Category: Post Punk

CURXES - I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS

12/5/2018

After losing what, from my perspective, was better than two days to computer issues or whatever they were, I'm way behind on everything and got a lot of catching up to do. But the first thing I saw this morning was this lovely Synth Pop version of Greg Lake's "I Believe In Father Christmas" from Curxes. You may or may not recall that we used their 2012 Christmas single "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" on our Christmas In July collection.

To my ears, Curxes was always a little bit sad and a little bit Punk...which makes for an interesting mix (though, to be fair, that could just be me). So "I Believe In Father Christmas", which was always a bit...wistful, now sounds (to me) completely full of a kind of post-apocalyptic regret. Like, hey, remember Christmas before we dropped the bomb? Yeah, I might be in need of some therapy. The good news is that this Curxes Christmas present is name-your-price at Bandcamp.

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VARIOUS - A WIRETAP RECORDS CHRISTMAS COMPILATION

12/23/2016

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WIRETAP RECORDS
DOWNLOAD FROM BANDCAMP

1. Get Married - Christmas (Have A Wonderful Life) *
2. The Stragglers - Oi To The World
3. Avenues - This Christmas *
4. Margate - Snow Day
5. The Dollyrots - All I Want for Christmas Is You
6. The Record Collection - Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)
7. Spanish Love Songs - Santa Cant Stay (Dwight Yoakam Cover) *
8. My Double, My Brother - The Days to Be Home
9. Brenna Red (From The Last Gang) - Punk Rock Christmas
10. The Lucky Eejits - Santa On 98th
11. Sons of Strangers - Blue Christmas
12. Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms - Jesus Christ (Big Star Cover) *
13. Brendan Scholz (from Mercy Music) - The Christmas Song (Weezer Cover)

L.A. Punk label, Wiretap Records, has put together a nice holiday comp. In addition to a couple we've mentioned before, including Brenna Red's "Punk Rock Christmas" (but it wasn't free before), there are several tracks from Wiretap's stable recorded especially for this free compilation. And, while there's plenty of energy, here, if (like me) you find yourself in need, there's also a good deal of variety. Spanish Love Songs do a nice Electro Punk Country cover of Dwight Yoakam's "Santa Can't Stay". My Double My Brother cleverly borrow a riff from the ancient Folk tune "Christmas Day In The Morning" to come up with something that's both fresh and familiar. I was kinda hoping the Avenues track was somebody finally doing something different with the Donny Hathaway song (please, somebody, do something different with that song, or don't bother recording it), but, no, "This Christmas" is an original. I dig "Santa On 98th" from the Lucky Eejits. Hated "Blue Christmas" (of course). And the record closes with a Lo-Fi Weezer cover from Brendan Scholz. But the best track, to me, was the opener from Get Married, "Christmas (Have A Wonderful Life)." That's probably music to the ears of Wiretap as their most recent release is Get Married's EP "Into The Cosmos". You can check the tunes from the Get Married EP on Bandcamp, but its also available in limited edition grenadine red or alien skin green 7" vinyl from the label.

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UMMAGMA - WINTER TALE

12/18/2016

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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.

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VARIOUS - A CHRISTMAS COMP FOR YOU FROM SACRAMENTO

12/14/2016

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1.   The Diamond Center - Christmas Is Here
2.   Soft Science - Marshmallow World
3.   Bummer & Lazarus - A World Without Christmas
4.   Josh Goodman - Christmas In The Valley
5.   Bright Ideas - When You Think About Christmas Time
6.   2014 - You Gotta Love Christmas
7.   Dylan Barnes - O Holy Night
8.   Red Hot Fire - I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
9.   Knock Knock - White Christmas (Fog Version)
10. Charles Albright - White Christmas Minority
11. Gangee - Festivus (For The Rest Of Us)
12. The Strange Party - N(eg)ativity
13. Andy Tate - All I Want
14. Dylan Barnes - White Christmas
15. Danny Offer - The Christmas Party
16. Kittens Having Kittens - It's Warmer When You're Near
17. The Crow Canyon Boys - You Left Me On Christmas
18. The Enlows - Winterman
19. Matt Crap (from The MOANS) - Scary Christmas To All (And To All A Ghoul Night)
20. White Women Love Jazz - Yule Shoot Your Eye Out
21. The Ninja Family Orchestra - Jingle Bells DOMESTIC HONEY BLOG
22. Dylan Barnes - Carol Of The Bells FREE DOWNLOAD FROM BANDCAMP
23. The Croissants - Corn Cob Pipe   PURCHASE CASSETTE FROM BANDCAMP
24. Tell el-Armana - First To Arrive
25. Han's Father - Christmas On Tatooine
26. The Caganers - (Poo Poo) Caga Tio
27. The Four Eyes - The Christmas Mash
28. Dylan Barnes - Silent Night

