Gone are the days when WXPN's The Key would give us an entire album's worth of Christmas tunes (one a day, sometimes more), or so it seems. But they'll still drop one or two seasonal songs from Philly's best Indie acts--usually in the day or two around Christmas. "It Feels Like Christmas" is a sweet Jazzy shuffle from Ginger Coyle that The Key posted last December 26th. Chances are you weren't hunting down Christmas tunes the day after Christmas. So, if you missed it--as we did--you can still grab it free from WXPN's The Key.
Gone are the days when WXPN's The Key would give us an entire album's worth of Christmas tunes (one a day, sometimes more), or so it seems. But they'll still drop one or two seasonal songs from Philly's best Indie acts--usually in the day or two around Christmas. "It Feels Like Christmas" is a sweet Jazzy shuffle from Ginger Coyle that The Key posted last December 26th. Chances are you weren't hunting down Christmas tunes the day after Christmas. So, if you missed it--as we did--you can still grab it free from WXPN's The Key.
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Not to over think it, but you could see Scandinavian Dream Pop as one branch of the evolutionary tree that grew from the Beatles. Or you could see them as entirely different things. On their holiday EP "All Best Intentions", The Paperback Throne seem to draw equally from those two sources. Yet they label their own music Alt Folk and Folktronica. Now, me, I just like the music. Call it whatever you want. And, although I will usually sample an artist's non-holiday catalog, I didn't do that here. For one thing, I'm tired (hey, just being straight with you). For another, the music on "All Best Intentions" speaks for itself. And it speaks quite well.
The EP opens with a rocking "Resolution", but its track two that I've fallen in love with. "No Mean Christmas" is just a perfect Christmas song. I believe it's actually at least a few years old, but its new to me. The song features an insistent rhythm lying beneath vocals as soft and airy as a dandelion's white floaties. The chorus and instrumental breaks get downright Grunge and Psych, but the vocals remain pretty much on the softer side of Sears. The tune is perfect, just perfect. So I have to wonder how I missed it for two years. And I have to wonder why there wasn't more chatter about it. "One Simple Kiss" is a ballad, a beautiful composition that sounds almost like it came out of a Lennon-McCartney ballad songbook. And "Killin to Killearn" reminds me a bit of George Harrison's "Within You Without You", without the sitars and Indian influence. The Paperback Throne hail from Glasgow, Scotland, and you could just as easily compare their music to that of Indie favorites Low. The group seems to have been fairly quiet in 2015, not posting much to their Facebook or Twitter pages. But they do have a gig later this month (at Bloc in Glasgow so, no, I won't be there). I suspect they just found social media a bit of a drag (as I do--so maybe that's just projection). Grab "All Best Intentions" at Bandcamp and pray the group has some more Christmas music in them.
Nothing different here--just two Christmas classics covered well by a British Rock band. But I don't just like different; I also enjoy a great Rock Christmas song or two done up great by a straight up Rock band. Did I say two? Yes, I did. In addition to "Merry Christmas Everyone", Verses also covered "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" and both are available as free downloads from Soundcloud. Neither were recorded this year. "Merry Christmas Everyone" was originally released in 2013, I believe, and "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" was recorded and released last year. But both disappeared after Christmas in those years. So, for however long they last this go around, it might be a good idea to grab them. And, with any luck, Verses will be back with a new tasty holiday pudding next year. Follow the band on Facebook.
