Eyes Lips Eyes used to be known as Elizabethan Report. And the Californian band was originally based in Utah. Details, details. What matters is the music and Eyes Lips Eyes does it good. They've basically taken the New Wave sound of the 80s and made it new and they've taken the Indie sound of today and given it a mainstream makeover. What you'll hear in "Slept In Through Christmas" is highly accessible pop rock with a catchy beat and good energy. It's not the most Christmasy of Christmas songs, but its fresh and original. And, anyway, I'm happy to have stumbled across Eyes Lips Eyes for my future non-holiday listening pleasure. Oh, and I love the video. To download "Slept In Through Christmas" go to the band's Nimbit page and, where it says "enter promotional code", enter NewYearsSLC then hit the green "redeem" button and check out.
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Our friend Ken Kessler at The Sounds Of Christmas alert us to this freebie. The Indie rock group out of Atlanta, Death On Two Wheels, placed a song on Ken's compilation "Sounds Of Christmas, Volume 2" earlier this season. Feeling festive, I guess, they recently dropped their version of "Jingle Bell Rock" on us. And they're giving it away at Bandcamp. Death On Two Wheels slow the song down some and give it a bit of a southern rock accent. I'm not a big fan of "Blue Christmas" the song--their contribution to TSOC2--but I can definitely get behind "Jingle Bell Rock" in almost any arrangement. Head to Bandcamp and have your email address handy. 1. Brandon Setta - From A Bedroom On The Hill 2. Run Forever - Silent Night 3. Shivers - I Never Liked Christmas Music 4. Alex Rochette (Louder Than Bombs) - Arctic 5. Koji - Placeholders 6. Jacob Clarke - Christmas Eve 7. Alex Lombardi (Settle For Less) - Christmas Song 8. Featherweight - What Christmas Means To Me 9. You Vandal - Stocking Stuffer 10. John Flemming featuring Nick May - Maybe Next Year 11. The Haunted Continents - Long Lonely Year Well, this entry from Either/Or Records is a bit of a mixed bag. Most of these artists come from the Pop Punk field, but this whole collection has a bit of a thrown together feel about it. It's more like an album of raw demos than completed works. In a way, that's fascinating. In a way, it's disappointing. About half the tracks here are emo, which is really hard to take 3 days before Christmas (unless you're just naturally depressed). Some of the mixing is awful--can't even hear the vocals on The Shivers track (although, given the title of their song, maybe they were going for irony). But there are some good tracks as well, poor recording quality aside. Koji is solid, as always. Jacob Clarke does OK with his number. Featherweight gives a real nice finger-snappin' performance on the Stevie Wonder classic. You Vandal's tune is worthy of better production values, but shines nonetheless (profanity aside). And the highlight of "Have Yourself An Either/Or Christmas" for me was easily the closer, The Haunted Continents' "Long Lonely Year"; it was the one song with a fully realized and passionate delivery. It's free at Bandcamp, so help yourself. But, if it weren't, I wouldn't advise spending money for it. British Indie Rock band, with a couple of platinum albums already, did a live acoustic Christmas song within the last day or so; The Editors "Let It Snow" is good enough for them to give away and good enough for you to keep. 1. Jingle, Jingle, Jingle - Living Chivalry 2. How The Grinch Folked Christmas - Cast Before The Break 3. Yule Shoot Your Eye Out - Living Chivalry 4. Christmas Tree - Cast Before The Break 5. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Living Chivalry 6. Silent Night (Reprise) - Cast Before The Break DOWNLOAD THROUGH MEDIAFIRE TJ Foster, of The Cast Before The Break, and Ben Hemingway, of Living Chivalry, pooled their Christmas efforts this year into one free 6 song holiday download. Ben's music tends toward Indie Rock and Pop Punk, bordering on Power Pop, while TJ is more of an Alt Folk performer, if this set is any indication. By alternating tracks, the set actually works incredibly well (and gives me an excuse for colorizing the track list). I'd love to point you to highlights, but this was a great EP from start to finish. For Living Chivalry, I guess I'd have to say "Baby It's Cold Outside" was especially tasty. And, for Cast Before The Break, it's hard not to cite the Folk Rock re-construction of Lady Gaga's "Christmas Tree" as a cut above. But, really, this EP's an excellent listen straight through. And it's free. Download "Regifted, Volume 1" through the generously provided Mediafire link. And, before I go, a big shout out to my peeps in Oneonta, New York, which Ben lists as his home town and it was mine, too. Ireland's Clockwork Noise get all wrapped up in Christmas. For the second year in a row, the rock band is laying some seasonal spice on y'all with a free Christmas download and video. This year's effort is a cover of Mud's classic "Lonely This Christmas". You can download it free from the band's home page. The boys take the ballad in a Power Pop direction rather effectively. Look a little deeper in the Clockwork Noise archives for 2009's lo-fi take on "Blue Christmas". I have a weakness for Boston bands, having developed the taste when I went to college there. So when I saw the blog Chromewaves