I'm treading on thin ice here with a smooth jazzy version
of 'Let It Snow'. This song was written in the summer of 1945 when,
during a heatwave, both writers, Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, longed for a
bit of snow. Officially, it's even called 'Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Let It Snow!', apparently, it was so hot that they longed for a lot of
snow. Vaughn Monroe was the first to record the song. Later, singers
like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and more recently Michael Bublé
recorded 'Let It Snow'.
This year, American musician and actor Jeff Goldblum decided to
take it on. Goldblum is a reasonable skilled pianist. He also plays that role in The
Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. To be a bit current and hip, the vocals are a
duet between Goldblum and the young singer Veronica Swift. On the
B-side of this single, they perform a duet on 'Blue Christmas'!
Ohio Pastor Ronnie Martin is a songwriter, recording artist, author, and calls himself a 'Christmasist'. In 2022, his Christmas album was entitled 'Bells Merrily', in 2023, it was 'Holiday Fable', and this year, he's given us a two-song EP called 'On Christmas Morning'.
Before you press 'play' as it were, have a quick look at his Bandcamp page and try to guess what 'On Christmas Morning' is going to sound like. Besides the song being brand new, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
I've put up 'Holly on the Bough' from 2023, and I invite you to poke around the rest of Martin's Christmas musical presents.
A new Christmas blog is up & running, that's always good news. Better Watch Out is a tumblr blog that appreciates themes (yay!), old stuff and background stories on Christmas music. Jim (no, not this Jim) isn't on the lookout for all the newest stuff, but digs up known faves and songs that should be heard more.
Like this one, from a compilation released in 1995 that I had not heard of. Quality of that comp is a little mixed (coughs), but this track by Stephanie Sayers is just lovely. If you're, like me, into 90s quiet-loud guitar bands like Belly, Throwing Muses, Fuzzy, etc.. Oh, and that's a typo in the title.
Already fed up with sweater themed Christmas songs like these? Well, too bad because we ain't finished yet and there are even more sweatery things coming up!
Starting off with this singer going under the weird name Johnny's Turtleneck Jamboree. He's doing a strong alt-rock track with tempo changes and build up to the end. Johnny sits at home alone on the couch, intensively hating his ex but with her ugly Christmas sweater still on, the only thing that can keep him warm despite everything.
Ronnie Costley was already done with it in 2012. He have had every shape and size and colour too. So no more sweaters, he just wants all her hugs and kisses for Christmas. Aah, such a sweet country-esque song.
Dunno exactely what to think of these pre-woke and obstinate lyrics, but they come from a good heart, I guess. It sounds like it was recorded live five months ago, a quite cool acoustic track and sung in a nice, raw way. So never mind the lyrics, here’s Bender!
Santa Guuz spotted this one earlier in 2020 at the blog, but it can't be ignored in this list. Indie at its best at the Ugly Xmas Sweater Party by Girlhouse.
And now for something completely different. Artists and music like Wengie's are certainly not in the majority on the blog. But sometimes a voice, a beat, a sound just gives you that irresistible 'je ne sais quoi' feeling and then you're at it. Wengie that is, sweet as candy canes.
This one by Beartown Zodiac is actually out of competition, because it isn't about sweaters at all, but it was recorded "to raise money for this year's Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children" in 2013. So that means a green card. Also just a really good Christmas song by the way.
Lou Quillis all Star Banned is completely on topic with this crappy recorded Christmas jumper lo-fi track. It might not be the best advertisement for a Christmas jumper, but a remarkable one though.
A passionate indictment of the Christmas sweater written by singer songwriter Jen Hajj, after receiving an invite to an ugly christmas sweater party. She ain't wearing it, no way.
Back in 2008, Irishtoothache recorded their Christmas album 'Everything But The Christmas Sink', on which they also shed light on Christmas clothes.
We're temporarily closing this sweater theme list now and go out with a blast and loud guitars from Publicity Stunt. But be warned: there's more to come!
Oh, and for all you fashionistas out there, here's some information on the history of the infamous ugly christmas sweater.
You know we luuuuuuurve themed posts on this blog; Christmas songs about animals, about shit, about Ramones and beyond, about sex.
For some reason, we haven't posted that many songs about Christmas sweaters, jumpers, jerseys, either ugly or just warm and comfy. When we stuck our toe in the wool, so to speak, just to see what was out there, we were overwhelmed what came back: this is the theme of Christmas theme songs! We need several blogposts to fully appreciate all the musical knitwear.
Let's kick off with this upbeat R&B song, an ode to the ugly sweater from 2021:
Under one minute, and a cover that's better than the original, this snarky ode to sweaters (2020). The band has more Xmas songs up their sleeve by the way:
Totally different vibe (more indie), and not even a real Christmas song, is this perfect jangler by Brucemont (2017):
Comedy disco with a good groove about the sexy power of a sweater from 2023:
Sweet ukelele-folk, lovely song from 2014:
I can see this one on a Christmas Underground-mix, The National-ish, slightly depressed indie rock from 2014:
Yo Jon Solomon, you know these Belgian punks?