A youngish CCM artist from the tiny town of Celeste Texas, Josh Wright is on his third year of annual Christmas songs. For 2015, Josh has wrapped up his 3 original holiday tunes, tied a bow around them, and placed them under the tree for free downloading via Noisetrade. "Christmas Dream" is clearly the bouncy Pop song of the three and was released, originally, in 2014 (though the EP version is remastered). The new one for this year is "I'm Coming Home", which is fall down beautiful. The strings are marvelous and the song should put anyone in a warm and wonderful holiday mood. And you can listen to the song on a secular level or a spiritual one (It's basically a Prodigal Son tale). And the little bit of "O Holy Night" in there? Genius. Harry Chapin did use "O Holy Night" for his song "Mr. Tanner" (and that, too, was brilliant), but, when Josh sings that line on "I'm Coming Home", you can feel him actually dropping to his knees, laying everything bare. The 2013 Christmas song from Josh was "Christmas Time Is Here" (not the Vince Guaraldi tune). I'm less enamored of that one, though Josh does have a way with melody and imagery that's undeniable. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from Josh--and more from Josh at Christmas time. In the mean time, head on over to Noisetrade for his "Christmas Dream" EP. "Bom Bom Bom" from the Court Yard Hounds was a 2013 holiday single. If you recall, I pretty much missed everything in 2013. I don't know if the other Christmas sites missed it or not. Even if they didn't, might be you would appreciate a reminder of how great this song is. I've no doubt some people avoided the tune on purpose as Court Yard Hounds are two-thirds of the Dixie Chicks. Now, through time and distance, only the complete ideologues still harbor a grudge against the Dixie Chicks (and most of them left Stubbys as soon as I added a link to my Labor Quotes repository). My guess is only the complete ideologues ever held a grudge in the first place (funny how politics was supposed to stop at the water's edge for Bush, but not for Obama. And, with that, the rest of the ideologues just left. Their loss.). The Chicks will be playing and touring together again, this coming year, including a bunch of US dates, if you're interested. The music of Court Yard Hounds was never the music of the Dixie Chicks, though. The sisterly harmonies are fully intact, but the sound is Indie Alt Folk Pop. And this song, "Bom Bom Bom" is not just a great song, but a great Christmas song. It should be a part of everyone's annual holiday playlist. If the name on the label was Low or Over The Rhine, it already would be. I was actually surprised that the song could still be had for free from a two year old post on the Court Yard Hounds website. But it is. It will cost you your email but, hey, what doesn't these days?
If you weren't already aware, our friends at Lie In The Sound have begun their annual Christmas music feast. And that is such good news for all of us. They have impeccable taste (well, they do like us, after all) and they will generally post about a dozen "can't miss" Christmas tunes that everybody else would miss if not for them. Not that their other Christmas posts are cat food--it's all top notch stuff. As I've noted elsewhere, I sometimes choose not to post a song that someone else has posted, or I'll wait a bit, because I want you to visit all of the wonderful sites run by wonderful people. Just coming here is akin to listening to a fifth of a conversation; you won't really get the full panorama of what's available.
Ah, but when one of our Festive Friends posts one of those "can't miss" Christmas songs, we have to tip our hats and share the wealth. And today's example is "Unwrapping You" from Stereosparks. An Indie Pop Rock duo based in Nashville, Lie In The Sound tells us they used to be Hot Mess Loves You before the name change last year (and I agree with them that Hot Mess Loves You is a great band name). Apparently, Hot Mess Loves You was a trio, so I do wonder what happened to the other guy. Anyway.... "Unwrapping You" was originally released by Hot Mess Loves You in 2013. And, see, we all missed it. It's a romantic pop ballad that put me in mind, immediately, of Roxette (and I'm so glad I came to that conclusion before reading Lie In The Sound's write-up, because I sometimes wonder if I know what I'm talking about). I really dug Roxette, back in the day, so that's definitely a feature and not a bug for me. I also felt a dash of Jason Mraz in there. (OT, but Roxette were oddly done in by their biggest hit, "It Must Have Been Love" which, even more oddly, was originally a Christmas song; Roxette has said that the pressure of repeating the success of that song was crushing.) This go around, "Unwrapping You" is merely an entree as Stereosparks promises they'll be adding more holiday music throughout December--all available as free downloads. So far, their playlist also includes "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and we hear "Last Christmas" is coming at some point. So keep your eye on the Stereosparks Soundcloud page and Facebook as the holiday approaches. Oh, and keep your other eye on Lie In The Sound. I love those guys.
