Category:

Stubbys House of Christmas

CHRISTINE BERGER & BEN DE VRIES - LEISE RIESELT DER SCHNEE

12/26/2012

So, right before Christmas, I got the most amazing gift from Lie In The Sound, a German blog run by Brigitte and Christoph that seems to have an overabundance of holiday spirit each year (made manifest by the many free holiday downloads they manage to find).

First of all, there was this really sweet write-up. Not the kind of thing we all write about fellow bloggers from time to time when we're trying to point you to a worthy site, but a very personalized...."Christmas card" I'd call it. But the gift beneath their endearing words was the gift of turning me on to a traditional German folk song that seems to have escaped my attention all these years. And that's no small feat.

“Leise rieselt der Schnee” roughly translates as "Snow Is Falling Gently" (Brigitte even took the time to try and translate the lyrics into English...because we all know I don't speak anything else) and you should definitely check them out. It's a song about the growing excitement as Christkind draws near (rather than Santa, Christkind is an angel-like girl, Brigitte explains, who wanders the woods bringing presents to the children). Not stopping there, our friends at Lie In The Sound found a few videos and this lovely free download of “Leise rieselt der Schnee” performed by Christine Berger and Ben DeVries. It's a lo-fi folk recording, but no less beautiful for that.

What's more, the song was part of an entire FREE compilation of Christmas music from Canadian DIY label Badgerland released last year, "A Very Badgerland Christmas". AND what's even more, the Badgerland label has been releasing holiday comps of homemade music since 2009. Needless to say, that's a lot of music I haven't had tome to sift through just yet, but they're all free, so you might as well get them, right? (This Christmas music obsession is a sickness, I tellz ya.)

So, first, go read the Lie In The Sound "Christmas card" to Stubby's. Then check out “Leise rieselt der Schnee” by Christine Berger and Ben DeVries. And then grab all the Badgerland Christmas comps via Bandcamp. You've got some work ahead of you, so go get started. (And thank you, Brigitte and Christoph for a most wonderful gift.)

SONGS FOR CHRISTMAS (2009)
THEE CHRISTMAS MIXTAPE (2010)
A VERY BADGERLAND CHRISTMAS (2011)
YULETIDE ENTERTAINMENTS (2012)

MAC MILLER & ARIANA GRANDE - BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

12/25/2012

The combinations get odder and odder, don't they? On the heels of the John Travolta & Olivia Newton John (ahem) reunion, here's a pairing I would never have seen coming. Mac Miller (aka EZ Mac and, on this recording, Larry Lovestein) is a rapper from Pennsylvania while Ariana Grande is an actress and singer from Florida, the star of the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious. And, together, they tackled one of the all-time classics, "Baby, It's Cold Outside". And, strangely enough, it works. Mac's not rapping here and, thankfully, he's not even trying to compete with the glorious songbird that Ariana can be. So she coos and he mumbles and, in a way, it makes the song far less about a creepy guy trying to trap a helpless female and much more about a sensuous woman playing coy (she's 19, now, so I can say that, right?) and a bumbling guy who lacks confidence or clue. She's clearly the one with the power in this virtual relationship. Anyway, that's how it struck me. Oddly enough, Mac's own (least I think it was his--he's the one that posted it on Facebook) upload to hulkshare was pulled by the freaking out hosting sites as a copyright violation (what is the world coming to when an artist can't share their own song?). But it's still available through 2 Dope Boyz.

FRIGHTENED RABBIT - SHE SCREAMS CHRISTMAS

12/25/2012

Back around 2007, the Scottish Indie Rock band Frightened Rabbit recorded a Christmas song that has really become a favorite of a whole lot of folks, "It's Christmas, So We'll Stop". I would even count the tune as influential in the direction Christmas music has taken since. Sure, you still get your Michael Bubles, your Justin Biebers, your Blake Sheltons, and the occasional complete weirdness of a John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John album. But Indie Christmas music has exploded since then and I think Frightened Rabbit's track played a role in that. It was so underground at first, that it was over-ground, if you know what I'm saying. Throw in the Sufjan Stevens stuff (before it was released commercially), and Indie Christmas was definitely bubbling up all over.

Scott Hutchinson, the lead vocalist and lyricist for the band, wrote a new Christmas tune for 2012 and what we get on "She Screams Christmas" is a hauntingly lovely acoustic basement performance, which, has it happens, suits the song very well. Tried to get this up earlier today but Scott's first upload exhausted its allowable bandwidth very quickly (a couple hours, tops). Undaunted, Scott handed the track off to Stereogum and you can now download the track there. I suspect you'll be hearing a lot of this tune...certainly next year and for years to come. Nonetheless, I'm sure you'll want to download it now. I mean, who knows how much bandwidth Stereogum has?

Scott asks that, if you like "She Screams Christmas" (and you will), consider making a donation to the Cystinosis Foundation UK. Scott's young niece, Morven, suffers from Cystinosis and the Foundation's work will help her to survive as the disease attacks her kidneys, eyes, and other organs (a kidney transplant is inevitable).

