Category: 2017

VISTA BLUE - CHRISTMAS SOUNDS

11/19/2018

1. Anything But You
2. Gimme! (Garfield Christmas Theme)
3. Nobody Wants Booster
4. There's a Star

VISTA BLUE ON FACEBOOK
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Back in 2016, we reviewed Vista Blue's Christmas EP, "Check It Twice". The group left us a note, recently, to remind us that they had done one in 2017, too. Not only that, a third is expected this year. More about Vista Blue on the front page, but their 2017 offering was "Christmas Sounds". And it's a rockin' good time all the way through. Vista Blue shows a strong Ramones influence and I think that's why "There's A Star" is my favorite from this one, as it has the strongest Ramones-like sound. Additionally, "There's A Star" (written by Rusty Spell) attacks the season with a bit more weight than some of Vista Blue's other holiday songs, which tend to the quirky, humorous, or ironic. "Nobody Wants Booster", for example, is about the toy nobody wants (that one's very Weezer). "Christmas Sounds" is available as a name-your-price download at Bandcamp.

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LINDSEY STIRLING - WARMER IN THE WINTER SAMPLER

11/13/2018

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I don't know what's up at Noisetrade, this year, but they've gotten some major scores on free Christmas music. Earlier, we had a few tracks, each, from Rodney Crowell and JD McPherson and, now, we get a sweet sampler from Lindsey Stirling's epic "Warmer In The Winter (Deluxe)". And what a perfect little sampler it is. If you had to pick one representative song from the Electro Pop violinist's Christmas album, I think that song would be "Carol Of The Bells". And so we get "Carol Of The Bells". "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" with vocals from one of my favorite Disney stars, Sabrina Carpenter, is also included. And, if you bought the original "Warmer In The Winter" and didn't want to duplicate your efforts buying the Deluxe version, Lindsey gifts us one of the new songs, "I Wonder As I Wander". A very cool three-song sampler FREE at Noisetrade.

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FRISKY MONKEY - CHRISTMAS SONGS

11/10/2018

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Lately, it seems like the whole world has gone bananas. I'm sorry, I thought I was better than making monkey puns (guess not). We've got The Monkees, who this year delivered their first Christmas album in 60 years; we've got Make Like Monkeys, who seem to have released a couple hundred Christmas songs (so far) this year; and here we have Frisky Monkey.

Frisky Monkey is an Atlanta Synth-Pop duo (Juan Cezar and Douglas Pettus) who, since 2011, have been “proud purveyors of atmospheric dance your ass off music”. They also happen to be fans of the annual Christmas single thing. To date, they've turned out FIVE festive freebies--all available in their Soundcloud collection "Christmas Songs".

Synth Pop is a genre that dominated the Eighties, at a time when I was discovering and exploring Jazz, Blues, Bluegrass, et. al. I was aware of Synth Pop, of course. With MTV leading the way, you couldn't avoid bands like Flock of Seagulls and the Thompson Twins. And one of the radio stations I was fond of, then, was fond of Depeche Mode and Erasure. As the calendar changed over to the Nineties, Synth Pop slipped away and it's just sort of been hovering on the fringes since. It wasn't until Scarlet Club came along with a Christmas album in 2015 that I began to feel some measure of nostalgia for the decade and genre.

Frisky Monkey obviously puts more of themselves into their original music--the music they make a living on. So if you want to hear them at their absolute best, check out their latest release from September of this year--"Misadventures of a Misguided Monkey". Now that's the kind of album I could go ape over. If I were reviewing that one, I'd give it five bananas--I mean stars. Songs like "Other Possibilities", "Crystal Blue", and "The Origin of Sadness" are as good as anything from the decade that inspired them.

But I'm not one to look a gift gorilla in the mouth. Frisky Monky's Christmas covers are fun and festive. And free! And they share a more direct linage to the originators of the sound than most of what we currently classify as Synth Pop. You might even call them a missing link to the origin of the species (somebody stop me).

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", a collaboration with GlitBiter, was last year's Frisky Monkey Christmas song. "Let It Snow In A Winter Wonderland" dates to 2016. In 2015, they covered the Bing Crosby classic, "The Secret of Christmas". 2014 saw Frisky Monkeys team up with Stereospread on "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". And "Blue Christmas" is from 2013 or earlier. Of the bunch, I prefer the two collaborations (possibly because of the introduction of female vocals). I will say "Blue Christmas" is very interesting and different, but it's still "Blue Christmas" (that song can't be saved).

