Tag: indiepop

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Charlie’s Hand Movements “Baubles” (2014)

Charlies Hand Movement " Baubles"

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp | Bandcamp

Wow. What a find. Charlie’s Hand Movements are Adam Gardner and Lance M Keelbe, two gents from Benfleet, England, and they have just released their second Christmas song in as many years. Now that you are introduced, I must say, “Baubles” is really beautiful. “I was your bauble / hanging from a tree / wrap me in tinsel / make me believe.” Some nice turns of phrase, some beautiful music, and excellent vocals to round out the package to make “Baubles” quite spectacular. “If we fall, we’ll shatter / but it don’t matter at all.” I love that lyric. Each listen gets better… and it’s free! So what are you waiting for??

Bottom Line: Love it. Great song, free download. I am pleased as punch. What a day of great Christmas songs. 5/5

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(EDIT) – they took down their own page for this song, so here is an embed of the Dismas compilation that it also appeared on.

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Computer Perfection “Little Drummer Boy (Funky Drummer)” (2014)

Computer Perfection "Little Drummer Boy (Funky Drummer)"

Self Released
Buy: Free!

Those quite familiar with indiepop Christmas tunes know how wonderful those early Pas/Cal Christmas singles were. Then, when Pas/Cal was no more, Computer Perfection and Casimer & Casimir were born from the ashes. Both bands have contributed to the Christmas cannon, with Computer Perfection & Friends’ “Christmas Party” back in 2008 and last year’s Casimer & Casimir’s Soundcloud release “C&C does Margo for XXXmas.” Well, it looks like Computer Perfection are at it again, with “Little Drummer Boy (Funky Drummer).” Originally I thought it might be a James Brown song – but I think it may be their own mashup of “Little Drummer Boy” with Brown’s “Funky Drummer.” Readers of this blog may remember that “Little Drummer Boy” is my least favorite Christmas song ever, so please take the fact that I’m even mentioning this song as a reason to listen to it. Its funky & fun, with a splash of indiepop. It certainly deserves more listens than the 3 it presently has… 2 of which are mine. 

Bottom Line: No download (yet) DOWNLOAD! and this funky tune and its falsetto deserve a spot in your Christmas party playlist. 3.9/5

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ATLAAS “Feelings” (2014)

Atlaas "Feelings"

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

Winnipeg’s ATLAAS have created a wonderful electro-pop Christmas song with their new song, and only second release, “Feelings.” Heather Thomas’ vocals weave through bouncing beats as she laments not being with her love at Christmas. Yes, classic lonely-at-Christmas fodder, but done with a funky backing track.

Bottom Line: ATLAAS makes longing for the one you love something you can move in your seat to. 4.6/5

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Red Sleeping Beauty “Merry Christmas, Marie” (2014)

Red Sleeping Beauty

Shelflife Records
Buy: 7Digital MP3 | Amazon MP3 | Amazon.uk MP3 | Amazon.de MP3 | Amazon.fr MP3

Red Sleeping Beauty returned from a long hiatus earlier this year, which was wonderful news in my world. To top it all off, for their first new song in 17 years, they recorded a new Christmas song! “Merry Christmas, Marie” sounds like classic RSB. This is high-quality indie pop, and for those who love 1990s-2000s indie pop, a gift from above.

Bottom Line: Red Sleeping Beauty has returned, doing what they do best. 4.5/5

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Dent May “I’ll Be Stoned for Christmas” (2014)

Dent May "I'll Be Stoned for Christmas"

Self Released
Buy: Stream

Brooklyn Vegan made me a very happy today. Today at 4:20, Dent May released a new Christmas song, equally as good as his earlier effort, “Holiday Face.” “I’ll Be Stoned for Christmas” is a glorious pop song about, you guessed it, getting stoned on Christmas. The song was good enough to snap me out of my stupor and tell you about it. “Got an angel on my tree top, and a devil in my mind.”

Bottom Line: Dent May can write a great pop song about anything. Perhaps a legit download somewhere? 4.8/5 

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Lapland “Maybe on Christmas” (2014)

Lapland

Self Released
Buy: Stream

Lapland, the moniker of Brooklyn singer/songwriter Josh Mease, just released a nice indiepop “original song hastily recorded” today, and I rather dig it. Synths flutter as a flickering flame as Mease sings about staying safe & sound by the fire on Christmas – in a tone that I’d equate to a Mark Mothersbaugh-scored scene in Life Aquatic. So, turn off your “Switched on Santa” and give this modern-synth Christmas a spin.