From 2023 and with lovely voices, this cabaret-song by Vesper Walk:
And of course, from one of the greatest Xmas albums ever, this blues by JD McPherson:
More to follow! Tips are welcome, use the comments.
A beautiful, dreamy shoegaze Christmas-a-like track drenched in reverbbbb by The Miracle Syndicate from Calgary, that fades out with a howling wind after almost six minutes. In the meantime, you've been sucked into the song by the intoxicatingly beautiful voice of Nayeli Astra, who is vaguely reminiscent of the iconic Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star. Here and there a refined sleigh bell while you're sipping your hot cocoa or glühwein. It's starting to snow, let's start a fire and stay for a while. There is no escape and you shouldn't even want to. What a track!
Award-winning Canadian singer and songwriter David Myles based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has a delightful Christmas album that will fit very nicely into your audio Christmas stocking. In 2014, Myles released 'It's Christmas', which helped raise money and donate food for those in need. The album features many well-known classics as well as some original songs, including the children's song 'Santa Never Brings Me a Banjo', which he turned into a children's book.
He also shows off that bilingual Eastern Canada talent with the French Christmas classic 'Les Cloches du Hameau', which dates from about 1755. Québec's Céline Dion has a choral version of it that you can waltz to, while La Famille Dion (7 of Céline's 13 siblings) sing a more straightforward version of it.
Myles is still an independent artist who enjoys cross-genre musical collaborations, such as 'So Blind', with Nova Scotia rapper Classified, which became one of the biggest-selling rap singles in the history of Canadian music in 2014.
And if you need your banjo fix, 'It Snowed' has you covered... in snow.
2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the Christmas classic 'Merry X-mas Everybody' from glam rockers Slade. We paid extensive attention to that. Read here. From the old members of Slade, former drummer Don Powell is still active, also with Christmas music. In 2019 he recorded the wonderful 'It Isn't Really Christmas Until Noddy Starts To Sing'. In December 2023, he appeared on a single by the Australian band Shandy. On 'Christmas Time,' glam rock and punk are not far away.
Like any good present worth waiting for, we need to unpack this one before you play with it.
From Helsinki, Ajattara started in the late 1996 and is still around. Not only do they do a banging black metal cover of 'Sika', they also have other Christmas songs, such as 'Ilon juhla' (2004) and 'Joulu' (2005). Go do some online crate digging if you need some ambient dark metal in your Christmas set.
'Sika' ('Pig' because Nordic countries have Christmas pigs) is a cover of a 1980 song by the late 1970s Finnish band Juice Leskinen Slam. The song tells of a family that raises a pig during the year and eventually slaughters and eats it. The words describe the pig's fate from a child's point of view. It's also one of the few Finnish carols that's not about Christmas trees, Santa Claus or anything religious.
If we can believe the Internet, Ajattara's Sika hit the number two spot on Finnish charts in 2006. Suomi on hieno maa!
When I was browsing Bandcamp for new stuff, I bumped into this track by The Flyswatters. Not new, it's from 2012, but a great high-octane punk rawk song that needs to be heard.
Santa takin' acid, how's that for a themed post? Because, you guessed it, there's more.
From 2017, this psychedelic track by Cathode Ray Eyes, a must-listen if yer into bands like The Cramps:
From an EP released in 2021, but first out on this compilation in 2013. Love the fx! Really really good this.
The Sheeps want to wait for Acid Santa, that might make their slacker rock a bit more...acidic?
Psychedelica and Santa, that leads to this stomper from 1967:
And why not throw in this Canadian song about celebrating Xmas on acid. Santa's not making in alive, alas:
If you think psychedelica and Santa is a bit far fetched, watch this animated clip. Backed by Harvard professors and and esteemed mycologists (mushroom experts, that is), filmmaker Matthew Salton unfolds the Sami legend, in which the Lapland people got help from shamans in winter. These shamans would perform healing rituals using the hallucinogenic mushroom Amanita muscaria, a red-and-white toadstool fungus that they considered holy. So holy, in fact, that the shamans dressed up like the mushrooms for their visit. Wearing large red-and-white suits, the shamans would arrive at the front doors of houses and attempt to enter; however, many families were snowed in, and the healers were forced to drop down the chimney. They would act as conduits between the spirit and human world, bringing gifts of introspection that could solve the family’s problems. Upon arrival, the healers were regaled with food. They would leave as they came: on reindeer-drawn sleds.
This one we missed last year! Or it reached Europe only this year. Anyway Clouds Taste Satanic are an instrumental post-metal band from New York, specialised in doom and slow Black Sabbath like stoner rock. On the sleeve of their 10 inch 'All I Want For Christmas Is Your Soul' they look a bit like a happy Adams Family. But when you listen to their versions of 'All I Want For Christmas' or 'Little Drummer Boy' you'l know better or 'badder'!
