of Christmas in 2009. I dug that track, but not nearly as much as this BEAUTY. To be officially released in February on the Dennis EP (named after Dennis Wilson no doubt), Sweet Baboo channels the best parts of the Beach Boys (the Wilsons) and lets us know that even Santa needs someone to call. The ending brings resounding joy in a wall of sound. Everyone needs someone to love.

Bottom Line: I think I’ve listened to this song about 15 times today. ~~For one day only, available as a free download here.~~ Still free.. now via Bandcamp. 5/5

LISTEN

December 1, 2015December 1, 2015

Premiere: The Ornaments “The Ornaments Won’t Hang Themselves (Alone For The Holidays)” (2015)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

Yet another premiere! You may remember the Ornaments are the annual, non-religious Christmas music project of Mike Behrends and Lance Owens. They put out a fantastic square, lathe-cut 7″ & download last year, beginning a project specifically meant to get these two friends together. They swore to release a Christmas 7″ and play one show from now until to the end of time. Now… I have to warn everyone that time has indeed stopped, for the Ornaments are download-only this year, thus signaling the end of time to the rest of the world. However, I do not hold it against this fine band, for they have added yet another interesting Christmas song to their burgeoning Christmas portfolio. “The Ornaments Won’t Hang Themselves (Alone for the Holidays)” has lovely, simple orchestration – programmed beats, hammond organ, some guitar, bells and synths. I really, really enjoy the melody; it has certainly wormed its way in my head. The subject matter trades in, as the title suggests, the melancholy of Christmas. Let the Ornaments describe it…

Christmas isn’t as wonderfully fun and family-filled as we are all led to believe in old holiday movies and songs. Especially for our fictional protagonist from Cadott, Wisconsin, whose girl has left him alone with a car that can’t make it through the snow and a garage full of Christmas decorations they used to put up together. All he wants is one more Christmas dance. Is that too much to ask?

Sad, yet lovely. I think I like the ending the best.

Bottom Line: This is one of those songs to sit back with a glass of spiked eggnog, and sink into as if it were a short story. 4.5/5

LISTEN

November 25, 2015November 19, 2017

Elizabeth Morris “The Season” (2015)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

Allo Darlin‘s Elizabeth Morris has released a 4-track EP today, Athens, and there is a special holiday treat for us at the end. Elizabeth describes “The Season” as “a song about trying to be a better friend at Christmas.” Indeed, it is just that. A touching song about a friends that you might not see because of time, distance or simply life, but have the kind of connection that is as important as family. I hope you all have someone like that.

Bottom Line: Beautiful as always, Elizabeth. On a side note, should I just rebrand Christmas Underground as an Allo Darlin’ fansite?

LISTEN

November 11, 2015November 19, 2017

UPCOMING: Indie for the Holidays, An Amazon Original Playlist (2015)

Amazon
Buy: Stream

Amazon has announced a follow-up to their (IMHO) “meh” 2014 playlist, All is Bright. Their playlist was expansive, 43 songs, and with such a wide scope, there was no way that they were going to make this indie grinch happy. Too many expected covers from too many a coffee-shop friendly artist. This year, however, Amazon has tweaked their formula, and decided to curate a more adventurous playlist. The first song, Sondre Lerche & Jherek Bischoff‘s “Surviving Christmas” is presently streaming ~~exclusively~~ over at Stereogum. Its lovely throwback production is unsurprising, as I feel Sondre has been moving toward crooner for a years now (certainly not a bad thing – he’s great!). The lyrics are most certainly poignant, while sometimes remaining playful – Frank Sinatra would be proud. I am, however, very curious what electropop wildcard YACHT‘s track will be like, or serially grumpy Guided by Voices frontman Bob Pollard‘s What Begins New Year’s Day.” Rogue Wave have tried their hand at Christmas tracks before, as has (to a lesser extent) Langhorne Slim. There are also some newcomers (to me), such as Irish singer/songwriter SOAK, Seattle folk-pop band Ivan and Alyosha, and Swedish gothic pop singer Anna von Hausswolff that all have interesting biographies that make me want to hear more. I am most definitely intrigued, and hope that something great will come out of this for my 2015 mix. The entire playlist will be released on November 20th, so until then… just gotta wait.

LISTEN

EDIT: I’ve added all available (free) streaming songs to a playlist.