Bottom Line: Certainly growing on me – would love to have an actual download of it somewhere. 3.9/5

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Blades Club “What You Get Me (For Christmas)” (2012/2014/2015)

Blades Club "What You Get Me (For Christmas)"

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

This post has been edited for the 2015 remaster.

Dublin’s Blades Club‘s “What You Get Me (For Christmas)” is one of the best rocking out Christmas tunes I’ve heard this year. Originally released on Youtube back in 2012, you can now get a remastered, high-res FLAC download on Bandcamp! Blades Club has channeled the best parts of the Strokes, blended it with surf vibes and great lyrics to create an absolutely wonderful Christmas song. So, I would recommend a quick listen, then fork over a euro and support Blades Club!

Bottom Line: Simply said, fun rocking out Christmas tune. 4.8/5

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Kate Canaveral “Merry Christmas Everyone” (2014)

Kid Canaveral

Lost Map Records
Buy: Free!

Kid Canaveral are a Scottish indie pop band who weaseled their way onto my 2013 mix with “Low Winter Sun.” They also throw a Christmas party called “Christmas Baubles,” and are on their fifth year of this wonderful event. I say wonderful, but alas, I only imagine it is… since I can’t pop across the pond for every Christmas concert.

Kate Canaveral is one quarter of Kid Canaveral, and she has taken it upon herself as self-appointed “head of mainland operations” for Lost Map records to record and release a great little electro-indie-pop cover of Shakin’ Stevens’ “Merry Christmas Everyone.” I sure hope that Lost Map gives us a few more tracks for #Baublemas!

Bottom Line: Great choice for a cover – and certainly put her own mark on it! 4.5/5

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Noise to the World 2: Converse Rubber Tracks Holiday Music (2014)

Noise to the World 2

Converse Rubber Tracks
Buy: Free!

Converse is at it again! Noise to the World 2 dropped, and while the Soundcloud play count suggests otherwise, they snuck by me once more! Well, for 2 days or so at least. This one is looking HOT! Four of the six tracks have dropped, with two more coming tomorrow (DUM DUM GIRLS with an ORIGINAL SONG!).

For starters. The GRMLN track, “Before December (You’re Alive)” has a great vibe that any self-respecting indie rock fan will enjoy (hi, I’m one of those folks). I love the programmed beats with the acoustic guitar. GRMLN’s got a new record out, as well as some great covers on their Youtube channel – check them out.

Deer Tick have written yet another Christmas tune, “White Havoc,” though the melody is crazy familiar. Fuzzy guitars, dark lyrics and instruments that sound as though they are battling for space – love it. When are they just going to bite the bullet and write an fuzz rock Christmas classic record?

I’ve got to say – These Rubber Tracks releases seem to seek out and find great rap Christmas tracks. The Michael Christmas track, “Pleasant Winter,” has a great backing track. I love the mix of nostalgia and getting some – there’s something real there. IamSu! Feat. HBK CJ & 1-O.A.K. bring us “Next Season,” while not terrible, is unfortunately not my vibe. The production, with the autotune and the tin-ny programmed beats are certainly a rap convention… but not one I tend to be attracted to.

The final two tracks are just about as different as you could get. Torreblanca & Iraida Noriega’s “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is the only non-original song on the release… and while its quite nice, the only part that I really got into was towards the very end. The vocals & the music swell in an unexpected way, which was quite nice. The Dum Dum Girls‘ electro-pop “On Christmas” strikes me as a natural progression from the sound of their last album, Too True. Synths dotted that album, lying just under the Jesus & Mary Chain guitars… they just went full-electro on this.

Bottom Line: An even stronger showing than laster year’s generally excellent Noise to the World. 4.6/5

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Saint John and Farmer Jesse “Snowy Evening” (2014)

Saint John and Farmer Jesse

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

Saint John and Farmer Jesse put Robert Frost’s “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” to music, and hot damn if it doesn’t work wonderfully. The whole thing is unexpected – the vocals are a touch gravely, and the music, with the programed beats and the jangling guitar, are far from what you might expect if you were to be presented with the prospect of this song. Internet, feel free to correct me, but in my basic searches (mainly Youtube), there is NOTHING coming close to a treatment like this (at least for this poem). This is just one track off their new, wonderfully-titled Christmas record, Krampus and Clover. Check it out, perhaps other tracks may tickle your fancy the way this did mine.

Bottom Line: I really enjoyed their approach, and while not an original “song,” their choices most certainly are. 4/5

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