No sooner do we catch up to King Cardinal's 2017 Christmas single than their 2018 single appears. The previous holiday efforts from the Colorado Americana band have been soft and beautiful or fascinating slice of life watercolors. "Christmas List", though, is a very radio-friendly Pop Country song with an infectious mid-tempo beat and a worthy message to convey. "This Christmas will be the best/Cause this year I'm asking for less." Forget about buying expensive gifts, skip the mall; the simple pleasures of life together are all that's necessary for a Merry Christmas. Top of the list? "Number one, you and me/sitting beside the tree/Just lovin' it out". As usual, another great song from King Cardinal featuring the great voices of Brennan Mackey and Texanna Dennie (Brennan's in the lead, but it's amazing how great Texanna sounds, even in a supporting role). Pick up "Christmas List" from Noisetrade.
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More major artist freebies from Noisetrade, this time a 5-song mostly Americana sampler from Thirty Tigers. Included are tracks from 2018 holiday albums from The Mavericks, LeAnn Rimes, and CeCe Winans. Krystal Keith's Christmas single "O Holy Night" is included as is Lance Carpenter's rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" taken from his new EP "Christmas White" (the title track is the one you want from that one, although his version of "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" isn't bad, if you like that sort of thing).
Remember when the world was young and Indie was, too? I'm far from an expert, but I've always pinned the Golden Age of Indie as being between 1995 and 2005 (that's probably because that's the time, in my life, when the internet truly became the internet). The sounds were fresh and vital, raw and full of energy (in a different way than the Punk years). There was a sense that you could do anything, musically. And, hey, odds were long you'd ever be famous, but that was always the case.
In the midst of that time and scene, there was, in the southwest part of England, the legendary Moles Club. Moles hosted a live music and club night called Purr on Thursday nights. It was where bands like The Long Blondes ("Christmas Is Cancelled") got their start. Purr also spawned a record label of the same name. In 2001 and 2002, Purr created a couple of Christmas CDs...a 4-song EP "Here Comes Santa Paws" in 2001 and a full 14 song collection in 2002, "Gold, Frankincense and Purr". The curator of these discs was none other than Gareth Jones who, these days, helps to put the Cherryade collections together. And Gareth has decided that the time has come for the Purr collections to see the light of day once again. Not only that, but they're available as a FREE download on Bandcamp.
Most of the bands are no longer together, but you may recognize a few names if you followed the music at all in those days. I know I have the Velodrome 2000 track somewhere...I think. But most of these will likely be as fresh as the new fallen snow to most of you. So download, listen, and remember when the world was young. Well....younger at any rate.
1. Motel - Father Sean
2. The Abrahams - He Was The Boy 3. Summerteeth - Who Stole Christmas From The Kids 4. Vic Twenty - Christmas In Korea 5. James Kochalka Superstar - Christmas Wishes 6. Ex-Rental - December (Dubious End-Of-Term Disco Mix) 7. Velodrome 2000 - Christmas Sucks 8. The Seven Inches - Christmas Things 9. Bucky - (I'm A) Little Snowflake 10. People With Eyes - Santa Claus' Daughter 11. The Electroluvs - Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence 12. Motormark - This Is Christmas Day 13. James Kochalka Superstar - Sleighride To Heck 14. Slayed - Merry Xmas Everybody 15. The Blue Minkies - Lonely This Christmas 16. [Keyop] - (I'll Be) Dead By Christmas 17. Ricky Spontane - Sleighbells, Glitter And Glue 18. The Lollies - (You Could Make) An Angel Sigh
The Royal Oui are an Indie Alt Folk duo from Seattle. And you know that nobody does "Alternative" better than Seattle. But here's a twist. The songs on The Royal Oui's "Holiday Sampler" were recorded for Hallmark movies. So they might be a little Indie Poppier than their usual fare. But that's cool. I dig a good Pop song. Always have, always will.
Of late I find myself addicted to Hallmark Christmas movies. Don't know why. It's all just one plot, really. But they seem a heck of a lot better at home than they were from a hospital bed. One thing does trouble me. Have you ever noticed that there are no unattractive people in Hallmark movies? Not even the extras. C'mon Hallmark. Ugly people need Christmas, too. Anyway, I believe "Up On The Housetop" was done for the fans in 2014. But the other songs appear in Trading Christmas (2011), Hitched For The Holidays (2012), and Murder She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery (2015). So watch and listen for them. Or just download The Royal Oui's "Holiday Sampler" free from Noisetrade.