On the front page, you'll see that the new XO compilation (Volume VIII) is out. The Winter Sounds aren't on all of them, but they're on quite a few. But whether they appear on "XO For The Holidays" or not (some years, they run a little late), they're usually good for an annual Christmas song. Unbeknownst to me, they have also collected up many, if not all, of their Christmas songs, in a handy collection. And you can download them free. The songs may have to be downloaded individually (look for the little downward arrow), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. See which ones you've already got on an XO collection and download the ones you don't got. Right? Not a bad song in the lot. Use the widget above or head for Soundcloud.
Certain genres of Christmas music are available in abundance as free downloads. And (I think) that's a very good thing. But I'm always on the lookout for the sounds that are harder to find free. Man does not live on Indie Rock and Folk Pop alone and I try to bring you a more well-rounded buffet to tickle ever inch of your musical tastebuds when I can. Half Mile Home is a Gospel trio from Ohio who have successfully bridged the gap between traditional Gospel and contemporary Soul. "The Gift of Christmas" was released as a single in 2013 and, last year, the group made the song available as a free download via Soundcloud. "The Gift of Christmas", Half Mile Home wants you to know, isn't pretty lights, parties and presents under the tree. The true gift of Christmas is love. And God's love was gifted in the birth of his only son, Jesus Christ. It's a gift that's there for you to be had at any time, even if we officially only set aside one day a year the celebrate that gift. And that's what Christmas is really all about, Charlie Brown. Both soulful and spiritual, "The Gift of Christmas" is a nice change of pace from a lot of the seasonal silliness we revel in (not that I don't love seasonal silliness), so this song is a nice addition to your holiday library and playlist. Grab it from Soundcloud before someone realizes you can still download it free. And pay these Gospel greats a visit at their website and Facebook page to stay current on the beautiful music they make. I'm still kinda waiting (if I didn't miss it somehow) for a full Christmas album from Half Mile Home. I have faith we'll get one, one day.
I don't know how this group has escaped me for all these years (and, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure that they did...lacking a proper site search engine and all). But, man, am I ever glad I finally found them.
Lorna is a UK Dream Pop group who have been together since the late 90's. The six-piece outfit are fiercely independent, recording their songs "live" in their own home studio and playing out seldom. As the musical trendiness of the industry as a whole blows better known acts to and fro--trying to keep up and somehow always a step behind--Lorna just keeps doing what they do...turning out little masterpieces and hypnotic slices of heaven. Vocals are provided by the husband and wife team of Marc Rolfe and Sharon Cohen-Rolfe. And instrumentation includes flute and viola, as required (I'm a sucker for that sort of thing). Their most recent full album release is just out--"London's Leaving Me"--and that's another gorgeous set. The song "Like Alistair Sim" from that album was last year's contribution to a Christmas charity effort, "Christmas In Slab Square" (another great album we missed last year and available for streaming on Soundcloud). The band draws comparisons to Belle & Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub and even the Cocteau Twins. But Lorna is in a class all their own. If those others are painting masters, Lorna is Rembrandt. This really is the most freaking beautiful stuff you've ever heard. The songs on this collection were recorded in 2005, 2010 and 2012. When Lorna records their Christmas music, its always a charity effort. But, being as the newest songs here are from three years ago, they're currently available as straight-up free downloads. The last two songs on the Soundcloud playlist can be downloaded free via Bandcamp. Lorna doesn't need to go the obvious route--sleigh bells and kitchen sink production--to make you think "Christmas"; the songs just feel like Christmas...a bit of sadness, a dash of hope. This is what Christmas Dream Pop should sound like. It's like watching individual snowflakes fall to the ground in perfect slow motion. I give credit to any band willing to offer up a song for Hanukkah, as Lorna does with "Shalom Chaverim". But my personal favorites are "The First Person To Arrive" and "Building Beautiful Buildings". Try those two and tell me you haven't just discovered new levels of joy (and possibly sadness) in your Christmas soul. |
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. Archives2010 FREE List Categories
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