Category: Alt Pop

Stubbys House of Christmas

BROOKE D - NEW YEARS BLUES

12/29/2015

We were doing Blues on the front page today, so I stumbled across "New Years Blues" by Brooke D, a native of the California coast currently based in Portland, Oregon (I think). Oddly enough, this tune isn't (strictly speaking) Blues. It's a cappella Folk Jazz. What it is is interesting and different. And you know that "different" is one of my favorite words. "New Years Blues" is from Brooke's 2011 EP "A Kinder Winter" and you can download all three tunes free from Bandcamp. Dig around and you'll find a live version that's also free. Brooke is currently working on a real honest to goodness album which hopefully sees the light of day in 2016.

VARIOUS - IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME, MR. FALCON!

12/25/2015

I've had this discussion before. For the generation before mine, the Christmas movie was "A Christmas Carol" with Alistair Sim. For my generation, it was "It's A Wonderful Life". For the generation after mine, it's "Christmas Story". So what is it for the next generation? Some will answer "Christmas Vacation" or "Home Alone" or "Elf". "Elf" is too recent anyway, so you can rule that one out. The correct answer is "Die Hard". And, with this just released Christmas tribute to the 1988 action thriller, I now have proof. Don't give me polls that say that nearly two-thirds of Americans don't think "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie at all. How bout you just ask the specific generation that's making the choice? The generation that has chosen "Die Hard" as their Christmas movie doesn't care what the rest of us think about it.

"It's Christmas Time, Mr. Falcon!" is ten tracks of retro Synth Pop goodness that take you right back to movies from the eighties. Truthfully, as often as not, these songs more recall "Beverly Hills Cop" than "Die Hard" (no surprise, since the Retro Promenade label also released a comp paying tribute to Harold Faltermeyer, the man who scored those Eddie Murphy flicks, earlier this month). But the two tracks from Who Ha--the only vocals on the collection--clearly come from the "Die Hard" generation and likely inspired the set's theme. They're also easily the best tracks on the set.

"It's Snowin" sounds like a cross between Tears For Fears, Men Without Hats, and Simple Minds. Though it's essentially a one-line song that lasts over six minutes, it works. But "Merry Christmas To Me" is the song that lays out all the love for John McClane and the "Die Hard" franchise, while specifically dissing all the other Christmas movie pretenders ("Jingle All The Way", "The Santa Clause", "Home Alone").

"John McClane became a hero on my TV screen. That was Christmas to me." That's all they needed to say.

Kondrath's "Solemn Holiday" is also excellent. "Yuletide" by Jurgen Desmet fits the "Die Hard" theme and also sounds sufficiently Christmasy. The one fly in the ointment for me was Dress 2 Kill's "Slopestyle" which gave me a headache.

"It's Christmas Time, Mr. Falcon" is free from Retro Promenade on Bandcamp. And, if you look around a bit, you'll find 2013's "It's Christmas Time!" and last year's "It's Christmas Time Again!"--also free. Although I would advise them to stop using the exclamation point as I think JEB! has ruined that forever.

CHELSEA TERRACE - CHRISTMAS SKY (MIDNIGHT EDITION)

12/24/2015

I honestly don't know a thing about music (oh...you knew that already), but I do know what I like. And this sweet little instrumental from the Japanese brother and sister Indie Dream Pop/Toy Pop duo Chelsea Terrace is something I like. It's a more or less Ambient piece, partially inspired by the film The Polar Express and featuring strains of "Jingle Bells" and "Silent Night". And, if Google translate is to be trusted, it's part of an album the group is working on for next year--"The Electrical 7 Suite". And it's free via Soundcloud.

Now, as if that wasn't cool and Christmasy enough (or, for that matter, Japanese enough), Chelsea Terrace released a Christmas song last year, as well. "Goodbye Christmas" is a vocal tune that appeared on the group's "Telescope Future" CD (which is sold out, so don't bother looking for it). Some people are enchanted by the way French ladies sing (I get it; very sexy), but I love the sound of Christmas music sung by Japanese women. Don't know why, don't understand a word; it just strikes me as so delicate and beautiful. "Goodbye Christmas (Shooting Star Mix)" --with vocals and guitar by Mayumi, I believe--is also a free download from Chelsea Terrace on Soundcloud.

BULLETTE - CHRISTMAS LIGHTS (I ONLY LIGHT UP WHEN YOU'RE AROUND)

12/19/2015

So I got an email from Monika Bullette a few days back, alerting me to her new Christmas song, "Christmas Lights (I Only Light Up When You're Around)". And I'm thinking, "I know that name."

