Category: Indie Folk

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.

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GOLAU GLAU - ADAM LAY YBOUNDEN

12/20/2015

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Wait. Did I know these folks were from the UK? I don't know if I did. I'm an idiot.

Golau Glau is an anonymous collective of artists, musicians and photographers and they can usually be counted upon to release a Christmas EP of fascinating experimental Electronica.

This year, we get a single tune, bit one that remains "free and festive".

"Adam Lay Ybounden" is an Olde English (technically macaronic English) poem from around 1400 AD. It was discovered centuries later among the poems and songs of a wandering minstrel. Since a wandering minstrel's "job" was to "entertain" (thereby earning tips and whatnot), the songs and poems they carried with them would cover a wide range--everything from deeply religious to depraved and bawdy. Most of their pieces, regardless of their subject matter, were delivered as satire and humor. Macaronic English was sort of a mongrel mix of various languages, including Latin. The term, itself, means "dumpling", a food considered "peasant fare".

"Adam Lay Ybounden" is the minstrel's song of Adam following the fall of the Garden of Eden. Adam was condemned to spend "4000 winters" bound in Limbo from his banishment from the Garden until the crucifixion of Christ. "And all this for an apple", the song relates somewhat disdainfully, with the final verse expressing thanks to Jesus for eventually freeing Adam from bondage. At a time when the world was ruled by Kings who did pretty much as they pleased when they pleased--usually at the expense of the serfs and peasants--the tone of the piece was intended for them to relate...in essence: "look how unfair the punishment for the mere theft of a mere apple; praise Jesus for freeing him."

And now that you are asleep from this dissertation of mine, enjoy "Adam Lay Ybounden" from Golau Glau. It's free on Bandcamp.

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

12/19/2015

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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.

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IAN McNAMARA - (ON THE) EVE OF CHRISTMAS EVE

12/18/2015

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I loved this song as soon as I heard it, but I've put off posting it in the hopes of learning more about Ian McNamara. I've come up with nothing. I do not believe this is the same Ian McNamara from Australia. This Ian McNamara is from London. He could be the music teacher Ian McNamara, but there's not enough for me to say yes or no. Doesn't seem to be a website and there are Ian McNamaras beyond the counting on Facebook. And, yes, I also tried "iMC". I give up.

So whoever you are, Ian McNamara, thank you for this lovely Christmas song, "(On The) Eve of Christmas Eve". There's a sort of Peter & Gordon quality to this song (and a necessary message), which is free to download on Soundcloud (as are the other Ian McNamara songs here).

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VARIOUS - A VERY RELEVANT CHRISTMAS

12/17/2015

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1. Sugar and the Hi-Lows, "Jingle Bells"
2. Ellie Holcomb, "Christmas For You And Me"
3. Citizen Shade, "Go Tell It On The Mountain"
4. Evan Wickham, "End Of Exile"
5. Hoyle, "Long Winters"
6. Ben & Nolle, "Angels We Have Heard On High"
7. Citizens & Saints, "Come And Stand Amazed"
8. Kings Kaleidoscope, "O Come All Ye Faithful"
9. Fleurie, "Wake Up (O Night Divine)"
10. Kids, "The Bleak Midwinter"
11. The Modern Post, "What Child Is This (feat. Dustin Kensrue)"
12. The Brilliance, "Christ The Lord Is Born"

1. Sleeping At Last, "I Heard The Bells"
2. Kyle Cox, "Don't Make My Christmas Blue"
3. John Mark McMillan, "Joy To The World"
4. Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, "Hark The Herald Angels Sing"
5. Gungor, "Oh Light (feat. All Sons & Daughters)"
6. Tow'rs, "Auld Lang Syne"
7. Found Wandering, "Lo How A Rose E're Blooming"
8. Andy Squyres, "Here Is Wisdom"
9. Jeremiah Daly, "Away In A Manger"
10. Josh Hoke, "Peace On Earth"
11. Branches, "O Come O Come Emmanuel"
12. The Oh Hellos, Mvmt III, "Silent Night, Holy Night"

If you want to sample a wide swath of CCM--or just listen to a ready-made CCM mixtape, there's the annual collection from the on-line Relevant magazine. They're up to Volume 5, this year, of "A Very Relevant Christmas". It was released in two parts, but its all together now. This is one of those sites where you have to register and then verify your email (or you can "connect with Facebook", which I recommend you never do; Facebook is far too free with the sharing of far too much information for my taste).