Remember this one? "A Christmas Comp For You From Sacramento" was the subject of a post we did years ago called "Stubby's Holiday Screw-Up". Feel free to look back at laugh, if you have a free moment. Earlier this year, the guy who put this together contacted me (having just learned that we had featured him back then). He had long wondered, he said, how people from all over the place had ever heard about this very, very local project done for fun. Well, he seems to think Stubby's had something to do with it. Maybe, maybe not. But the BIG news is that the comp is FREE TO DOWNLOAD AGAIN! YAY! And they had a new supply of cassettes, but they've been selling well and I see they're down to 3 remaining. If you must buy, run right over. If a free download'll do ya, well, hell, run right over. You never know when I'm going to screw up again. And, rather than write it up new, here's what I originally said about the album before I screwed up.

I have to say this is one of the most fun collections of Christmas music I've heard this year [2014]. Domestic Honey is, according to his profile, "just a dude in Sacramento that tricks his friends into recording stuff he can put out." It was as recently as September that this "dude" (Cody Scott) decided to go for it--get a bunch of local Sacramento musicians and bands to write and record Christmas music. So they definitely made good time. The music covers the Indie waterfront, with most of it tending toward Rock and Pop (but there's lots of variety). With so little time to pull it together, there's a raw sound to the compilation, with a few tracks in the Lo Fi range. And every song has its charm. This reminds me of a lot of early Indie Pop and Indie Rock. The spirit's there. I can't even tell you the highlights. It's easier to tell you the tracks I don't like......there were none. On a collection of 28 tracks, do you know how hard that is to pull off? It's a million to one shot. The songs are mostly short (some clocking in at under a minute) and Dylan Barnes' organ interludes are a special added delight.

Zombie lovers, there's a track for you from Matt Crap of the Moans. Star Wars fans, you're covered. And there's Lo Fi Alt Bluegrass from The Crow Canyon Boys. Or maybe its Punk Bluegrass. Who even knew there was such a thing? Electronica? Yeah, we got that from White Women Love Jazz (and, ok, that was my least favorite). Bummer and Lazarus rework a Peter & Gordon classic into "A World Without Christmas". The Four Eyes give a spritely Alt Rock version of "The Monster Mash". And the "Silent Night" closing is priceless ("Dylan, keep going damn it, I'm not done"). "A Christmas Comp For You" has got something for just about everybody. Now, true enough, I like more things than I don't. But I think even the biggest Grinch is going to find at least 6 or 7 tracks, here, that they absolutely love. And, if you can't find just one--just ONE--song, here, to use on your mixtapes, I dunno; I'd have to guess you're too conventional for my taste. It's free, for crap sake. Just download it and try it on for size. You'll find "A Christmas Comp For You" on Bandcamp.

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ALTERNATIV JULEKALENDER (Alternative Advent Calendar)

12/12/2016

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AS HE SAID

I've been so busy, I haven't had time to check in with any of the Advent Calendars (except for Lie In The Sound, cuz I love those people). One of the longer running and more interesting Advent countdowns is the Alternativ Julekalender, which is "hosted"(?) by Arne, Jonny, and Stian and has been since 2007, I think. They are the people behind the Scandanavian Indie label Riot Factory. From the first of December to the 25th, they post a song a day to Soundcloud that you're free to download. Usually the old calendars remain available, too. It's remembering to check every day that sometimes becomes the issue. And it's fairly typical for me to catch it on day one, catch up right around the middle, and then go back and catch up again around New Years. But you know, if we forget to check, they might stop doing it. And nobody wants that. They post some fascinating stuff, some of it in Norweigian (but lots in English)--from sweet Indie Pop to very Heavy Metal and everything in between and on both sides. It's very cool. Will you like it all? Maybe not. But its one of those things where, if you pay attention, you will come out with a few "this is my new favorite of all time" cuts. And isn't that why we're all here? We'll try to remember to update this post as we get more. Just click on "Advent Calendar" on the categories menu to your right to get back here (or to any others we post). I'll note that a couple of these do not appear to be downloadable at the moment (just Days 6 and 10, right now), so perhaps they're including streams or maybe you only get one day to download those. Hey, I'll take 10 out of 12 any day.

