1. Whisperhawk - Merry Christmas (I'm Sorry)
2. Rawrwar - Christmas Miracle 3. The Holly Jollies - Daddy's Really Santa Claus 4. Up n Adam - Snowglobe Inverted 5. Blue Acres - If We Make It Through December 6. Alex Babineau - First Christmas Alone 7. Brett Redshaw - Christmas Is The Best 8. Rawrwar - Cuba 9. Nicholas Burgess - Santa Planet 10. The Super-Krewe - Xmas Potpourri 11. Katie King - Gingerbread Man 12. Alex Babineau - Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy 13. Jeremy Waterman - Father Christmas 14. Sprout - What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? |
Late in every season, all these great free comps come out and I almost never have time to listen to them all the way through. Well I listened to "The Chvrch of Santa" all the way through. It's the latest in a long line of annual Christmas offerings from Friends Friends Friends Records. The Nova Scotia "label" evolved from the Raw Rock Militia. That's why "The Chvrch of Santa" is only Friends Friends Friends IV, even though there are Christmas comps dating back to 2010. These days, the Raw Rock Christmas project works like this: early in November, they send out a call to anybody and everybody to send in their Christmas tunes. A month later, they've got an album. It's worth noting that, most years, a limited edition CD will follow (given the turnaround time and all, the CDs usually get listed a few days before Christmas).
Although I listened all the way through, I'm not going to do a track-by-track. But this year's set is a good one. There's our old friend Nicholas Burgess with "Santa Planet". And I'm always happy to see Katie King on these; I love her stuff. The Holly Jollies go all Neo-Beach Boys on "Daddy's Really Santa Claus". There's an acoustic "Father's Christmas" from Jeremy Waterman, a straight-up Folk cover of "If We Make It Through December" by Blue Acres, some very nearly Punk Country from Alex Babineau covering Buck Owens, and even some Second Line Jazz from The Super-Krewe, "Xmas Potpourri". But beyond Nicholas and Katie, my favorites were the two tracks from Rawrwar and the Indie Pop tune up top, Whisperhawk's "Merry Christmas (I'm Sorry)". Importantly, there wasn't a single track where I was even tempted to pick up the virtual needle and move on. Great work, as usual, Friends Friends Friends. Find "The Chvrch of Santa" on Bandcamp.
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Analog Monarch's "Christmas Jam" is a Funk Jazz version of "Sleigh Ride"...though this entry looks like something he might add to later. It's a cool enough little trip from the Canadian Synth Keyboard artist and, if you like it, you can always check out his full Christmas album from last year, "Truth". That one's not free, but Analog Monarch does a mean "Jingle Bells". "Christmas Jam" is name your price at Bandcamp.
If you follow our friend Robert on his Snowflakes Singles blog, you probably have a better handle on the annual Kingfisher Bluez Christmas singles than we do. The Canadian label has been issuing an annual 7" Christmas single every year since 2012. They're limited and hand numbered (usually to 300), with 100% of the proceeds going to charity, and usually sell out quickly. Because things get busy around here as the season progresses, I've mostly missed out on them year after year. Fortunately, digital downloads for most of these Kingfisher Bluez Christmas singles are "name-your-price" at Bandcamp. Here, for one, is the 2013 entry..."Merry Christmas ( I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)" by Rose Melberg & Gregory Webster.
Kingfisher Bluez is an Indie label, often Lo-Fi, founded and run by Tim The Mute (himself an artist on the 2012 Christmas single). The label's motto is "where my money goes to die"--likely the reality of most Indie labels. Each of the Christmas singles features an artistic rendition of a wintery shop or building so that, as you collect the 7" singles, you can build your own Christmas village. Pretty neat.
You can name your price for the Kingfisher Bluez singles from 2012 ("VGN SXE XMASX" by Tim The Mute / "Christmas For Christmas" by Old Phoebe), 2013, 2014 ("Santa Knows (I've Been Bad)" by Kim Gray), and 2017. Indeed, there were TWO Kingfisher Bluez Christmas singles in 2017, both covers. Living Body covered Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" while Peach Pit covered Sufjan's "Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day". There are still a few copies available of the 2017 entries in the series, if you'd like to start building your own Christmas village. And, if you're less scatter-brained than I (and how could you not be), maybe you can catch the 2018 Kingfisher Bluez Christmas single before Christmas, rather than after.
Where free Christmas music is concerned, I'm always looking for the other genres. You know...Jazz, Blues, Bluegrass, that sort of thing. So, when I find some, I pounce. And when I see some that's new--in August--I really pounce.
