Category: Funk

NOAH GUTHRIE - RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER

12/15/2015

One of the tunes we posted last year that got a lot of positive feedback was Noah Guthrie's version of "(Christmas) Baby Please Come Home". Guthrie de-Spectorized the tune and made it a lament. Guthrie has a new Christmas tune out for 2015 and, like its predecessor, it's available as a free download from Noisetrade. On "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", Guthrie's recipe includes a bit of Funk and a dash of Jazz (and maybe even a smidgen of Reggae). Those are the seasonings added to Guthrie's Indie Alt Folk Rock sound. It's interesting. Cool, even. But I'm not sure it's the equal of "(Christmas) Baby Please Come Home". Then again, it's kind of hard to get deep and meaningful singing about reindeer games. Both songs are still free at Noisetrade.

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SHUREE - GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

12/15/2015

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More of these types of things don't work than do. But Shuree's "Go Tell It On The Mountain" is just right. The old Gospel warhorse never sounded so lively as on this House mix. If you're looking for Christmas music to get people movin' and groovin' on the dance floor, you can start right here. "Go Tell It On The Mountain" by Shuree is free on Noisetrade (its livelier than their usual fare, too).

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b3groover - ORGANISSIMO HOLIDAY SAMPLER

12/11/2015

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I love finding good free Christmas Jazz on the 'Nets. It's like....Christmas. And nothing says Christmas like a Hammond B3 organ.

The maestro on the keys is Jim Alfredson. Jim wears many hats and so I'm still shaky on the group name. The widget says it's b3groover, so who am I to say otherwise? But you can also find organissimo as either a group name or album title (or maybe its the label). And then there's Theo, Jim's Progressive Rock band.

Jazz by any other name rarely comes as sweet as this "Holiday Sampler" on Soundcloud. Seven tracks and they're all free. I'm not even going to try to break down the tracks for you. You know good Jazz when you hear it, and this is the Funky goods. Listen, download, listen again.

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LOOSE TAPESTRIES - CAN'T WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS

12/7/2015

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Sometimes, looking for the freebies, you begin to give up hope. *Sigh* There just isn't anything out there to get really excited about. Or so you begin to believe. And you slog your way through hundreds of very bad covers of "Blue Christmas", "White Christmas", and other colors of Christmas that leave you feeling green with illness. And then........IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!! (Cue the choir of heavenly angels.) Something so fresh, so different, so original, so good that it sparkles like the first snow in sunlight and completely restores your faith in the music of the season. God bless us all, everyone!

The group is Lost Tapestries--primarily a partnership between Sergio Pizzorno (Kasabian) and comedian Noel Fielding. They'd thus far released just one record--"The Luxury Comedy Tapes", a "soundtrack" for Fielding's television show--and that was in 2012. Their music combines Rock, New Wave, Psych and Comedy. So you'd have to figure a Christmas record from these dudes would either be bloody brilliant or a total pudding. Well, bloody brilliant it is.

"Can't Wait For Christmas" is somewhere in the ether of Daft Punk, Men Without Hats, KC & THe Sunshine Band, Roy Wood's Wizard, and the Goons. And I know I must be missing more.

Oddly enough, we did report on Lost Tapestries sophomore effort last year. It was expected to drop last year, but didn't. This is the song that features the great actor Idris Elba doing a rap--pretty much off the cuff. At the time, Idris said "I'm telling you, man, this song is a hit." And he was right!!!

Grab this IMMEDIATELY!! It's a free download from Soundcloud. They already blew through their download cap once, so there's no guarantee they won't blow through the second as well. Go! Now! Get it!

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MONKEYS IN LOVE - HO HO HO MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU

12/3/2015

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I'll say up top, there could be profanity in here, but I didn't hear any. So we take the shot.

Monkeys In Love are the UK band that impressed critics with their debut album "The Monkeys In Love Will Pet And Cuddle You" a couple of years back. These days, bands are really into coming up with a whole new genre name to describe their sound and I kind of like that because they know what they do and they're usually spot on about it. Monkeys In Love throw out a whole bunch of such terms, but the one I like is Junk Shop Glam. That really fits.

Their Christmas single, "Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas To You" is probably going to be one of those things you either love or hate and I came out on the love side. I only caught about half of the lyrics, honestly, though I think I'll get more after a few more listens. But, really, it's just that sound that I dig. Don't ask me why I dig the stuff I do. I just do.

"Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas To You" runs over 8 minutes and then ends as suddenly as The Sopranos. And it just works for me, musically. And, while there are certain mixtapes where this is precisely what is called for, I can't honestly say it put me in a Christmas mood. But.... there's something there and I'm drawn to it. And I can't help but wonder.....what kind of mind sits down and says "I'm gonna write a Christmas song" and this is what's in their head? I'm just really curious. Anyway, it's a free download via Soundcloud, at the moment, and there's still time before Christmas to blow someone's mind with this

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CITRUS & KATIE - I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS

11/23/2015

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There are a number of Christmas songs that have been done to the death--songs that were pretty annoying from the jump. "Blue Christmas"? To me, there can be no redemption for that song. The very best and most original arrangements of "Blue Christmas" are (to me), at most, tolerable.

But most of the otherwise overdone and annoying Christmas songs can be saved by a truly original approach. And one such song is "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". The Jimmy Boyd version, of course, sports some retro charm, I'll buy that. And, when I think of that song, my thoughts go immediately to John Mellencamp's version. Well here's another one to tuck in your rolodex.

Citrus & Katie (that would be lead vocalist Katie Howard, I'm guessing) turn "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" into some funky Cosmic Jazz. And its really, really cool. The arrangement grabs you right from the beginning, while Katie's vocals entice you to take this ride all the way. And just when you figure you've lost the Jazz thread a bit, they change the song up on you and, oh, man, at that point, you're a goner for sure. Andre Flores deserves to be singled out for the nimble sax solo on the back end. But all them cats is playing it groovy. And then...they stick the landing with a bit of glockenspiel and the tone of a bell.

The band hails from San Diego and they're as smooth as an ocean breeze. It's a little bit Steely Dan, a little bit Jazz Crusaders, a little bit Parliament, a little bit Psych, a little bit Indie Pop, and a little bit vintage torch singer. You'll find all that and more, if you start unraveling the threads. Just can't understand why you'd do that, though, when--all together--it's such a beautiful tapestry. Citrus & Katie delivered "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" just before last Christmas and I'd advise you to not only grab this one from Bandcamp, but to linger awhile and check out their other stuff (especially the single "Be My Ride"/"Pop Song (Whisper To Me)"). Everything Citrus & Katie have at Bandcamp is available either Free or as a Name-Your-Price. Their music is also up on SoundCloud. Then you can stop by the band's Facebook page and say, "Hello. Where have you been all my life?" They, of course, will promptly notify the authorities and secure a restraining order. So, yeah, best keep it simple and just hit the "Like" button. That'll do.

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NOAH GUTHRIE - RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER

SHUREE - GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

b3groover - ORGANISSIMO HOLIDAY SAMPLER

LOOSE TAPESTRIES - CAN'T WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS

MONKEYS IN LOVE - HO HO HO MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU

CITRUS & KATIE - I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS

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