Category: Alt Pop

Stubbys House of Christmas

LINDSEY STIRLING - WARMER IN THE WINTER SAMPLER

11/13/2018

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.

FRISKY MONKEY - CHRISTMAS SONGS

11/10/2018

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.

HUSBANDS - XMAS 2

9/8/2018

Husbands - "Chestnuts" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO from Tanner Trammell on Vimeo.

1. bing it
2. silver butts
3. hello shoppers
4. macaulay
5. killarney
6. goop on ya grinch
7. studdard muffin
8. chestnuts
9. right christmas
10. tomorrow never snows

HUSBANDS ON FACEBOOK
NAME-YOUR-PRICE ON BANDCAMP

This was covered by Christmas Underground, last year. Of course, you may have been around last year, but I wasn't. Anyway, this deserves the extra attention. And, if I do decide to do a Stubby's mix this Christmas, something like this would almost certainly have to be on it.

You know, normally, when I go to listen to Christmas music online, I'm hoping for something really good. I want it to be good. I want to will it to be good. Naturally, I'm disappointed more often than not. And you sometimes wonder about unrealistic expectations.

But I desperately wanted to hate this. I dunno. One of the tags is "drone" and I'm not big on "drone". But another tag was "dream pop" and I love "dream pop". Alright, I'll give it a chance. I was determined to hate it. First note, boom, I hate it already. 10 seconds in, I'm scoffing. 30 seconds in, I'm thinking, "interesting." After about a minute and a half, I'm swooning. "Oh my God, this is the best thing I've ever heard! I love this! I want this! I need this!"

Husbands is an Oklahoma City band and, as the title might suggest, "Xmas 2" is their second Christmas set (2013's "Xmas" being the first). "Xmas" (which I only listened to after hearing "Xmas 2") shows a band with an idea. "Xmas 2" shows that idea fully realized. The record is meant to be listened to as an entire piece, drifting dreamily from originals to seasonal standards totally re-imagined so that they're completely familiar and completely new at the same time with soundscapes expertly weaved into the fabric such that they seem random and not random at all. My analogies always bug somebody, if not everybody, but the sensation of listening to "Xmas 2" most reminded me of hearing The Beatles' "Abbey Road" for the first time...except it's a Christmas album! And the true test of a record like this is "does it make me feel like Christmas"? And, boy, does it ever!

If you visit our Festive Friends, as we always hope you do, then you already grabbed this after Christmas Underground reviewed it last year. If not, nothing I say here matters. Just listen. And then download it. And then listen again. And again and again and ag--hey, it's Christmas already! Husbands, I'm not entirely sure what you guys are up to but, please, never stop.

STRAWBERRY WHIPLASH - SANTA NEEDS A HOLIDAY

9/1/2018

Is this cheating? While diving down one particular rabbit hole, recently, I came across this free download from Matinee Records' stalwart Strawberry Whiplash. In 2010, the Indie Pop/Twee label released an EP, "The Matinee Holiday Soiree", featuring songs from some of my favorite groups of the genre...Math & Physics Club, Bubblegum Lemonade...and Strawberry Whiplash. It was our debut year, here at Stubby's. And I was sure we'd covered the EP, then. And, sure enough, a little searching showed that we'd covered "Santa Needs A Holiday" on the 2010 Free List (although the source of the download was different then).

Strawberry Whiplash is a Scottish Indie Pop/Noise Pop duo featuring Laz and Sandra. Laz, by the way, is also Bubblegum Lemonade. Bubblegum Lemonade (named after a Mama Cass Elliott album) released a sweet, bright and shiny 6 song holiday EP last year, "Laz Christmas". Limited to 1000 copies, Matinee still has a few if you missed out because we weren't here to recommend it at the time (or you can get the digital at Amazon or elsewhere).

So is this cheating--to post the same song as a free download, again? Yes, it probably is. And I don't care. Time was when this sort of Indie Pop was far more common on the Internets. These days, not so much. More's the pity. The world could use a little more Twee right about now. If you weren't around here in 2010, you can download "Santa Needs A Holiday" free from Strawberry Whiplash on Soundcloud.

SUNNY INTERVALS - LIKE SNOWFLAKES

12/23/2016

The cover art drew me in. I tell people that cover art's important and, every year, we get crap. Now look at this cover art. It's not terribly involved. Just one color, really, light and dark--plus white. But it drew me in.