Leaving aside that Missy Katz (not her real name) is going to give me a hard time because pouncing is her thing, I was excited to come across this set from Le Duo Pichenotte (and friends) on Bandcamp, yesterday, released just a week ago on August 12. Le Duo Pichenotte is a Jazz duo from Quebec, featuring Simon Veilleux on the violin (and vocals) and Jen-Michel Viel on the guitar. With such a configuration, it's no surprise that the pair excel at Gypsy Jazz. "Frosty The Snowman" is the purest Gypsy Jazz selection on "For Christmas". But the duo also venture into standard Jazz and that's where we get some sparkling keyboard work from Philippe Grant and additional help from Edouard Robertson (bass) and Francois Pelletier (drums). Their sweetest gift may be Ariane Roy, who adds her vocal talents to two of the tracks. My biggest reservation with "For Christmas" is the song selection. It's a 5-song set. 2 of them should not be "Santa Baby" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside". There's a fairly universal consensus at this point, I think, that those songs are cooked from over exposure. Stick a fork in them. Doing one is dealable, but both? Shame, too, because Le Duo Pichenotte (and friends) play them really well. Indeed, I think they would have worked better as instrumentals. But then we wouldn't get Ariane, so it's a plus/minus equation. "For Christmas" from Le Duo Pichenotte (and friends) is "name your price" at Bandcamp. My reservations on song selection aside, it's an excellent way to beat the heat of the dog days for a half hour or so.
Sometimes I get tired of wading knee deep through reindeer poop looking for the genuine Christmas music treasures. But, when you find those sparkly diamonds, it's suddenly all worthwhile. "Carols" by Còig is just such a gem. And, true enough, as it was released last year, I should have found it then (though, in my defense, news from Canada seems to come with a built-in time delay). OTOH, right now it's free (though I can't say for how long)...so even that worked out.
Còig is made up of 4 successful Celtic solo artists from Canada who came together in a tour to promote a festival. But the magic that came when they played together was instantaneous and undeniable and they couldn't just walk away when the tour was over. Chrissy Crowley, Rachel Davis, Darren McMullen and Jason Roach toured together for three years before heading into the studio to record their 2014 debut album, "Five". Right about now, the handful of people who speak Gaelic are realizing that "Còig" is the Gaelic word for "five" and wondering why there are only four members of the group. Early pictures of Còig include another successful Canadian solo artist, Colin Grant. I don't know what the story is, there. But I'm taking the "How I Met Your Mother" approach to it. (You know...."Why would you call a bar Puzzles.....unless....that's the puzzle."). In any case "Five" was well received and won the band several awards. "Carols", their Christmas album, followed last year. "Carols" was posted to Soundcloud at the beginning of July and the tracks can, for the moment, be downloaded free (of course, you can still order the CD from Còig's website, if you'd prefer hard copy or just want to support great music). But it--being a free download--could be just a "Christmas In July" kinda thing, so I wouldn't sleep on it.
"Carols" is exceptional, from start to finish. And, sure, it's overall a Celtic set, but the band brings a multitude of influences to the music which not only keeps the whole thing sounding fresh and original, but should also draw in some folks more partial to Folk, Classical, Contemporary Pop, and there's even a little bit of Swing. The musicianship and vocals are perfect, there's a nice balance of instrumental and vocal pieces and "Carols" is a robust 57.5 minutes long (no skimpy wish sandwich here). Hard to pick favorites, since its all so good, but the opener--"Carol Of The Celts"--grabbed me when Còig shifted into high gear about 2 minutes in. They might have lost me had they screwed up my favorite carol, "O Holy Night", but, no, it's breathtaking in its beauty. And if "Swingle Jingle Bells" doesn't put a smile on your face, I think there might be something wrong with you. Just sayin'.
As always, listen for yourself and pick out your own favorites. Download one or download all. But, again, I don't know how long "Carols" by Còig will be free for the taking, so go get it now. And keep up on their music and show schedule at the Còig website and Facebook page. They're from Canada, eh. "There Will Be No Christmas" was originally done by Crown The Empire and was included on the 2013 Fearless collection "Punk Goes Christmas". And, sure, Punk it ain't, but who cares? We're in the business of finding Christmas music that doesn't suck...whatever it is. And this one's a free download. More on that in a sec. These young ladies providing the cover are Yuuwii & Weiwen, which is very musical, itself. On Facebook, they go by Barbie, Make A Scene! (which is less musical). And, for my money, the cover is better than the original. Those delicate voices just convey the heartache so much better. It feels like the first wee gust of winter would just pick these young women up and fly them away...like snowflakes. So sad. So beautiful. Yuuwii & Weiwen, at this point, sing covers. And, on their Soundcloud feed, you'll find everything from "Bennie & The Jets" to "Royals" to Paramore to Usher. A lot of their earlier covers (including a couple of Christmas songs) are free downloads, too, but they're also Lo-Fi. Sometimes, Lo-Fi can be a cool thing, but Yuuwii & Weiwen sound incredible when properly recorded (as on "There Will Be No Christmas"). So I said this was a free download and that it is. But Soundcloud is getting increasingly weird. So, now, apparently, they would like you to "sign in please" (which isn't really onerous...just kinda weird after all this time), or sign in with Facebook (which, personally, I don't think you should ever do as Facebook will share far more of your info than anybody really has any business knowing--including Facebook) or you can get the download link mailed to you (a la Bandcamp and Noisetrade), which will cost you your email (but, hey, what doesn't these days). With that in mind, head to Soundcloud if you'd like to get "There Will Be No Christmas" by Yuuwii & Weiwen as a free download. Or feel free to support independent music by purchasing the track from Amazon or iTunes. |
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