One other little detail, the mp3 is properly tagged (so many aren't) and lists the "album" as "As Christmas As We Come". Is a Frightened Rabbit Christmas album in the offing? Let's hope so. I mean, why the hell not, right?

VARIOUS - A HOLIDAY COMPILATION, VOL. 2

12/24/2012

1. Priorities - It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (Andy Williams Cover)
2. Divide & Conquer - I Sat On Santa's Lap And All I Got Was This Restraining Order
3. States Away - Skipping Seasons
4. Portland! - I'll Be Home For The Holidays
5. Golden Gate - Christmas Without You
6. On Call Heroes - Santa Claus Is My Deadbeat Dad
7. You Vandal - Stocking Stuffer (Full-Band Version)
8. Cut The Brakes - Grizzly Bears In Pulaskis
9. Adalie - I Won't Be Home For Christmas (blink-182 Cover)
10. Sunning - This Christmas, This New Year (Feat. Kelly Murray)
11. Wake The Giants - Christmeth
12. Angry Bears - Holla-Daze
13. The Directive - Yukon Cornelius
14. Madison Lights - Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animal NAME YOUR PRICE AT BANDCAMP
15. The Lost Boys Club - Last Christmas (Wham! Cover)
16. Bad Case Of Big Mouth - Now I Have A Machine Gun... Ho, Ho, Ho
17. Singled Out - Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms Cover)

We've mentioned the Easycore folks before, though I'm a little too tired to go hunting it up right now. Easycore is an online community of sorts (with journalism, features, music and forums) devoted, primarily, to the Punk, Pop Punk, and Hardcore genres. These days, for those less adventurous, Pop Punk is more pop than punk, but its usually an extremely uptempo, rockin' pop sound--lots of hooks and such--though, occasionally, the genre moves into more hardcore territory. Basically, if you like bands like MxPx or even Green Day (sacrilege, I know), you'll probably like Pop Punk. Easycore artists lean a little heavier toward the hardcore sound, and that's a good thing since much of Pop Punk these days is just Pop posing. No posing, here, but the songs are still very catchy. Haven't had the time to give this a proper listen, yet, but, everywhere I dropped my virtual needle, it sounded fantastic. And you gotta love titles like "Now I Have A Machine Gun...Ho, Ho, Ho" and "I Sat On Santa's Lap And All I Got Was This Restraining Order". There are a couple of covers, but most of this set is all new. And I think I've only come across one of these tracks as a stand alone download this year. If you feel like, maybe, your mixtape needs a burst of energy, this one's a triple shot of espresso, seasoned with Jack Daniels. Go for it. You wanna learn more about the bands, stop by Easycore itself and look around a bit (the bands are linked up in their track list). Oh, and when you're finished listening to "A Holiday Compilation, Vol. 2", stop by and pick up "A Holiday Compilation, Vol. 1" which is free again (came out in 2010) for the holidays on Bandcamp. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.

SWEET TALKER - IT'S CHRISTMAS, PLEASE COME HOME

12/24/2012

Sweet Talker is Colorado singer/songwriter Kevin Fisher. Unsigned at the moment, Kevin's "It's Christmas, Please Come Home" puts most holiday efforts from American Idol alum to shame. It's a nice little pop number with pop punk undertones (imho). What's more, it's free--an exclusive offering of 81twentythree.com (home of Kevin's management company). Head to 81twentythree and click on the artwork there to get the track.

CAPTIVES ON THE CAROUSEL - COVENTRY CAROL/SWEET BELLS

12/23/2012

I found this Sheffield (UK) folk group earlier this year and simply fell in love. The delicate interplay between Sarah Morrey and Ben Eckersley is all the instrumentation they need and that leaves plenty of room for Sarah's dulcet tones to flow like a stream through the air. And, like that stream, it's sweet and peaceful surface belies the power and determination underneath. Not sure I gave that metaphor properly, but listen and you'll understand. I grew up at a point in the mighty Susquehanna River that was, from the perspective there, just a peaceful stream; and yet that river is one of the oldest rivers in the world, older even than the mountains through which it travels, and 464 miles long, the longest river on the eastern coast of America, carrying huge amounts of water long distances unceasingly and inexorably to the Atlantic Ocean.

But enough about my poor analogies. The point is that Captives On The Carousel play and sing beautiful music and I am now a captive to their beauty.

For 2012, the pair have recorded two Christmas songs as perfectly as they've ever been done. "Coventry Carol" should be familiar to anyone that listens to a Christmas song or two while "Sweet Bells" is a traditional folk song of the Sheffield area (you might best remember that one as the title track from Kate Rusby's Christmas album). The songs are offered as a free download on Bandcamp, but the group asks that you consider donating something to Sheffield Mind, a leading provider of Mental Health and Wellbeing services in Sheffield. Should you wish to, you can do so through Captives On The Carousel's fundraising page at MyDonate.