"Like Snowflakes" is pleasant enough. DIY Indie Pop from London. Sunny Intervals (presumed to be a single individual) has the whisper vocals and bedroom keyboard sound going on. Truthfully, 5 songs of this is a couple too many for me. After a while, you get the feeling of a guy who doesn't want to wake mom and dad. But the two I'd point you to would be the title track, "Like Snowflakes", which I liked a lot, and "New Year's Day", which I liked even more. I think he's onto something with "New Year's Day"...nicely layered, Ambient feel. Anyway, Sunny Interval's "Like Snowflakes" is on Bandcamp. It's there for you to be had.

2016 CIGAR BOX NATION CHRISTMAS

12/20/2016

DOWNLOAD FREE AT CIGAR BOX NATION

1. Waiting for the Wise Men by Jim Morris
2. Sleekit Santa by C# Merle
3. Silent Night by Mark Jeghurs
4. Steve's Christmas Log by Jamie MacBlues
5. Christmas Credit Card Blues by Clint Lavens
6. A Cold and Snowy Night by CDA Ramirez
7. Wickerbee the Wannabee by Chuck Otto
8. Bug's Xmas Song - Have a Thought for Christmas by Buggy
9. Christmas Wishes by Eric Denton
10. Christmas Comin' Round Again by Glenn Kaiser
11. Christmasses Long Ago by Derek Rose
12. Doin' Shots with Santa Claus by RTZ Guitars
13. Into the Light - a Song for Advent by Henry Lowman
14. Love Love Love for Christmas by Mississippi Crawler Andries D
15. Coventry Carol (Trad. 15th Century) by Robert Killen
16. Away in a Manger by Henry Lowman
17. I Had A Beer With Santa Claus Today in My Lonely Christmas by Big Fat Tom
18. Kickin' the Snow Off My Boots by RTL CBGs
19. Kampusnacht by James Conder
20. Merry Cigar Box Christmas by James O Lunsford
21. Oh Yes It's Christmas by Smilingdog

One of my favorite annual holiday collections of the last few years is "A Cigar Box Nation Christmas". Cigar Box Nation is a place where musicians who build and play instruments out of cigar boxes gather together and compare notes, swap stories, share songs. If you've never turned a cigar box into an instrument, but would like to try it, you'll find plenty of people there more than happy to help you on the journey. Honestly, hang out for a while and you get the feeling that these cigar box musicians and instrument makers are like kids who get to celebrate Christmas every day. And the instruments can range from the simplest you can imagine to concert ready electric guitars (here's a tip for you; if you're making your first one, start with the simpler designs). Since 2009, Cigar Box Nation's denizens have been putting together these Christmas music collections featuring cigar box instruments--for their own enjoyment and the enjoyment of anyone who stops by. They've always been free and they all still are. The music runs the gamut from Bluegrass to Blues to Hard Rock, although this year's set is heavy on Blues. It's amazing what you can do with a cigar box guitar (acoustic or electric) or banjo. Some of these folks are professional musicians and some are just hobbyists, so you get a full range of sound quality (although one basic rule they employ is that you have to be able to hear it; good rule).

Unlike some postings in past years, I've actually had the chance to listen to the "2016 Cigar Box Nation Christmas". This year's collection is a relatively (for them) modest 21 tracks (last year's, in comparison, was 31). You'll find that's just about one song (3 or 4 minutes) too long for a single CD. The members, this year, were pushing each other to submit original songs, so the majority of these tracks are, indeed, as homemade as their instruments.

Jim Morris opens the set in style with an original Folk Gospel number (with Celtic overtones), "Waiting For The Wise Men". I actually had to go back and read the discussions to make sure it was original because it sounds so much like all those old Folk carols, I initially thought it had been with us for a couple hundred years. Just a great, great song.

My favorites, though...some tracks that truly blew me away...were C# Merle's "Sleekit Santa" and "Silent Night" by Mark Jeghurs. C# Merle's number feaures a Jazz flute playing over a Blues cigar box guitar/bass bed. Of course, I'm a sucker for flute, anyway, but the Jazz-Blues pairing works so much better than you'd imagine it would if someone (like moi) tried to explain it to you. But even "Sleekit Santa" was no match for Mark Jeghurs' Delta Blues "Silent Night". Oh, sure, you think you know "Silent Night", but I guarantee you've never heard this. This "Silent Night" is merely based on the one you know. It is a completely original song--original music (well...Delta Blues), original lyrics. Awesome squared and my pick for the collection's best. "A Cold And Snowy Noght" by CDA Ramirez is a stripped down Progressive Rock tune--another highlight. Eric Denton's "Christmas Wishes" is a wonderful Americana Christmas instrumental that legitimately makes you feel like Christmas. Glenn Kaiser's "Christmas Comin' Round Again" is perfect front porch Blues. I enjoyed Big Fat Tom's contribution, which I'd call Vince Guaraldi inspired Pop. And the one song that bothered me a little was Derek Rose's "Christmasses Long Ago". And it bothered me because it's on the cusp of being a great song, but it needs some collaboration--someone to tighten up the lyrics and music a bit. Do that, record it in a professional studio, and you've got a Jimmie Rodgers Folk Pop hit (the "Honeycomb" dude, not the other one).