So give Frisky Monkeys a chimp--I mean chance. You'll find all of their Christmas songs collected on "Christmas Songs" on Soundcloud. I can hardly wait to see what they gift us this year. I'm sure they won't monkey around. It's a gibbon that we'll get another Christmas song, right? I can't help myself; there's a monkey on my back. Frisky Monkeys are more fun than...nope. Not gonna say it. I'm better than that.

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THE FLATMATES - COME ON, SANTA!

11/3/2018

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The Flatmates were an 80s Pop Punk band from Bristol in the UK that took their inspiration from 60s Girl Groups. Silent through the 90s and the aughts, a new line-up is back on the road and in the recording studio.

This is just a pleasant Spector-esque Indie Pop number, presented here for no other reason than that it says it's available through the end of 2017. So we're all over ten months late. Grab "Come On Santa" by The Flatmates before it melts away.

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THE DOLLYROTS - LAST CHRISTMAS

10/13/2018

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I missed so much stuff last Christmas, which at least gives me plenty to post before the inevitable onslaught in December. Even so, I can't believe I missed The Dollyrots annual holiday platter. I love me some Dollyrots. They are the embodiment of what I mean when I say, if the band is having a good time, the listener is having a good time. Kelly and Luis being parents these days, and still keeping up their grueling schedule, they could be excused for sounding a little tired, now and then. But, nope, they bring boundless energy, excitement, and joy to everything they do. If they could bottle some of that and sell it, they'd never have to work again (which would probably drive them crazy anyway).

Last Christmas, the annual Dollyrots Christmas single was "Last Christmas". I've heard several Pop Punk covers of the old Wham track and this one pretty much tops them all. Not only do The Dollyrots rock it, but they have fun doing it. And that's the key. Even so, their version of Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" and their decked-up-for-the-holidays Christmas version of their own "Because I'm Awesome", "Because I'm Santa" are still my favorites of their treasure trove of Christmas tracks. You'll find a whole bunch of their past Yuletide selections "name-your-price" at Bandcamp, in case you missed any along the way. Why? Because The Dollyrots are awesome.

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THE BIRD AND THE MONKEY - COME HOME (FOR CHRISTMAS)

10/12/2018

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The Bird And The Monkey are a Scottish Experimentalist duo, Sarahjane Swan & Roger Simian (Swan & Simian, get it? The Bird and The Monkey). They came together in 2009 but, to date, a good deal of their musical output has been in the form of annual holiday singles. I'm not sure if I ever came across them before. I will say that, IMO, their 2017 single "Come Home (For Christmas)" is their most accessible. I mean, you can just imagine what "Cannibal Santa" sounds like (yeah, pretty much just like that; paging Christmas Underground).

"Come Home (For Christmas)" is spritely Indie Alt Rock with a bit of that Scottish cadence you might recognize from groups like The Proclaimers and Big Country. Best line? "How long can this song go on?" Apparently 3 minutes and thirty-five seconds. Head over to Bandcamp to download "Come Home (For Christmas)" by The Bird And The Monkey free of charge (feel free to tip). While you're there, you can check out their other Christmas singles:
"All Who Travelled With Us" (2016)
"Cannibal Santa" (2015)
"A Sonnet For Bella McClay On Christmas Day" (2014)
as well as their latest non-Christmas single, "Blow Out The Candle" (which, by the way, is pretty awesome Hard Rock Halloween fare, and free to boot).

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PENNY FUSION - HEATER SEASON

10/1/2018

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Alternative band Penny Fusion, from Arizona, is the duo of Jonas Maya and Sebastian White. They met in middle school and, both already having dabbled in music, they eventually began playing together. From 2013 through 2017, they played under an assortment of names, eventually settling on Penny Fusion (for now). Though they describe themselves as Alt Rock, they clearly aren't limited to that and, in fact, I quite appreciate how they "fuse" different sounds and styles together. "First Snow, Last Day", for example, begins with an Alt Country beat, segues into an Alt Folk Talking Blues, then shifts (for what is essentially the chorus) into a more Alt Rock vibe, sweetly seasoned with Country Rock and just a sprinkling of Psych before finishing with a synth orchestral flourish--all that in under a minute and a half.