Way, way, waaaayyy back....when the Internets were young.....in the dark ages.......you know, like around 2004, Monika had a free Christmas song on her site that she'd done with Hangnail Phillips. The song was "The Finest Gifts" and I thought it was just about the most beautiful and perfect Christmas song I'd ever heard. I didn't really start trolling the Internet for free downloads until 2005, so Monika was one of, if not my very first. You always remember your first.

Thereafter, Monika Bullette's site was one of my first destinations in the annual Christmas music hunt. And she usually had something new to offer for the season. After that, she hooked up with the Sky Drops. And the Sky Drops dropped "Christmas Feels Like Halloween" in 2010 or 2011 and "Christmas Time Is Here" in 2012 (both still free on the Sky Drops web site, btw). And then my Mom got sick and I didn't hear anything about or from Monika until that email the other day.

Monika Bullette's new Christmas song for 2015 is a demo, so it's got a bit of a raw feel to it. Nothing wrong with that; I dig raw. But Monika was also kind enough to post several other Christmas songs--all available to download free on Soundcloud--filling in those missing years for me. AND she posted "The Finest Gifts" again. Ah, Monika, you remembered. That was our song (sorry, was that too stalkerish?). And, if you never have before, cats and kittens, you have to hear this one.

SASHA BROWN - CHRISTMAS MORNING

12/19/2015

London based singer/songwriter Sasha Brown is known for producing delicious Electro Pop that is not just candy to the ears and fuel for dancing feet, but also has some emotional depth via generally excellent lyrics. Last year, Sasha gave us a video of "Santa Baby" which was't all that different or memorable. Of course, covering "Santa Baby" these days is a bad idea from the outset. Just sayin'. This year, Sasha delivers her own "Christmas Morning" and what a difference a year makes. This is the kind of Christmas tune you can live with for a while--the kind of tune that says we'll be hearing from Sasha for many years to come. The song's original title was "Sunday Morning", but Sasha decided to re-title and rework it and that turned out to be a great move. There's a video coming soon, but the free download is already here via Soundcloud.

DENMARK + WINTER - AND IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN

12/18/2015

I give up. Denmark + Winter is a ghost. There is not one useful piece of information about them on the Internet. Nothing. They might be from Denmark, or at least they post a lot of pictures of Denmark on Facebook. Or perhaps their names are Denmark and Winter. For all I can tell, they could be Abbott & Costello from Patterson, New Jersey. They've had a lot of songs--usually re-imagined versions of popular hits--placed in television shows. Facebook tells you nothing. Soundcloud tells you nothing. Their official website doesn't have any information of any kind. Their label has even less information about them, as if that could be possible. And any review appearing anywhere begins, "I can't find out a single thing about this band, but...." I could swear that we'd featured them here before, but I can't find that either. I give up. I want to go hang myself, now, for an entire day wasted.

Ah, but then I hear the beautiful music and I can't step away. Truly, if there is something worth living for, it must be this glorious sound. It's rich and lush, with vocals that are of the angels. All is forgiven, whoever you are.

Denmark + Winter has an entire Christmas album out, which completely escaped my attention until I came across this free download on Souncloud tonight. "The Holiday Collection" is 13 tracks long, with re-imaginings of your holiday favorites and a few new songs (I highly recommend their version of Have Yourself A "Merry Little Christmas"). "And It's Christmas Time Again" is another song about missing loved ones who are gone. Either its a popular theme this year or its just kinda close to home for me these days. You can download "And It's Christmas Time Again" on Soundcloud. But, let's be honest. You really are going to need this whole album in your arsenal. Find it at Amazon and iTunes.

RICKIE LEE JONES - CHRISTMAS IN NEW ORLEANS

12/18/2015

I'm pretty sure we gave you the heads up earlier this year that Rickie Lee Jones' new album, "Other Side Of Desire", contained the song "Christmas In New Orleans". Well, Rickie Lee is including that song with two other of her Christmas recordings as free downloads from her web site. The other two--"Oh Holy Night" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"--have been around a while longer, so we gave the title above to the new one (and, yes, "Oh Holy Night" is the one recorded with the Chieftans). Rickie has been offering her Christmas songs off and on for years ("Christmas In New Orleans" bumped "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"). At one time, you could even buy a physical disc (a CD-R, IIRC) of the Christmas tunes from her web site. Now the thing to remember with Rickie's free Christmas downloads is there is no set schedule for their availability. They might be gone by the time I post this or they could last through Christmas. Some years Rickie has offered them for just a couple of days (like, honestly, two days) and then they're gone. So, if you don't already have them, head to Rickie's web site without delay. The version in the video was recorded at/for WFUV. The free download is from the album.