Of course, you have to remember that most of these folks are not professional songwriters and performers. Some of the music and words are probably very much off the cuff. But these are people having a blast and that always shines through. And, every year, a few of the tunes on "A Cigar Box Nation Christmas" will be among my absolute favorites of the season. Mark Jeghurs' "Silent Night" is going straight into the Stubby's Hall of Fame (or it would if there were one). I'm pretty sure all the old volumes are still available as well, but I don't have links handy (check the Stubby's archives; you'll probably find most of them). Poke around at Cigar Box Nation and you'll find some nice Christmas videos not on this collection. But, first, grab the free download of the "2016 Cigar Box Nation Christmas".

UMMAGMA - WINTER TALE

12/18/2016

I guess we're fully international today as Ummagma is a Canadian/Ukranian duo. "Winter Tale" shows the Dream Pop pair are finding their "voice" (so to speak), stripping away some of the devices hey've used on earlier recordings to fully showcase their layering skills and, of course, the ethereal vocals of Shauna McLarnon (she being, presumably, the Canadian half, while Alexander Kretov is the Ukranian half).

"Winter Tale", a name-your-price download from Bandcamp, features a pair of re-mixes from Dream Pop pioneer A.R. Kane who, to my untrained ears, seems to put a little more Shoegaze into one and a little more Ambient into the other. They're all dreamy and fascinating but I have to say it's rare you hear re-mixes that sound so completely different than the original.

Very cool stuff.

KRIVA - PAT-A-PAN

12/17/2016

Hoping to help you round out your holiday playlist, here's an uncommon cover of a not so frequently covered Christmas song. Hate to say it, but Mannheim Steamroller's version of "Pat-A-Pan" is probably either the best or second best I've heard (there was an Indie vocal version I really liked, but can't recall the artist at the moment).

Kriva does "Pat-A-Pan" as an electronic Ambient piece, which is different and interesting. And it's a free download, which is what really counts.

Tacoma's Kriva is on year 4 of giving up a free Christmas song or two, and they're all still free at Bandcamp. For most of my readers, last year's pairing of SNL's "I Wish It Were Christmas Today" with the original "Swirling Snow" is the one you're likely to want.

Grab one, grab all, fresh from the Pacific Norhwest and free from Bandcamp.

LO-FI ACOUSTIC TRIO - XMAS TIME

12/16/2016

The LoFi Acoustic Trio would seem, from this number, to be neither Lo-Fi nor Acoustic, but more of an Indie Folk Pop thing. Although this band, based in Italy, have a new Christmas song for 2016 out--which we'll share for you in a bit--last year's "Xmas Time" was my favorite of the two. It's got a real nice Indie Pop sound and structure and a good holiday message.

There's a light that shines in every dark side.
D'You know why?
'cause it's christmas time.
There's a boy that whistles a song with no name , guess why?
'cause it's christmas time

Yeah, I can get behind that. This year's Christmas song, "Xmas Folk", is pretty good, too. It's a bit more on the Alt Country side. But the title kind of confuses me. Check it out below. Both tunes are free to download via Soundcloud.

If you happen to speak Italian, stop by their Facebook page and say Ciao.

JULIANA HATFIELD - CHRISTMAS CACTUS

12/15/2016

No audio to embed on this one, but Boston's Indie Pop/Indie Rock veteran Juliana Hatfield has created a little homemade Christmas present for you. The song is "Christmas Cactus", and its a very pretty number to help make passing the cold and lonely winter nights just a little bit easier. Juliana says she's had the music kicking around for a while, but never felt it had been "fully utilized".

Head over to Juliana's "Downloads" page and click on the picture of the Christmas Cactus, or click in the text where it says "Christmas Cactus". That would be a right click and save for MAC users (I have no idea about PCs; never use 'em). The song is totally free, but, should you feel like dropping a coin in the pot, know that your donation will go to creating more music.