November 8, 2015November 10, 2015

Couples Skate Only “First Christmas” (2013)

Gotta Groove Records
Buy: Bandcamp

Gotta Groove Records is a fantastic pressing plant/boutique label in Cleveland, OH… and these fine purveyors of the little vinyl discs we all know and love also send out a Christmas 7″ to some friends and clients each year. 2013’s release had a whole mess of tracks! What a little, vinyl bundle of joy to celebrate the holiday with… wait a tic… did I use that turn of phrase because this song is about being a new parent? You bet I did. Couples Skate Only and myself obviously must become best friends (Hi Tim!), as we both: 1. Enjoy indiepop Christmas music and; 2. have at least one tiny child. Their contribution to the 7″ captures parenthood wonderfully in 2 minutes, while in the warm embrace of a driving indiepop electro beat. Love it.

~~If you’re interested in vinyl – they have 5 left (as of this posting), on random colored vinyl.~~ Looks like you all liked the track as much as I did. They appear to be ALL SOLD OUT!

Bottom Line: Fantastic indiepop that I personally can relate to… but not quite sure about those without kids… but hey, I’m the one giving the number. 4.6/5

LISTEN

November 4, 2015

Computer Perfection “When the Key Turns” (2011/2015)

Self Released
Buy: Stream

What can I say? I am super-connected. I have been talking to the folks over at Computer Perfection for about a week, and we are totally the best of friends. How can I make such a wild claim? Well, they’ve invited me to Christmas dinner (they don’t know this yet) and they sent over a new mix of their wonderful 2011 Christmas track, “When the Key Turns.” Originally released on Love, Detroit Volume 2 (still available for free download!), this new mix is absolutely beautiful; it shimmers out of the headphones. Computer Perfection fancies this song to be their most beautiful work to date, and I would not argue them on that fact.

Bottom Line: Absolutely beautiful indie pop from masters of the craft. 5/5

LISTEN

November 2, 2015November 19, 2017

UPCOMING: Sunturns – Christmas I & II (2015)

The Swedish indie-supergroup Sunturns put out a fantastic Christmas record a few years ago, simply titled Christmas and released on CD (and digital) to the delight of the masses (of underground Christmas fans). Comprised of members of Making Marks, Moddi (had previously made a mix of mine), The Little Hands Of Asphalt (ditto), Psyence Fiction, Monzano and Einar Stray Orchestra, these are some Norwegian pop heavyweights. The album was packed with great songs, including my personal favorite, “Looks Like Styrofoam.” Now… would this be considered a cover if it was recorded earlier by Little Hands of Asphalt, if the person singing it was indeed… also Sjur Lyseid, aka Little Hands of Asphalt? Chicken? Egg? I’ve gone crosseyed.

Enough! Let’s talk about this NEW record! Christmas II is upon us! Being released by Fika Recordings, those Christmas-loving folks in the UK. They normally spend their time releasing records by CU favorites the Wave Pictures & their associates (god I love the Wave Pictures), but somehow they found some time in their day to release this lovely Norwegian pop Christmas record! 10 new songs and a Ramones cover!

Now, I know you are asking, “I have all this money hanging around in my pocket and I want to throw it at something… what should I do?” Here’s the scoop. There are 300 copies of this baby on red and white vinyl, presently available from Fika Recordings (Bandcamp), Norman Records, Amazon UK, Amazon DE and in the US… Jigsaw Records (Coming Dec. 4!). It not only includes this new record, Christmas II, but also the classic Christmas! For folks that are financially-challenged, such as myself, you may want to opt for the cheaper, download-only version. You can find these at all the links above, but I strongly encourage the Bandcamp option, as the artist gets paid more and you get a FLAC.

You know what… I haven’t even talked about the songs yet! Sunturns has released 2 tracks ahead of the proper album release on December 4. I honestly have already spent enough energy talking about the record, that I haven’t much more left for these fabulous songs. “Would You” reminds me of the best parts of The Stars… the layered vocals, the rising music, the drama. Beautiful. “The Axis Tilt” is a wonderful piece of songwriting, and that voice has to be Sjur Lyseid, right? He’s got a way with a turn of phrase, and boy can he work in some basic physics into a song!

Bottom Line: Buy it early and often. But perhaps not for $43 from Fika shipped to the US… shop around. If you’re looking for a value, ~~Norman Records is your best bet at the moment~~. 🙂 5/5

LISTEN

November 1, 2015November 2, 2015

Computer Perfection and Friends – Christmas Party (2008)

VA - Christmas Party - Computer Perfection and Friends (2008)

Romantic Air Recording Company
Buy: A Gift from Me (and Computer Perfection), to You

Many moons ago, a group named Computer Perfection was born from the ashes of Pas/Cal and released a Christmas record, Christmas Party. The indiepop world rejoiced, for the Christmas-loving band of Detroit musicians had not lost the urge to make delicious, loving, interesting Christmas music. This record disappeared from the internet, to the dismay of myself, and any other self-respecting, indie Christmas music fan. But alas… it has returned!

