To refresh your memory a bit, Snowflakes Singles recruit some of the hottest Indie and Alternative artists and bands from around the globe to record a pair of holiday songs--one original and one cover--which are then pressed to snow white vinyl (with one exception, which we'll get to), slipped into a sturdy original picture sleeve, and released in very limited quantities. And this year's crop are more limited than ever. We'll get to that, too.
First, you should know that the man behind Snowflakes is Robert Voogt. Robert is no music mogul or independently wealthy businessman. He's a fan, just like you and I. And, one day, while fretting over the kind of Christmas music that isn't out there but should be, Robert arrived at a simple conclusion: if you want something done right (or at all), you might just have to do it yourself. You know the kind of care you'd put into a Christmas record, if it were up to you. You know the kinds of artists you'd want to see Christmas records from. As a fan, that's the care and thought Robert invests. God only knows if he's even breaking even on this project, and I'm afraid to ask. Just be happy someone who loves the music as much as you do is doing it. And the best way you can insure that Snowflakes Singles become as much a holiday tradition as the Macy's Parade is to buy and enjoy the singles. Based in the Netherlands, pre-orders are in Euros. This year, that works out pretty well as the Euro and US dollar are pretty even. So a Snowflake Single selling for 7 Euros is roughly $7 ($7.52, to be precise). And you can always save money by bundling the year's full set (and even more by bundling the full set plus the remaining singles from past seasons). Available for shipping anywhere in the world, the 2015 Snowflakes Christmas Singles will be officially released by December 4 (with 3 of the 4 releasing November 27), but you can pre-order your copies today.
2013 featured some pretty awesome offerings from The Garlands, The Silhouettes, The Miserable Rich and The Smoke Fairies. The single from the Smoke Fairies sold out almost immediately, but you're missing some spectacular Christmas music if you didn't grab the other three. Last year's Snowflake Singles featured Nancy Wallace and Hannah Peel. These tracks are exclusive to the Snowflakes label. If you're waiting for the songs to find their way to some large label compilation, you'll likely be waiting a long time. It's worth noting that, when the Smoke Fairies released their full-length Christmas album, neither of their Snowflake tracks were on it.
Audio for the 2015 Snowflake Singles will be available soon. But I'm going to toss up a song from each of the bands so that you can get a bit of a feel for what they sound like. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the 2015 Snowflakes Singles.
For their Snowflakes Single, Terminal Gods have written and recorded "Boundless" as their original A-side. Robert says the song--told from the point of view of Father Christmas--is very nearly a ballad as well as ample demonstration that the group is developing their own unique sound. The B-side cover song is "Driving Home For Christmas", a song much more popular in the UK than in the US. Terminal Gods present the track as an Industrial Post Punk song...in other words, like you've never heard it done before.
This Snowflakes Single is limited to just 350 copies (Snowflake Singles have previously been limited to 500 copies). Terminal Gods vinyl routinely sells out very quickly and I've no reason to believe the Snowflakes Single won't sell out just as quickly.
Learn more about Terminal Gods at their website and via Facebook.
IKON's A-side original features an ancient character who has been becoming more prominent in holiday music recently--Krampus. Heck, there's even a Krampus movie coming out this year. Think of Krampus as Santa's evil twin. While Santa is giving presents to good little boys and girls, Krampus is taking the naughty children to the underworld (so you'd better be good, for goodness sake). IKON's "Gruss Von Krampus" is devilishly dark while the band's B-side cover is a rather scary Darkwave reimagining of "Little Drummer Boy" (some people already have nightmares from the traditional version of that song; can't imagine what IKON's version will do to them).
At the special request of the band, IKON's Snowflakes Single will feature 200 copies pressed in snow white vinyl and 200 copies in blood red vinyl--a total of 400 (previous Snowflakes Singles were limited to 500). You can request your preferred color when you order (same price for either) or leave it to the fates to decide--or just order them both while you can. This one, too, figures to be a quick seller.
More about IKON via their website and Facebook.
Anywho, Juniore hasn't been around for very long--they've released only three singles so far--so the Snowflakes Single from them is all the more special. For their A-side original, Juniore has written and recorded "Da Saison"--a reverb heavy cross between Psych and Dream Pop (or at least that's what Robert's description calls to mind). And, on the flip, we get Juniore's take on Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" ("Pour Noel, Cette Annee"). Generally, I believe there are too many versions of that song already. But a Psych Pop version in French (which Robert says sounds a bit like Francoise Hardy)? Oh, hell, yeah!
This Snowflakes Single is limited to just 350 copies (Snowflake Singles have previously been limited to 500 copies). And I'm warning you right now...if you don't buy them all, I very well might (well, OK, probably not, but I would if I had the scratch).
Juniore doesn't have a standard website, but they do do Tumblr and Facebook.
Tele Novella's Snowflake Singles original is "Christmas Spirit", which promises to be a holiday crossover record--meaning its going to get some Halloween play down the road. Not that its spooky, its just kinda catchy and fun. But just look at that cover; that says Halloween as much as Christmas--or more--and I'm betting the song does the same. For the flip, the band decided to cover Marvin Gaye's "Purple Snowflakes", which Robert says is very 60s. That could mean a lot of things, but I'm game. If only they sang in French. Ah well, can't have everything. Not for nuthin', but I don't see how you could watch and listen to "Trouble In Paradise" up above and not be stoked to get a Christmas record from the group.
This Snowflakes Single is limited to 350 copies (Snowflake Singles have previously been limited to 500).
Tele Novella has foregone a regular website, but they do have a Facebook page and you can find some of their music on Bandcamp.