Category: Rock

Stubbys House of Christmas

NOMEN NOVUM - GHOST OF CHRISTMAS FUTURE

1/13/2011

Yeah, I can't make out the image, either, but that's the way Nomen Novum made it. Presumably, the ghostly image is a reflection of the song title, "Ghost Of Christmas Future". The experimental rock duo from Atlanta don't disappoint here, if experimental rock, heavy on the synth (not in an 80s sense) is your thing. Me, not so much. On the other hand, the group's latest album, "Go Primal", is also available as a free download from the NN site and free is free, yo, so worth trying it out. "Ghosts Of Christmas Past" can be downloaded free here.

JON EVANS - THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST, PRESENT, AND PARTY!!!

1/11/2011

1. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
2. Christmas Don't Be Late
3. Winter Wonderland
4. I Wish It Was Christmas Today
5. Auld Lang Syne

You may or may not recall that, way back at the beginning of December, we steered you to some downloads from Denver artists Kissing Party and Jon Evans. Checking back to see if the links were still live, we discovered that Mr. Evans had slipped another entirely new Christmas EP past us when we weren't looking. Evans, half of the rhythm section for Indie Rock band Achille Lauro, continues his quirky, deconstructive, experimental Hip Hop Pop re-imaginings of holiday classics. Personally, I think Evans went the wrong way on the now obligatory "I Wish It Was Christmas Today", but he scores well with the rest of the EP--especially "Auld Lang Syne" refitted with new lyrics and a well acted bit of bedroom dialogue between lovers sharing secrets. "The Ghosts Of Christmas Past, Present, And Party!!!" is available free (as is Evans' previous holiday EP) through Hot Congress.

THE AISLERS SET - COLD CHRISTMAS

1/11/2011

The blog Largehearted Boy leads us to this tasty selection from The Aislers Set, made free courtesy of Suicide Squeeze Records just days before Christmas. The Brooklyn band's been around long enough to build a bit of a following and to establish their sound. I think you're going to like "Cold Christmas"--a nice upbeat Indie Pop track reminiscent of all those mid-60s post-Spector pop 45s. Head to Suicide Squeeze to get it free.

WOODEN SHJIPS - O TANNENBAUM

1/8/2011

This tip comes from a longtime friend, Dr. Jim. Wooden Shjips is a minimalist psychedelic rock band from the San Francisco scene. Earlier, they were selling two holiday tracks on a limited edition cassette. But, once the cassette sold out, the group put "O Tannenbaum" and "Auld Lang Syne" up as free downloads on their web site. All proceeds from the sales went to San Francisco food banks and the group says, if you're feeling charitable, please make your donations to such organizations in your local community.

EXOHXO -EXOHXMAS II

1/1/2011

1. It Never Snows (featuring Michele Khazak)
2. Christmas Wrapping (featuring Shenandoah Davis)
3. Thanks For Christmas
4. Merry Christmas

In 2009, this Seattle based nine-piece Indie pop/rock group released a pleasant little holiday EP--"Exohxmas"--and, for 2010, they continued the tradition. Unlike many movie franchises, the sequel was imminently more satisfying. Both efforts have a decided charm about them, but "Exohxmas II" sounds better produced and less thrown together (it was recorded in under a week, so you know its good). And the song selection, here, is brilliant. Exohxo covers The Waitresses, XTC and INXS (a little known fan club single from 1984), topping it all off with an original selection that, somewhere down the road, ought to be covered by multitudes of artists--from jazz vocalists and American Idol wannabes to pop and rock bands seeking a pretty, mid-tempo ballad that hasn't been driven into the ground. "It Never Snows" has the kind of haunting quality of some of the better rock-era Christmas songs ("I Believe In Father Christmas" comes to mind). Certainly lesser songs have fared as well. "When does hope become distraction? When does joy become the rule? So the year didn't turn out how you wanted. Give it a week and you can start anew." I even dig the cover art. Pick up both Exohxo Christmas EPs free at Bandcamp. And prepare for the 2011 edition: "Exohxmas III: The Wreath Of Khan". Damn, that's going to be tough not to steal.

THE BEATLES - 1963 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

12/31/2010

A big tip o the hat to Mistletunes for unearthing this one. Like so many things on iTunes, this is impossible to find even IF you're specifically looking for it. After I got the news at Mistletunes, oh boy, I tried every search term I could in the actual iTunes player, but this one never showed up. Only by clicking on the "view in iTunes" link in the page provided by Mistletunes was I able to reach and download this one. Some downloaders are complaining that this was edited from the original. I have the original bootleg and I'll give them a comparison at some point. For now, I'm just happy to see any of this stuff seeing an official release and the digital light of day. You know iTunes, so I wouldn't count on The Beatles 1963 Christmas Message being free (or even around) for long (they show it with a release date of 12/23), so pick it up immediately.

BROTHER - NEW YEAR'S DAY

12/31/2010

You've only got a couple of days to grab this one, so run, do not walk, to This Feeling (UK) and download "New Year's Day" by Brother. This is not the Celtic/Rock Fusion group of long standing, but rather a newer dynamic rock band out of the UK who refer to their sound as "gritrock". Considered one of the top bands to watch in 2011, this group from Slough has a song or two on Soundcloud for download. But as noted, "New Year's Day" is only available for a couple of days, beginning today, so grab it fast. And check out the promo video for the song over at NME.

MATT TRAWINSKI (HANDS ON THE STEREO) - MISS CHRISTMAS

12/31/2010

Northern New Jersey's Hands On The Stereo describe themselves as a "Happy Hardcore Band". Forming, originally, in 2008, it's fair to say they're new to the game, but Hands On The Stereo is growing their popularity rapidly by performing at every opportunity and giving away some music for free through Bandcamp. Check out the group's self-titled EP, in particular the song "Can't Stop Kids Like Us", to get a feel for this melodic pop punk band. "Miss Christmas" is technically credited to drummer and vocalist Matt Trawinski, though it certainly sounds like he brought the rest of the band with him. Get your hands on this one at the Hands On The Stereo Bandcamp page.

THE CUBICAL - GOLDEN RULE

12/30/2010

Sort of an interesting sound on this Christmas single from Liverpool artists The Cubical. "Golden Rule" incorporates a bit of blues, a bit of folk, some of the band's psychedelic garage sound. In the end, it sounds a bit like the UK version of Americana. My head is tired and I keep hearing "Come On Eileen", so I'll need to come back to this one better rested. You can judge for yourself, though, as the streaming and downloading is free at Bandcamp.

AULD LANG SYNE - CHRISTMAS EVE (WRITHING DAYS)

12/29/2010

Auld Lang Syne / Christmas Eve (Writhing Days) from Kitchen Sessions on Vimeo.

This is pretty cool. A band named Auld Lang Syne with an original Christmas song. And it's no Holly Jolly exercise, either. This 10 minute epic from the Rochester Roots Rock band is pretty much a holiday dirge. At first listen, it appears to be a song about celebrating in the face of endless misery. Perhaps a song about survival and soldiering onward. That's just my initial take, for what it's worth. "Christmas Eve (Writhing Days)" was recorded for the Vimeo Kitchen Sessions and Auld Lang Syne has made it available as a free download through Soundcloud. Just use the widget below.

Christmas Eve (Writhing Days) by Auld Lang Syne