| 1) Baby, Please Come Home 2) How the Grinch Folked Christmas 3) Mele Kalikimaka 4) One More Sleep 'Til Christmas 5) Santa Claus is Comin' to Town 6) Snowmiser/Heatmiser 7) Christmas Tree 8) Mistletoe 9) Up On the Rooftop 10) All Alone on Christmas |
A Philly based Indie Rock/Indie Folk band, the Accents have been together since 2010 and they've done quite a few Christmas songs over that time, though not always as the Accents. As soon as I heard their cover version of Lady Gaga's "Christmas Tree", I recognized it as something we shared in 2010 (I even had it on the inaugural "Stubbys House Christmas"). That song (as well as "How The Grinch Folked Christmas") were on a free digital EP and billed as being by Cast Before The Break. Loved it then, love it now. "An Accents Family Christmas" is one of those "growing collections" of Christmas songs, where they just keep adding to the set. The newly recorded song for 2014 is "Mele Kalikimaka", which is mighty fine. But its even cooler hearing Folk Pop versions of Justin Bieber and Darlene Love that I hadn't heard before. And covering Kermit The Frog is pretty cool, too. Grab this fine collection from the Accents, free from Noisetrade.
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Soul Shop is a Massachusetts recording studio--all analog. For the second year in a row, Soul Shop gathered up as much of the local talent as they could to cut a holiday album. The New Lights are the Soul Shop house band, and they're joined on the album by a long long list of musicians and vocalists from area bands (if you want to see who is playing/singing on each track, click the "info" buttons). "Christmas Alone With You", unlike its predecessor, contains mostly original material. And the songs range from Americana to Soulful shuffles, to straight up Rock. You'll have to seek out your own favorites, but mine were "Haven't Seen You Since The Summer", which sounds like a 70s soul number, and the Bluesy "Cold Weather Man". Having lived in Massachu for a bit, it was also cool listening to "(It's Not Christmas) 'Til It Snows In Boston" (with Jeremy Lee Given on vocals and keys). And the cover songs, "Jesus Christ" and "Holiday Road" are both excellent. "Christmas Alone With You" is a free Bandcamp download. Once you've checked that, you might want to have a listen to 2013's "Last Month Of The Year". They made 30 hard copy CDs of that one. Though I can't say if any of the CDs remain, the digital download of "Last Month Of The Year" is also free.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the holidays? Here's your anthem. Boston based vocalist Samantha Sinclair says "Chill". She want to skip past all of the holiday drama and hibernate til it passes. My favorite line from the song, and an unfortunate reminder to us all: "Winter's barely started yet". In point of fact, winter hasn't yet started at all and won't until this Sunday. That's a scary thought. "Chill" is mostly about dealing with the holidays post-breakup and its in the mode of the Indie Folk Pop style of, say, A Fine Frenzy. You can get with it if you want to. It's free at Bandcamp.
I don't really know anything about Lesley Jorgensen (or her friends). It appears her father was a songwriter and she discovered relatively late in life (in 2011) that she had a knack for writing songs as well. Whatever. I just think this video for "The Best Bloody Christmas" is bloody delightful is all. Truly. Haters gonna hate, but this makes me smile. And that's bloody worth something. You can download the song for free from ReverbNation or bloody Bandcamp. (One for the road....Bloody!)
A Power Pop guy from way back, Cliff Hillis has also scattered the occasional Christmas song hither and yon. So Cliff is now giving us a "Merry Cliffmas" EP featuring 4 of his holiday specials. "A Day Like Christmas" I know goes way back--a decade or more. "Christmas Wish" (an NRBQ cover) was his Christmas single from last year. I can't say, right now, whether the other two are new or old. But "Christmas Songs Tonight" is the most Power Pop of the selections, here, if that's what you're looking for. The last track, "Honey Badger Christmas" is Pop Novelty. Good stuff, though, all of it. "A Day Like Christmas" has been a favorite of mine for years. I have it on an obscure album, "It's About Christmas", but I think its made an appearance on another comp or two over the years. Check out more of Cliff's music on Soundcloud.
We're big, big fans of Kissing Party at Stubby's. The Denver band could sing the phonebook and I'd be fascinated by HOW they sang the phonebook. And that phonebook song would immediately go into heavy rotation at Chez Stub. I don't know why, but the music of Kissing Party almost always has me smiling. It seems as though Kissing Party releases a free song every December. They aren't always Christmas/Winter tunes, yet they always fit into the holiday mixes like the missing puzzle piece. It just ain't Christmas at my house without them. This year's free single from the group is "My Only One", an energetic Alt Rock/Indie Pop outing that closes with some bells of various types knocking out the familiar notes of "Auld Lang Syne". Even the scratchy record sounds and the needle lift come off as pure genius. Kissing Party, you done done it again. "My Only One" is free via Bandcamp. And, if you don't already have it, make sure to get the "Winter In The Pub" collection of Kissing Party Christmas songs. It's legendary (well, as legendary as a year old digital collection can be). Hey, look at that; they've already added "My Only One" to the collection. Cool.
When you're talking Christmas Indie Folk, they don't come any better than the "Merry Christmas, Good Night" series. The fourth in the series is, as are the earlier collections, available as a free download on Noisetrade.
All 8 songs on "Merry Christmas, Good Night 4" are original. And they're all great. Ny favorites include JackRabbit's "Might Feel Like Christmas" and "Love Is Here" from Elizabeth Hunnicutt. But my absolute favorite by miles is the instrumental "Kaire" by Inman. Without the benefit of vocals, "Kaire" conveys the spiritual side of Christmas completely. I can't really explain it well but, as the track goes through its many changes, I felt completely uplifted in the wonder and awe of the season. Your mileage may vary, of course. But, to me, this was yet another triumphant collection from the Morning and Night people. "Shout For Joy" is from Contemporary Christian artist Lincoln Brewster's 2012 album "Joy To The World". It's an energetic and passionate Pop Rocker worthy of any playlist. Now through December 31st, you can cop a free download of "Shout For Joy" in exchange for your email address on the Louder Than The Music web site. "(Don't Buy A) Ukelele For Christmas" is a cautionary tale from the Severn Ukes. Sure, it seems like a good idea at the time, but all those sleepless nights while the gift getter practices, practices, practices will have you regretting it. The Severn Ukes are an eight-piece UK Uke band. Their delightful Christmas song can be downloaded from their website for free. All the band asks is that you "Like" them on Facebook and maybe leave a comment letting them know how you like the song. Fair enough. And, in fairness, don't blame the band for the "cover art" which was my own concoction, using their logo and a picture of "Truman" from their Facebook site (Truman looks like a distant relative of Mrs. Katz...not her real name). As usual, I've been sifting through piles of crap Christmas tunes, tonight, figuring there's got to be a pony in there somewhere. Dig long enough, you'll find something worth sharing.
I love the Alt Country/Indie Pop sound on "No Christmas (Until You're Coming Home)". Sounds like something that would have been cut in the early 60s. Very cool. The lyrics feel a bit clunky at times, but the sound is so tremendous the song easily overcomes that. Couldn't find out anything about Fredrik Magnusson, except that he's Swedish (I'm starting to think Magnusson is in Sweden what Smith and Jones are in America). Don't care. Love it. "No Christmas (Until You're Coming Home)" is a free download on Soundcloud. There's an earlier Fredrik Magnusson Christmas song at the bottom of his Soundcloud feed. "First Christmas" is from 2012, but you can still download it free if you're so inclined. |
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