Lets run through my favorites…

The leadoff track, “Winter Las” by the 1900s is a wonderful piece of indiepop. There is something about good songwriting and tasteful production that can shield a good song from the ravages of time – this song is as wonderful today as it was when I first heard it. “Try to find forgiveness in your heart.” Beautiful.

The second track is the first by our hosts, Computer Perfection, and my personal favorite of theirs. This cover of the Marvin Gaye semi-classic “Purple Snowflakes” adds enough electro-flourishes and indiepop sheen to create a sparkling world of their own.

The fifth track, by LTD, “Whenever Snow Starts Fallin’,” is a great, soulful song that plugs into that age-old Christmas scene… the snow is falling in the lonely city, and he just wants his baby to come back to him. “Whenever snow starts falling / that’s when my heart is calling.” Very nice.

The final track is yet another cover by the wonderful Computer Perfection, this time trying their hand at “Feliz Navidad.” There is just a sense of joy that oozes out of this song. I’m not much of a fan of this tune normally… but Computer Perfection have found a way to bring out something in this song that I did not expect. Thanks.

There are 9 tracks in total on this record, and while I did not go in-depth on the other 5, they are all very much worth a listen. From a reworked Beyonce song, to a hushed electro “White Christmas,” this record is most certainly worth your time and attention. Thankfully, with the blessing of Computer Perfection, I offer my readers their very own, nicely tagged copy.

Bottom Line: Computer Perfection can bring their friends over to my house anytime to sing Christmas songs. 4.5/5

LISTEN

Here is one sample track… Computer Perfection’s wonderful cover of “Purple Snowflakes.” Enjoy, and download (Links above)!

July 24, 2015

Dog Legs – Holiday E.P. (2015)

Soft Power
Buy: ~~Cassette~~ | iTunes | Amazon.uk

Lo-fi indie fuzz pop. That’s my stab at explaining London/Brighton’s Dog Legs. They have an edge and a sense of humor that immediately grabbed me. April saw their latest release, Holiday E.P., and mixed into the shotgun silliness that is Dog Legs, were two songs that could be considered Christmas/holiday tunes. “Holiday” leads off the release, and this song, more-so than any other on the release, has a much more traditional lyrical structure. You know… verses, choruses, those things. Some of their songs, such as “Ice Cream Cone” are pretty much one sentence of fun. Its got a great sound – certainly a contender for my mix. The second prospect is the much sillier “Xmas Cookie.” Great music, fun, certainly silly – it all depends on what your mix needs. Too much heavy stuff? Lots of yearning for lost love and childhood? “Xmas Cookie” might snap you out of it.

Bottom Line: I really dig this whole release. I wish I could find a place where “Xmas Cookie” was also available, because it appears that iTunes/Google Play/Amazon.uk only have a 2-song single version with “Holiday.” Sorry that the cassette is gone too – with only 100 copies, it was not going to last long. Perhaps if a groundswell of interest amasses from my extremely influential underground Christmas music blog, they will repress. So, all four of you dedicated readers, contact Soft Power Records and beg. I will update the post if any additional options develop. 4.6/5

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June 4, 2015June 4, 2015

Little My – Little My’s Fourth (2007)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

There must be a significant (well, it’s all proportional!) readership who enjoy a good twee-Christmas tune, because I sure do write a good bit about indiepop. Thus, if you have an indiepop itch that needs a good scratch, Little My’s Fourth will do the trick. Cardiff’s Little My are up to their 11th release now, and have recently come back from five-year hiatus. Thus, their fourth release was a good while ago, yet somehow I haven’t come across it until now! The 2-song single leads off with an original, “Xmas Song,” which is chock-full of jingle bells, soft voices, and was that a recorder? It’s classic indiepop Christmas, pretty music with sad lyrics. “I’ll have a sad, sad christmas with a sad, sad look on my face / since you’ve gone away.” Thankfully the music keeps this song from entering dirge territory – so I think you could get away with having it on your mix without bringing everyone down.

The second song is a Shakin’ Stevens cover, the oft-(but not enough!) covered “Merry Christmas Everyone.” Their version is certainly a nice little indiepop version, but it did not jump out at me as the Kate Canaveral version from last year. Still, a solid tune, but more-so because I like the song, not necessarily how they tackled it.

Bottom Line: Little My have done up 2 solid indiepop Christmas tunes for a cool £1, or perhaps splurge a bit and get one of the 2 remaining CDs? Sure! Certainly good enough to hope that they do some more Christmas tunes in the future. 4/5