Up top is my favorite so far this year. The group As He Said with an original song about coming home, "Quiet". I liked the song so much, I immediately hit up their other Soundcloud tunes and then headed out to their Facebook page. The group ranges from Indie Pop to Alt Rock to Synth Pop and back to Dream Pop. They say their lyrics are very intimate and vulnerable and the sounds are whatever the four of them come up with. Whatever they're doing, they need to keep doing it. It's trippy and lush and wonderful. As He Said should soon be releasing their first ever EP--hopefully something I can buy from here in the States. Remember the name. As He Said. And, if you want some more beautiful Christmas music from As He Said, check the video on their Facebook page for "Nordnorsk Julesalme", which translates to North Norwegian Christmas Psalm. Too bad I can't embed it here. Really and truly beautiful.

1. Tre Små Kinesere - Nedsnødd på Julaften [Snowbound On Christmas Eve]
2. Drango - Carrol of the Bells
3. Gourm£t - Bare God Mat (m Harry Mayne) [Just Good Food]
4. Tapewind - Away in a Manger
5. Pom Poko - Lemon
6. FOG (Frukt og Grønt) - Auroras Rolle
7. Dear Esther - Papillon
8. Black Moon Circle - The Sun Is Coming Back
9. As He Said - Quiet
10. Samū - Sundown
11. Herman Wildhagen - All I See
12. Moon Like Bell - We Don't Swim
13. Christoffer Øien - I'll Be Home For Christmas
14. Kristoffer Lo - Alternativ Julekalender 2016

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VARIOUS - HAVE A LAZY CHRISTMAS

6/29/2016

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1. The Apple Store - Misha Non Penguin
2. Season Cyclics - The Sunturns
3. Merry Christmas (or whatever) - Sledding With Tigers
4. No Sound of Snow - Uno Moller
5. Silent Night - Stylusboy
6. Last Christmas (I Shot You Down) - I See Horses

DOWNLOAD AT BANDCAMP

At this point, I find it pretty much impossible to remember what I've shared, here, and what I haven't. That's on me, really; I never got this site as organized as I'd hoped at the outset. So forgive me if you've heard this before.

"Have A Lazy Christmas" was a 2012 holiday compilation from the Indie label Lazy Acre Records in the UK. If I haven't shared this before, I apologize to all concerned as it certainly seems the label is no longer a going concern. Or at least their website appears to be gone, their Tumblr page seems to be gone, and the last activity on their Bandcamp site and their Twitter feed was in 2013. Yeah, I know it isn't my fault, personally, but I love Independent music and like to feel I'm doing as much as I can (however little that may be) to keep smaller labels alive. It goes without saying that the artists from the Lazy Acre stable are probably still active and I encourage you to google them up, if you hear something you like.

I found the Zip for this sitting in my downloads folder--which means I downloaded it at some point not recent but never unzipped it. Unfortunately, there's a lot of that on my computer. It's kinda like being stuffed at Thanksgiving and grabbing a turkey leg for later, only to stumble upon it when you're cleaning out the freezer many months hence, totally forgotten. Except that a frozen turkey leg isn't going to survive those many months of freezer burn while the music is as fresh as the day it was cut. But, come on, a cute little kitty on the cover--how did I not unzip this before?

"Have A Lazy Christmas" is just six Indie Pop and Alt Folk songs long, but they're a solid six. Several of the groups are from Norway, including our old friends The Sunturns. But then there's Sledding With Tigers who hail from San Diego. My immediate favorite is "No Sound Of Snow" from Uno Moller, which is a really sweet slice of life, albeit one soaked in melancholy. I'd think most guys out there know the feeling of smelling the sheets for one last scent of the woman who has left them. So its like that. And, though he sings that he knows he'll be fine, it'd be hard to say he sounds convinced. Still, for a sad song, there's a hopefulness in there somewhere. Or maybe that's just me. Other highlights include the Indie Electro Pop opener from Misha Non Penguin, "The Apple Store", and the Indie Pop "Christmas (or whatever)" from the aforementioned Sleeping With Tigers.

But give it a go and pick out your own favorites. It is free, after all (technically "Name Your Price"). And it's been waiting for your discovery for several years, now. You'll find it at Bandcamp.

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CURXES - I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS

VARIOUS - A WIRETAP RECORDS CHRISTMAS COMPILATION

UMMAGMA - WINTER TALE

VARIOUS - A CHRISTMAS COMP FOR YOU FROM SACRAMENTO

ALTERNATIV JULEKALENDER (Alternative Advent Calendar)

VARIOUS - HAVE A LAZY CHRISTMAS

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