"A Very Relevant Christmas, Vol. 5" features lots of artists we've featured before--Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, Sleeping At Last, Sugar & The Hi-Lows, The Oh Hellos, and Found Wandering, to name a few--as well as bands and artists that were new to me and may be to you as well. A couple of bands that were new to me (probably...I go through so much Christmas music, its hard to remember everybody) that I very much enjoyed were Ben & Noile, who provided a splendid up-beat New Wavey Electro Pop take on "Angels We Have Heard On High" and Fleurie, a Nashville based Folk Pop artist/band whose "Wake Up (O Night Devine)" recalled for me the best of that genre (I'd throw out names like A Fine Frenzy or Tori Amos, but my head's a little crowded right now and I'm not sure those are the right names).

Anyway, some good stuff and free (for an email addy). "A Relevant Christmas, Volume 4" is still available, as are some non-Christmas collections. Register at Relevant.

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VARIOUS - A POLAROID FOR CHRISTMAS 2015

12/15/2015

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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.

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NOAH GUTHRIE - RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER

12/15/2015

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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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THE PAPERBACK THRONE - ALL BEST INTENTIONS

12/12/2015

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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.

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ANDY RUCK - MARY CUNNINGHAM (THE CHRISTMAS GHOST)

12/11/2015

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I have to tell you. I'm really missing 2 U I Bestow this year. The proprietor(s) of that fine music blog are taking a break. But that's where I always went to get the best in Irish Indie. Now I've got to fend for myself.

Andy Ruck is a singer/songwriter from Northern Ireland. He doesn't nail himself down to any one genre, but you're not likely to see him writing for AC/DC, I don't think.

We've had a lot of songs about ghosts this year, but Andy may be the first one to name his. "Mary Cunningham (The Christmas Ghost)" is a story song (as Harry Chapin liked to call them), so you have to pay attention to the lyrics. And the song has that kind of Soul only Irish Folk has. Download free at Soundcloud.

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VARIOUS - NOISETRADE HOLIDAY MIXTAPE 2015

12/8/2015

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Like the rest of us, Noisetrade enjoys a good holiday mixtape. And it looks like they have a new dance partner. In the past, they've teamed up with Paste Magazine and HGTV to bring you some seasonal sounds. This year's collection is presented by Noisetrade and FanBridge, the outfit that helps bands keep track of how many folks are clicking through on emails (and assorted other services).

Some of these tunes, we've presented to you before--like Jetty Rae and Miranda Dodson. Some we hadn't gotten to yet and some are old friends, like Sleeping At Last and Drew Holcomb. Among my new favorites on the set...Dressy Bessy's "Kringles" (so long as nobody turns it into a potato chip commercial) and "My Favorite Time Of Year" by Jackopierce. Mostly CCM, Indie Pop, Folk Pop and Americana, every track is a winner and there are 20. So pour a glass of eggnog, turn on the tree, and enjoy the "Noisetrade Holiday Mixtape 2015". It's free at Noisetrade (thanks, Captain Obvious).

1. Dave Barnes- Better Than Christmas Day
2. Sleeping At Last- Snow
3. Angel Snow- O Holy Night
4. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
5. Jars of Clay- Christmas for Cowboys
6. The Mastersons- This Holiday's No Holiday (Without You)
7. Corey Kilgannon- All Through the Night
8. Jackopierce- My Favorite Time of Year
9. Matt Wertz- Christmas Just Ain't Christmas (Without You)
10. Ellie Holcomb- Christmas For You And Me
11. Shannon LaBrie- My Snow Angel
12. Wade Bowen- O Holy Night
13. JJ Heller- Star Of Wonder
14. Jetty Rae- Christmas Kiss
15. Kyle Andrews- Next to You
16. Luke Dowler - All I Want For Christmas Is A New Guitar
17. Dressy Bessy- Kringles
18. Miranda Dodson- It's Merry Christmas Time
19. Danny Leggett- Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
20. The Digital Age- Silent Night

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<<Previous

BROOKE D - NEW YEARS BLUES

GOLAU GLAU - ADAM LAY YBOUNDEN

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

IAN McNAMARA - (ON THE) EVE OF CHRISTMAS EVE

VARIOUS - A VERY RELEVANT CHRISTMAS

VARIOUS - A POLAROID FOR CHRISTMAS 2015

NOAH GUTHRIE - RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER

THE PAPERBACK THRONE - ALL BEST INTENTIONS

ANDY RUCK - MARY CUNNINGHAM (THE CHRISTMAS GHOST)

VARIOUS - NOISETRADE HOLIDAY MIXTAPE 2015

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