| | El Toro is not from Liverpool, in spite of the name of the single. They're actually domestic. But, when the Power Pop band set out to record a Christmas single this year, they thought, well, why not emulate one of the greatest and most influential bands ever and that wonderful Abbey Road studios sound? We've all heard the Fab Four and other Beatle-esque holiday bands, but this is something else entirely (in my humble opinion). And quite frankly, I think El Toro pulls it off quite nicely. It's more about the George Martin styled production and effects than anything. But both "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "O Holy Night" have that rich, full, psych infused Abbey Road sound. For my money (which, you know, its a free single so...), "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" works from start to finish. "O Holy Night", in some of the early moments, sounds a bit gimmicky, but finishes triumphant. In a mixtape, I'd be more likely to use the former. Two cool songs from a cool band and its free from Noisetrade. And, if you like what you hear, last year's El Toro Christmas song, "Merry Christmas Everybody" is still free on Soundcloud or Noisetrade (though not in the Abbey Road style, per se). |
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 Austin's Melat (does anybody in that town have a job that's not part of the music industry) is driving towards stardom and made great strides in 2014. She combines Soul with Alt Pop for a distinctive sound. Her Christmas songs are drenched in sincere sentimentality, which is an awkward way of saying they're gorgeous. "I'll Be Home For Christmas" was her 2013 Christmas gift. 2014's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" was even more beautiful, but "Home For Christmas" is a free download and "Merry Little Christmas" isn't. I hate streams, but, since we do have one download, I'll include Melat's 2014 Christmas song as well. You can find them both on Soundcloud.  Sugardrum is the performance name for the Britain's Indie Acoustic performer Nigel Bunner. Bunner is a multi-instrumentalist but, for his annual Christmas gifts, he tends to go solo guitar. On his Soundcloud feed, you'll find a few of his past Christmas efforts--"Winter Wonderland", "Silent Night", "Let It Snow"--but here's the thing. All played together, you kind of drown in that mellowness. Some times, that's a good thing. But, for mixtapers, you're likely going to want to use just one song. And Nigel's approach and sound worked best for me on this year's free download "Last Christmas" (a slightly different mix is also further down the Soundcloud feed). Anyway, that's my opinion, for what it's worth. And slowing the song down, as Sugardrum does, is much more in keeping with the subject matter of the lyrics.
 Was a time when I used to be very keen at picking up the annual Christmas songs from Garage Rockers Thee Fine Lines. 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.... And then I kind of lost track of them. I couldn't find anymore Christmas songs from Thee Fine Lines. So I just kind of figured they'd split up or maybe got tired of doing Christmas songs. Nope. They were still doing a Christmas song a year, apparently. And, last year, they put them all together in one handy dandy Bandcamp download called "Seasonal Songs". So somebody may have covered it last year, but I wasn't here.
Now, if my math is correct, they've got a Christmas song up there for every year from 2004 - 2013. None for this year. Yet. They do say they tend to record their annual Christmas song right before Christmas. So there is still time. Doesn't much matter to me right now because there are six songs here I haven't yet heard. And it's always a blast to hear "Nothin' But Tears Under My Christmas Tree" again. So go help yourself to some of the finest raw Rock Christmas music you'll ever hear. As Bluto from "Animal House" would say, "don't cost nothin'."  Now, if you are going to do a Novelty record (see below), make it a Blues. Making use of what seems to be a common theme this year, Santa is wasted, yo. Not his fault. All he did was eat the cookies they left for him. He should have checked his GPS, though, as he was in Colorado at the time. I don't care; I just dig hearing any Christmas Blues. "Mile High Santa" was recorded in New Jersey's Woodrock Studios and here's the lineup of Woodrock's Half Baked Christmas Band: C. Verderosa - Bass Pat "Slydell" Ruh - Rhythm Guitar & Slide Guitar John "JB" Bergen - Lead Guitar Jenny "Cat" Ketrow - Lyrics, Wurli & Hammond organ Mike "The Snake" Wojik - Drums Carlos "C'Dawg" - Vocals Charlie "Turkey Leg" Saraceno - Piano I don't know if other recording studios release an annual Christmas song but, apparently, Woodrock does. Here's last year's Hard Rock version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Pat Ruh, who plays on "Mile High Santa" as well, provides the lead guitar here. The other players are uncredited. Use the widget thingys or visit Woodrock Studios' Soundcloud Feed for the free download(s). It ain't always easy to find good Christmas Jazz that's also free. But there's, for sure, some out there. James Oakwood makes a lot of music in a lot of different styles, but I dig this Jazzy Bluesy Funky holiday groove from the Oak Man. "Minutes After Midnight" is all the more remarkable when you realize that that's all him, all the instruments and vocals. Ah, the marvels of modern technology. Technically, "Minutes After Midnight" was last year's James Oakwood Christmas single. This year's track is "Xmas Hamper", much more a Progressive Rock deal, but also plenty good. Its Christmas. So remember to feed your head. And James Oakwood's Christmas songs are a nice way to do that. "Minutes After Midnight" is free on Soundcloud. "Xmas Hamper" is free on ReverbNation.  Though I know some Christmas compers run right down to the wire (and, of course, we're all always on the hunt), we have reached the point of the season where most folks are just looking for great stuff to listen to. Music that makes you feel good, music that sounds like Christmas.