A lot of Penny Fusion's music is like that, it seems. They move comfortably through genres and styles the way I like to think it should be done...as if there are no different genres and styles...as if it's all just music. Jonas plays most of the instruments and always likes to experiment with new ones. Sebastian, or "Bash" as he's known, plays acoustic guitar, but is also the primary vocalist, songwriter and producer for the group. Bash's vocals have a touch of Bob Dylan twang without being too tangy (yes, I meant for the first word to be twang and the second to be tang...but you're not wrong to ask).

"Heater Season", from 2017, is Penny Fusion's third annual Christmas EP. Or at least that's what they say. But they also say their 2016 Christmas EP, "Christmas Special", is their third annual Christmas EP. And, alas, I've been unable to find a third (or a fourth, or a fifth). "Christmas Special" has a bit more bite than "Heater Season", and includes an hilarious take (if you like dry humor, which I do) on "Twas The Night Before Christmas" as sort of a hidden track at the end of "In From A Blizzard". The Hard Rock "Winter Storm" (coming in at just 32 seconds) and the Ambient Pop "For Lonely Old Mrs. Claus" (43 seconds) are both brilliant, IMO, proving you don't need a song to drag on for 7 minutes to be "epic".

Both EPs are "name your price" downloads at Bandcamp and we'll give you the track lists and covers right after I play my favorite track from Penny Fusion's "Christmas Special". It's "White Christmas", but it's not that "White Christmas".

HEATER SEASON (2017)
1. First Snow, Last Day
2. Gingerbread Man
3. Heater Season
4. Save Christmas Day
5. Colors Changing

PENNY FUSION WEB SITE
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CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (2016)
1. Intro / Sleigh Ride
2. Winter Storm
3. For Lonely Old Mrs. Claus
4. White Christmas
5. In From a Blizzard

PENNY FUSION WEB SITE
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RADIO NOWHERE - DECEMBER GIRL

9/29/2018

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Of late, I've been in the mood for snappy. You know, I never called a record "snappy" until I saw "That Thing You Do". I was like, "Oh, yeah. Snappy." Now I use it all the time. Anyway, this song isn't really a Christmas song. But it is about a "December Girl" and that's good enough for me.

Radio Nowhere is another one of those names I wish the artist had googled first, because there are a lot more Radio Nowheres than you'd think--many of them bands. But, in this case, were I on a panel deciding who would get sole custody of the name, I'd award it to Mike Baker and this Radio Nowhere. Because, somehow, it just feels right.

Radio Nowhere is Mike Baker, a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Oakland, California. After a gig where his job was testing guitars for Guitar Player magazine, Mike decided he wanted a little more. He was on a mountain biking excursion with Steve Bowman, the original drummer for Counting Crows. "In between crashes, he told these hilarious stories about opening for the Rolling Stones. I screwed up the courage to play him my demo, he really liked it and offered to help me put a band together.”

And put together a band they did. It included members of Primus, Mazzy Star and the bands of Chuck Prophet, Peter Gabriel and Jackson Browne, plus Jeff Labes on the keys (the cat who played the piano on Van Morrison's "Moondance"). They called the band Slim and cut the album "Interstate Medicine". The album was a critical success and the band they'd put together joined Mike onstage for the performances.

Of course, everybody was waiting for a follow-up. But, while Mike had some songs to record, he was also busy as a session player. And, at some point, he just decided that, if you want something done... He ended up teaching himself a multitude of different instruments because "there was just no one else around." Engineering and production skills followed and Radio Nowhere was born. "A friend told me that we sound like the missing link between Lyle Lovett and Led Zeppelin." On "December Girl", at least, I think Radio Nowhere sounds like a cross between Lyle Lovett and Marc Bolan. Cuz it's snappy, see? There's a good sense of humor to the song (and many of Mike's other tunes) as well. Capricorn you say? My, that's fascinating.

"December Girl" is free at Bandcamp. But don't stop there. There's more free music to be had, including a 9-track version of "Interstate Medicine". Go getcha some.