FROM INDIAN LAKES - I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS :

12/22/2012

Hot off the release of "Able Bodies", Alt Pop/Rock band From Indian Lakes have gifted the web site Absolute Punk with an exclusive download of "I'll Be Home For Christmas". Their take is sweet and pretty (and just a tad moody), just how I like it. From Indian Lakes starts it off acoustic and use the electric guitar in the middle as a gentle seasoning. It's almost like they found a way to combine Indie with New Age. Or something. They paint beautiful pictures with their sound. Anyway, well worth grabbing from Absolute Punk and From Indian Lakes.

VARIOUS - A POLAROID FOR CHRISTMAS 2012

12/21/2012

1. Monnone Alone - Everywhere At Once
2. Vadoinmessico - Sleigh Ride
3. PICA PICA (Rebekka from Maribel) - Winterwonderland
4. Life & Limb - Only The Lowly
5. Joyce In Pola - End Of The Ocean
6. She Said Destroy - Brigitte
7. Derby Sunshine - Italo Riviera
8. Neverending Mojitos - Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy (The Tams cover)
9. Johnny Render - Have a Very Render Christmas
10. ED - All You Need Is Love (The Beatles cover)
11. Montgomery feat. Tempelhof - 1979 (Smashing Pumpkins cover)
12. Wolther Goes Stranger & Federico Fiumani - SOMEtimes (Bombanella mix)
13. Love The Unicorn - Sssuperstarsss
14. Setti - Sasso Natale
15. Spakkiano - Africa et cetera DOWNLOAD FREE FROM POLAROID

One of our absolute favorite "off the beaten path" annual holiday collections comes from the Italian blog, Polaroid. Every year, the writer of that blog contacts a few of his friends from the Indie music world and asks them if they would mind recording a seasonal track; or, if not a seasonal track, at least a little something to keep him company while he decorates his tree. And, man, does this cat have friends! They always come through with some spectacular stuff that you're not going to find anywhere else. Not all of it is holiday related, but it's all great. I mean, I'd love to dial up a musician friend and have them record a cover of The Tams "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" some time--Christmas or whenever. Fortunately for those of us with either fewer or, perhaps, less talented friends, the whole collection is shared out so the rest of us have something to keep us company on those long winter nights.

There's a bit of synth pop and techno pop and a dollup of experimental electro noise pop, but most of the set falls squarely in the Indie/Alt Pop and Indie/Alt Rock vein, some on the Lo-Fi side, but that's actually quite a wide swath of musical sounds and it's all wonderful. And the artists are all linked up, so you can learn more about them. For example, Rebekka of Maribel (who have their own new Christmas single out, "Christmas Blues") contributes an absolutely dreamy version of "Winterwonderland" as Pica Pica. Italian artist Setti offers up a sweet Indie Pop number in his (their?) native tongue, "Sasso Natale". Alt Pop/Rock fans should enjoy Vadoinmessico's "Sleigh Ride", and Monnone Alone's "Everywhere At Once" is great fun. She Said Destroy give good garage on "Brigitte". ED gives us an awesome Indie cover of the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love". And, speaking of the Beatles and dreamy, the original "Have A Very Render Christmas" from Johnny Render is not only dreamy, it sounds like it could have been the closing track from a late 60s Beatles Christmas album; it would certainly do nicely as the closing number on your mixtape. But, hands down, my absolute favorite on "A Polaroid Christmas 2012" is the previously mentioned cover of "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" by the Neverending Mojitos. It might not be a Christmas track, but it has the feel of a bunch of (very talented) friends sitting around the tree on Christmas morning and sharing a song. It made me smile from ear to ear. A lot. My face hurt, I smiled so much.

Head straight to Polaroid and grab the whole bunch. Poke around a bit and you might find some of the earlier sets, as well. Enjoy. And "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy". It's nearly Christmas after all.

JILLAINE - I WONDER AS I WANDER

12/21/2012

I have been soooo remiss in not reviewing Jillaine's new album, "Jazzy Christmas To You II". Back when I had time, I did review "Jazzy Christmas To You". It was one of my favorite albums of 2011. Well, as good as that one was, "Jazzy Christmas To You II" is unbelievably better. It's simply amazing! A true jazz tour-de-force. You should buy it. Seriously. Go now (I'll wait)!

But if you need a tad more convincing, Jillaine has been offering a free track from the album. And I can't believe I haven't gotten around to telling you before now. And, just as Jillaine has become one of my favorite singers and still managed to blow me away this time out, "I Wonder As I Wander" has long been one of my favorite traditional Christmas songs, but, in the hands of Jillaine, it absolutely *sparkles*.

Just go to Jillaine's Facebook page, head to the downloads section and "like" her (Like? Where's the "love" button?), and "I Wonder As I Wander" is yours. But, really, you should buy "Jazzy Christmas To You II". Go now (I'll wait)!

SOULS REST - FALLEN SNOW

12/21/2012

Must be the mood I'm in this year. Like a gentle snow fall (which we haven't had here in Eastern North Carolina in two years), I'm especially attracted to the soft and gentle music this year. Like this one from Canadian neo-soul/hip hop duo Souls Rest which just came as such a cool, smooth and refreshing respite from the holiday hustle bustle. Dig "Fallen Snow", contrasting it's easy hip hop beats with some smooth jazz. I dig it. Maybe you will, too. Name your price at Bandcamp.