If you're a long-time reader of Stubby's, you know Brad Marino...even if you don't know that you know Brad Marino. Back in 2011, we had a great free Christmas song from a New Hampshire group, The Connection. The Connection followed up with a Christmas song in 2013 and a whole freaking Christmas album in 2014, "A Christmas Gift For..." (still one of my favorite Christmas Rock albums since this blog started). The Connection is/was a band that just understood how to make excellent feel-good classic radio radio Power Pop music...especially Christmas music. They were/are something like a mad concoction of the Rolling Stones, the Ramones and the Raspberries (with maybe just a drop or two of Bay City Rollers added for sweetness). Brad Marino was the lead vocalist and chief songwriter for The Connection and, much to our great fortune, he still digs making Christmas records. And he still makes 'em good, too, as this name-your-price three-song EP, "Almost Here", amply demonstrates (emphasis on the amp). The title track is actually a mid-tempo made-for-radio Pop song. But "Merry Christmas Happy New Years" rocks like a Power Pop hurricane. The set closes with a cover of "Blue Christmas" (nice try, Brad, but that song can't be saved). I'm not sure what this means for The Connection. They did have a new album in April, "Wish You Success", but the cover art has a weird "I buried Paul" vibe to it and Brad's been putting out lots of solo music this year (all of which you can find on Bandcamp, btw). (You might also recall that Kris Rodgers left The Connection a while ago and had a pretty awesome Christmas EP of his own a few years back with his group The Dirty Gems). Well, solo or together, these cats know how to Rock our Christmas world. Keep up the good work, Brad Marino. Don't be a stranger. Christmas time is "Almost Here" after all. Name-your-price at Bandcamp.
I'm a cat person, but lately songs about dogs have been touching my soft chewy center. So let others tell you about the A-side of this free holiday single from Milwaukee's Nathan Honore, I want to shine a spotlight on the virtual flip, "Song For A Dog In December". It's a sweet little ode to life from a dog's point of view...which is mostly waiting.
And there really isn't much more to the song than that. But for "December" in the title and some bright and shiny "ding" sounds in the song, you wouldn't think it a Christmas song at all. But I totally get it. Missy Katz still shows signs of the trauma from the month I spent in the hospital. Imagine that sun going up and down for 30 days and waiting...and waiting...and waiting. She physically can't stand to be alone, anymore. She sleeps on my chest, which isn't always comfortable for me. But it's like she's holding on to me with all her might. And, no, she wasn't at all like this before my month in the hospital. She used to be all "You're going somewhere? Whatever." I feel so bad for her. Heck, I feel guilty when I go to the mailbox to get the mail. So, please, remember your pets. Not just at Christmas, but every day. They're people, too.
The A-side? That would be "Christmas Eve", which is a really nice song in it's own right. But it's no "Song For A Dog In December". But that's just the opinion of me and Missy Katz. Next Paperback Hero's Christmas single is name-your-price at Bandcamp, with any proceeds raised going to the Hunger Task Force.
Black Friday is coming up and you're going to need something to get you through it. You could down 5 pots of coffee or you could take a single cup of Dollyrots to keep you going. The Dollyrots Punk Rock their way through 5 familiar Christmas songs in under three minutes. That'll get your blood pumping. "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", "Silent Night", "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", "Frosty The Snowman" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". In under 3 minutes. (And, somehow, when The Dollyrots tell you they aren't leaving until they get some figgy pudding, you believe them.)
Yes, you know it's Christmas because The Dollyrots always come through with a great single for the season. And this year's could well be your Black Friday anthem. "The Dollyrots Do Christmas" is name-your-price, but any tips received will go to charity. Read all about it at Bandcamp.
Here's some sweet Indie Pop from Italy. In fact, this sounds like the kind of tune that would be included on the annual Polaroid collection I love so much (Polaroid being an Italian music blog). But, being as it was released Christmas Day last year, it wasn't.
Other than the fact that they're from Italy, I've been unable to learn anything about The Chilly Willies. But that doesn't at all mean we can't enjoy the delightful "Xmas Holidays (I Just Pretend Some Snow)". Near as I can figure out, the protagonist is on holiday at one of the moderate beach areas on Italy's west coast (in the central or southern portions where winters are relatively warm with temperatures in the fifties). And, Christmas being such a magical time, he can't help but feel it would be easier to approach a girl if it felt more like Christmas. So he pretends some snow. See? Don't fall for the false ending and download the song free at Bandcamp.
While preparing our look at "A Very Cherry Christmas 13", I came across this 2010 free Christmas single from the Synth Pop duo Spray. Siblings Jen McLaren and Ric Autobahn used to be members of John Peel favorites and "pop terrorists" The Cuban Boys. They were one of the early bands to make extensive use of the internet, both for collaborating and for promotion. It could probably be said that The Cuban Boys were ahead of their time and, therefore, not as successful as less talented groups whose timing was better.
"He Came With The Sleigh" is a bit of a "parody" of the duo's "He Came With The Frame" from "Children Of A Laser God". It's almost a parody in reverse. I mean, I love the cynicism of "He Came With The Frame" but I also love the hopefulness of "He Came With The Sleigh". "Now dream with all of your might. If you can't dream at Christmas then you're wasting your time. I need a sign the future's going to change tonight. I think I found it." And the sound is wonderful. Slap the name Roxette or Eurythmics on this sucker and it would sell a million copies. But you can download all three versions (short, long, and the DonQuibeats mix) of this should-be classic from Spray free at Bandcamp.
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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The FREE ListHere we hope to direct you to some of the Christmas music on the web that can be yours absolutely free. We will not direct you to mp3 or sharity sites, here, but only to artist sites, label sites, and other authorized and unquestionably legal locations. Archives2010 FREE List Categories
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