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CHRIS JAMISON - A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS

9/25/2018

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Chris Jamison was a contestant on The Voice back in 2014. He turned all four chairs and picked Adam Levine as his coach. Chris finished third in the seventh season, but there's no question that he was an audience favorite as they voted to "save" him more than once. There's also no question that Chris Jamison can sing. The show is called The Voice, after all. But, this far, he hasn't really broken through (to be fair, his iTunes sales for his early singles were pretty good).

Sooner or later, it seems, all of these artists who appear on shows like The Voice get around to recording some Christmas music. And that's usually a good thing for everybody--especially as the fanbase these artists build from the TV show seem to love Christmas music (and good for them). Chris Jamison released his holiday EP, "A Classic Christmas", in 2017.

Now, me, I pretty much just listen to Christmas music so I don't really know what else he's done. But, from "A Classic Christmas", I'd say Chris is at his best when he's singing blue-eyed soul. I also think he sounds better with less accompaniment and "production" (see the video below and compare to the one above). For the most part, he's a Pop singer. And there are so many Pop singers these days. And when some of those Pop singers are named Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, and even David Archuleta or Justin Bieber, it's going to be hard for Chris to get noticed until he comes up with something that sets him apart. A song, a style, a sound, a genre even. Something that makes him different. Just my two cents. But the dude can sing. Make no mistake, he's got the pipes for success. He's got time, too. He's still just 24. And, then again, he's currently working on his first full-length album...and that could change everything.

Chris Jamison's 2017 holiday EP, "A Classic Christmas", can be yours for the low, low price of an email address via Noisetrade. Tips gratefully accepted. Just sayin'.

1. This Christmas
2. Please Come Home For Christmas
3. Baby, It's Cold Outside (with Jamie Hulick)
4. All I Want For Christmas
5. The Christmas Song
6. Ave Maria

CHRIS JAMISON WEB SITE
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ZAZOUS & THE FURYS - MY CHRISTMAS PRAYER

9/23/2018

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ZAZOUS & THE FURYS (REHEARSAL)

When I started hunting for Christmas music in my teens, one of the first records I came across that I marveled at was Billy Fury's "My Christmas Prayer". I marveled because I'd never heard it before and it was such a great song. "Why isn't this on the radio every December?" I wondered. "My Christmas Prayer" was a British single in 1959 and it didn't chart there. I doubt it was even released in this country. To this day, I still wonder why it isn't a staple of Christmas radio programming and why there have been relatively few covers of it (the most notable being by Saint Etienne in 1993).

Last year, a London group called Zazous & The Furys recorded the song as a charity single, attempting to raise money for Shelter, a UK group that works to alleviate the homelessness problem in Great Britain. Shelter helps the homeless find and keep homes, provides assistance to others, and campaigns for decent housing for all.

There's not much of a digital footprint for these cats. They appear to have been put together by London musician and producer Craig Catling, who doesn't have much of a digital footprint himself. There's a Soundcloud page for a Craig Catling, but I can't say that they're the same dude, as there are no identifiers there. I will say it's pretty good stuff (albeit of the non-holiday variety).

Zazous & The Furys recorded the single, placed it everywhere, and played a bunch of gigs for it...but that was that. There's been no follow-up and their Facebook page has expired. And they weren't really trying to sell anything, they were trying to raise awareness and money for Shelter. The pitch was simple enough: listen to the single, make a donation.

The fundraising page is still open. But my ask, this year, would be slightly different. If you can and if you feel inclined, make a donation to a charity near you dealing with homelessness in your locale. I think that would be a proper way to pay respect to Zazous & The Furys for this fine cover of "My Christmas Prayer", which is absolutely free at CD Baby.

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VISTA BLUE - CHRISTMAS SOUNDS

LINDSEY STIRLING - WARMER IN THE WINTER SAMPLER

FRISKY MONKEY - CHRISTMAS SONGS

THE FLATMATES - COME ON, SANTA!

THE DOLLYROTS - LAST CHRISTMAS

THE BIRD AND THE MONKEY - COME HOME (FOR CHRISTMAS)

PENNY FUSION - HEATER SEASON

RADIO NOWHERE - DECEMBER GIRL

CHRIS JAMISON - A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS

ZAZOUS & THE FURYS - MY CHRISTMAS PRAYER

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