TUMULTO - RIVER

12/18/2015

Hey, we get to stick another pin in the Christmas travels map. Although Tumulto is originally from Italy, the DJ/musician and visual artist recorded this for the Greek Fytini label last year. Tumulto has done some work here and there and produced the records of other artists. He's now believed to be working on his debut album.

In the midst of recent economic turmoil in Greece, Fytini issued a 44 track long Christmas concept album last year, "XMAX". I have a few Greek Christmas records in my collection (mostly stuff that was done at one time or another in the Eurovision competitions, then released commercially)--good stuff. So I rushed to download the collection without previewing it first. Let me potentially save you some time. Unless you're into the farthest of the far out--recordings of coughs, sneezing and flushing toilets, and spoken word pieces delivered over the most discordant sounds, there's not much to be done with the bulk of "XMAX". The periodic narrations are actually quite interesting but there isn't as much music as you'd think on a 44 track album and not much of it makes me feel like Christmas. Buried in "XMAX", however, is Tumulto's cover of Joni Mitchell's "River" and that one should be welcome in any holiday collection. Tumulto's Electro Pop rendition retains all of Joni's intended sadness and beauty, and may even add a level or two more.

Tumulto's "River" is included in Fytini's "XMAX", which is free for the taking on Bandcamp. Grab the song (track 34) or the whole album (but preview first...just sayin').

GINGER COYLE - IT FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS

12/17/2015

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.

VARIOUS - A POLAROID FOR CHRISTMAS 2015

12/15/2015

01) Alice Bisi (Oh, Alice) - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
02) Hund - I'll Be Stoned For Christmas (Dent May cover)
03) Naughty Betsy - All I Want For Christmas (Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover)
04) Barbados - Just For A Place In Your Heart
05) Elizabeth Morris (Allo Darlin) - The Season (Padda remix)
06) OAK - Holiday (The Get Up Kids cover)
07) Husky Loops - Shy Guy
08) Baseball Gregg - Cyber Monday
09) Steven Lipsticks And His Magic Band - Christmas Thieves
10) Boys Age - Hey Oooh
11) X-Ray Picnic - Northern Exposure
12) Flood Regions - Leprechaun On The Moon
13) Yellow Yonder - The Runner
14) mesic - A Long December (Counting Crows cover)
15) RACE - Jesus Was A Communist (Reagan Youth cover)
16) Iron Only - Airplanes
17) SMASH - Switching Light
18) Qlowski - I Do not Wanna Be Capitalized
19) Wolther Rabbitt - Then there are secrets between us (demo)
20) Homelette - Song For U
21) Le Man Avec Les Lunettes - 15 Dollars For A Sandwich
22) Dj Bitterness - I Get Drunk Like Pizzul Because It's Xmas Without You

Isn't that one of the best things you've ever heard? I don't even know if its a Christmas song. And I don't even care. And they're from Japan, believe it or not. Just wow. Mind blown.

A lot of our annual gifties have gone away. No Santastic this year. No Suburban Sprawl. No Alternate Root. No Cigar Box Nation. And this will be the last year for our annual present from Beta Radio.

On the bright side, we still have Sofia Talvik's annual Christmas song, our stocking stuffer from Joe Algeri (the JAC), and the always superb collection from XO Publicity.

My all-time favorite, though has to be "A Polaroid For Christmas". And they're back again this year with one of their biggest and best. Polaroid is an Italian music blog and, every year, the host of the blog asks bands and artists from all over the world if they might like to do a Christmas song--cover or original (or at least a song to keep one company whilst trimming the tree). And from that simple request comes some of the absolutely, hands down, no question BEST Indie Christmas music you will ever hear anywhere. Every year! It's unbelievable how good this stuff is. Some will make it into the circuit via Bandcamp or Soundcloud, but many/most will not. And it's free to download. Every year! We are truly living in blessed times (well, as far as free Indie Christmas music goes). There's always a little something for everyone--nice little Indie Pop tunes, Shoegaze, Electronica, LoFi Indie Rock, Alt Folk, Dream Pop, Punk Country...seriously, they'll run the gamut.

Now...it's getting a bit late and, normally, I'd just go later and break it down for you. But Mrs. Katz (not her real name) has another doctor's appointment tomorrow (Shhh. I didn't tell her this time), so I need to get to bed. And, to tell you the truth, I listened to this whole thing and, if I were to list my favorites, I'd be listing about 20 of the 22 tracks. So I'm going to let you find your own favorites (it's all free, after all). I will mention my very, very favorites real quick--tracks 1, 5, 10, 11, 20 and 21. Go get the whole shootin' match from Polaroid. And should you find yourself wanting to dig deeper into the artists and their music (like Boys Age up there), Polaroid has everything all linked up for you.