mention the Boston band Wheat had a Christmas record, I was on the case immediately. Wheat is an Indie Rock outfit and they've been kickin' it since 1996. For the "A" side, Wheat tackles the standard "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and I liked their take a lot, though I can't really describe it well. There's a bit of ELO styled vox and a synth orchestra before the band launches into their rock and slightly psychedelic take. Anyway, it's very nice and perhaps someone else will offer up a better explanation. The "B" side is an original, "It's Snowing, I Love You", and that one's a little stranger, though quite hypnotic. Pick this one up at Wheat's web store. Click on the tiny cover art, hit "purchase now", and check out. Don't worry, it's free. Beach House is an Indie rock duo from Baltimore. They have that sort of "eternally depressed" sound about them that a lot of Indie bands and artists thrive on. Indeed, Beach House is thriving on just that, widely believed to be one of the year's top Indie bands. Still, there's dissent from some quarters where it's believed that expressing only one "mood" or sound is not enough to justify consideration at the top of the heap. It's a delicate balance. Make your sound more mainstream to please one group and risk losing the hard core followers. But these are not disputes for Christmas music collectors to worry about. Short of a future all-time classic, you simply hope for a good song that's representative of a group's sound. And "I Do Not Care For The Winter Sun" is nothing if not representative of the Beach House sound. Personally, I love the tune, but I doubt I could sit through 45 minutes of that. No offense. You can download it free at The Beach House web site. Avant Garde writer and performer Young Jean Lee and her beau, musician Tim Simmonds are, essentially, the group Future Wife. And "I'm Spending Christmas Alone" is the first of several new songs the pair plan to record and release in the run-up to the opening of Lee's one-woman show this coming April. Truthfully, I don't know art. But I know what I like. And I like "I'm Spending Christmas Alone"--about as upbeat an anti-Christmas anthem as you're likely to hear, full of the kind of Indie deconstructive wall-of-sound whimsy that made "Christmas Is Cancelled" by The Long Blondes such a memorable recording. "I'm Spending Christmas Alone" is available as a free download in two versions, one with and one without profanity. Get it here. 1. By Divine Right: ‘Mall Santa’* 2. Paper Lions: ‘Jingle Bells’ 3. The Mountains and The Trees: ‘My Favourite Sweater (Happy Holidays)’ * 4. Great Lake Swimmers: ‘Gonna Make It Through The Year’ 5. Ox: ‘Xmas In the Jailhouse’ 6. The Zolas: ‘Snow’ 7. Baby Eagle: ‘Fearfully and Wonderfully’ * 8. Boxer The Horse: ‘Material Xmas’ 9. Adaline & Frederick: ‘Let’s Stay Inside’ 10. Sean Nicholas Savage: ‘Snowflake’ 11. The Russian Futurists: ’100 Shopping Days Till Christmas’ 12. Kashka (Kat Burns of Forest City Lovers): ‘Picture Books In Winter’ * 13. Nat Jay: ‘Green Trees, Red Hearts’ 14. Hooded Fang: ‘Tundra Nights’ * 15. Teen Daze: ‘Medley In D (Holy Holy Holy/ Christmas at Sea/ Goodnight, Sleep Tight)’ * DOWNLOAD AT TLOBF 1. Leif Vollebekk: ‘I’m Be Home For Christmas’ * 2. woodpigeon / Laura Leif: ‘Winter Song’ * 3. Snailhouse: ‘Believer’ * 4. Evening Hymns: ‘Just Like Christmas’ * 5. Ruth Minnikin: ‘Fur Elise’ 6. Superfantastics: ‘Northern Lights’ 7. Steve McKay: ‘Sounds Like Christmas’ 8. The Weather Station: ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ * 9. The Wilderness of Manitoba: ‘We Three Kings’ * 10. The Details: ‘Strings and Ribbons’ 11. Artur Dyjecinski: ‘Christmas’ * 12. Basia Bulat: ‘You Are A Gift’ 13. The Provincial Archive: ‘Coventry Carol’ * 14. Kris Ellestad: ‘Jeg Er Så Glad Hver Julekveld’ * 15. In-Flight Safety: ‘Fairytale of New York’ *Recorded especially for this collection Alright, I'm officially throwing in the towel on this one. I really wanted to give it a thorough listening to, maybe guide you through the good, the bad, and the ugly (if any). But I haven't been able to find the time and, a week out from Christmas, I don't want you should miss out just because I don't prioritize my time well. Maybe by next year, I'll have a complete run-down for you. 30 tracks of very diverse stuff, here, is about the best I can say. I can say "Ho Ho Ho Deux" has been highly recommended to me by others. That's got to count for something, right? And, at the very least, you're going to want that Ox track, if you don't already have it. Great Lake Swimmers and The Details are two bands I know and can certainly recommend. And--holy crap, will you look at that. Volume One is still up and available for free download. 25 more tracks on that one. I ain't never gettin' outta here. On that set, I recognize the Pointed Sticks track; you'll want to have that one, for sure. Get the whole lot and listen when you can. That's all I can say.
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The FREE ListHere we hope to direct you to some of the Christmas music on the web that can be yours absolutely free. We will not direct you to mp3 or sharity sites, here, but only to artist sites, label sites, and other authorized and unquestionably legal locations. ArchivesDecember 22-31, 2010 Categories
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