"The Heart Of Winter" is a 2013 album from Lia Rose. The hard copy CDs are long sold out, sadly. I wasn't around last year, so I missed it entirely. But smile (though your heart is breaking); downloads of this exceptional album are available on a name-your-price basis from Bandcamp. Lia is the real deal and a total package. Her voice is the kind we hear too infrequently--the kind that delivers regardless of the genre, the kind that would be beloved in any era. If you're a dedicated Christmas collector, you may recall Lia's voice from the fantastic version of "Baby Its Cold Outside" from San Francisco Indie band Built For The Sea, released as part of 2007's "A Foggy Holiday, Volume 1". Lia reprises that performance, here, which dispatches all the date-rape creepiness by eliminating the duet part of it. I said Lia's voice would work in any genre and she proves it on "The Heart Of Winter", moving seamlessly from one to another. From Alt Country to Indie Rock to Pop to Jazz to Folk, Lia covers the waterfront. Every style fits her as though tailor-made. There are no poor tracks--this is a collection you can snuggle up to from start to finish (and then hit repeat)--but "That Time Of Year" is the cream that rises to the top, the tastiest marshmallow in this cup of hot cocoa. From the first notes of this Alt Country original, you recognize that "That Time Of Year" will endure...destined to be a future standard of the season. Unfortunately, it won't let me embed that song (so you get "Baby Its Cold Outside" instead). As most exceptional albums will do, "The Heart Of Winter" is likely to leave you wanting more. Well, we might be able to scratch that itch. Lia Rose posted a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" in October and its also available as a "name-your-price" download on Bandcamp. "Imagine" has long been popular in the Christmas season and, in the afterglow of "The Heart Of Winter", Lia's cover makes a fine after-dinner aperitif.
 1. East of Tennessee (From Colony of Bees) 2. The Song the Season Brings (From The Songs the Season Brings: Vol 1) 3. Winter Eclipse (From The Songs the Season Brings: Vol 2) 4. Either Way (From Seven Sisters Deluxe Edition) 5. O Holy Night (From The Songs the Season Brings: Vol 1) 6. Once This Year (From The Songs the Season Brings: Vol 3) 7. Brother, Sister (From Seven Sisters Deluxe Edition) 8. On the Frame (From Colony of Bees)
 1. Christmas Morning 2. Our Favorite Christmas Movie 3. Christmas Sleep 4. Meet Me Where The Lights Shine Bright 5. North Pole Vault 6. Meet Me Where The Lights Shine Bright (Reprise) Since I wasn't hardly around, last year, I missed the release of this supremely superb Christmas EP from Ian McGlynn, cleverly titled "North Pole Vault" (I'm guessing he was watching Vana spin the letters one day when that came to him). It paid off for me, in the end, because now its free on Noisetrade. If you haven't heard this yet, Ian McGlynn sounds a bit in the Sufjan Stevens vein, but dreamier. Every track on the set could stand tall on its own, but "Our Favorite Christmas Movie" is the cut you'll want it for.
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