Shiny baubles, glitter dresses, candlelight, fake cheer and kitsch; nothing is as fitting for glam rock as Christmas. So it makes sense that it's a recurring theme, especially since the Seventies when Slade stormed the charts in 1973 with the classic 'Merry Xmas Everybody'. Many other Christmas glam hits followed and exactly thirty years later The Darkness did it again with their unparalleled hit 'Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)'. Krazy Krissie's original 'A Glam Christmas' may not become quite as successful, but it's a brave and entertaining attempt nonetheless.
On this blog, we always had a glittery eye on Glam Xmas, see posts like THIS one, and THIS one.
This year, I gotta see if any comic tops this full blown (as in: blowdryed), 80s referencing, peak Christmas power ballad. American comedian Kyle Gordon, best known for his Eurohouse parody 'Planet of the Bass', is channeling the Jim Steinman/Bonnie Tyler-spirit of 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' and Meat Loaf's 'Anything for Love' into his 'My Husbands Ghost'. Lead vocals by 'Arabella DeFury' (Chrissi Poland). It has the bells, the big hair, the choirs and the innuendo. This is story about...well, let's watch the video:
Oh, you thought that that all 'Die Hard is a Christmas Movie' themed songs were written by now. Well, yippee-ka-yay m*therf*ckers, because the end credits aren't rolling yet. Here's two new additions to the looong list (HERE) of songs mentioning Nakatomi, John McClane, Hans Gruber, etc.
Canadian trio Art of Dying wrote a testosterone-filled, catchy, pump-your-fists-in-the-air rocker about watching Bruce Willis while yer partner is curled up on the couch with you. Skip the cranberry sauce, bang your head:
Marie and Bruce from Los Angeles, California have been making music together since 2012 under the name Freedom Fry and also record one or more excellent Christmas originals every year. No wonder they're regulars on our blog. This year they surprise again with a rock solid track: My Evergreen. "We were really trying to nail the cozy Holiday sound of our favorite folk bands from the 1950s and '60s". Mission accomplished with angelic vocals, subtle bells everywhere and a lovely Christmassy atmosphere. Get merry with it.
Made big by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters in 1950: Mele Kalikimaka, which means Merry Christmas in Hawaiian. More about the origins of this more or less phonetic Merry Christmas can be found here. And of course there are endless covers of this song recorded since the first appearance. Many of them find it hard to break away from a Hawaiian steel guitar and ukulele driven version, but it can be done. A selection of ten. Feel free to drop other cool versions in the comment section!
Alice Gray does it seductively nice 'n slow on a languid beat.
You want it more psyched up? Dead Meadow to the rescue!
Searching for a Metal Kalikimaka? Sure, Girlz Melon at your service!
A fuzzy and rocky Mele Kalikimaka by indie rockers Dentist.
After a strange intro, Little Kris takes you on a pleasant Hawaiian ska trip.
A tried and tested recipe with Emily Zeck. She combines Hawaiian steel guitar with a country feel and ditto vocals and does it very well.
Of course, the instrumentalists of King of Hawaii from Seattle, Washington couldn't stay behind and also recorded a cover with The Shadows in mind.
The Sheeps throw a grungy underground sauce over Mele Kalikimaka that fits the track wonderfully well.
New York's Anni Rossi gives the song a refreshing twist with extra free violins.
And save the best for last with this festive, brassy version of Poi Dog Pondering and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
A dark, eighties-wave souding singer, drenched in reverb. Got interested? Bleachers vocalist Jack Antonoff, yes, that Jack Antonoff, has the right voice and the right vibe for a catchy, yet depressed Christmas original. Human League, When in Rome, The Cure, were 80s names that popped up while listening. Could be all over the alt.radio this year. Rolling Stone has the background on the song.
Don't expect too much Fa La La La Las and Rum pum pum pums from Jay Armon, the singer-songwriter from California, USA. But do expect a fine, straight forward Christmas rock song. Because when the sleigh bells at the beginning of this track are replaced by guitars and Jay opens his golden throat, we slide at breakneck speed to the end. I guess I see you around next year.
Warm-blooded female trio Say She She, adored by anyone who loves disco, funk and soul, released a retro-sounding, danceable version of the ol' Marvin Gaye classic 'Purple Snowflakes'. If this was a cake, it was layered and layered with the finest, most delicate chocolate. What a version:
Original:
Of course, there are more very nice versions of Purple Snowflakes, like this blue-eyed soul version by Jessie Baylin from 2014:
Same soulful vibe:
Unstable indie folk singer with a woolen hat vibe:
Dreampop version:
Chamber pop version:
With - again - the words "Hey Mark" the never-ending saga between Loes Wijnhoven of Clean Pete and Mark Lohmann enters their next Christmas chapter. But ever since Loes managed to persuade Mark back in 2018 to write a Christmas song together in front of the fireplace at Christmas Eve, six years later things haven't improved very much. Because with 'Samen Kerst / Liever Alleen' (Christmas Together / Rather Alone) they recorded a variation on 'Baby, It's Cold Outside', the classic by Frank Loesser from 1944 and it has become another painful affair between these two. It's a kind of Q&A song through the telephone with lyrically opposing choruses, because he doesn't want to celebrate Christmas with her, while she desperately tries to persuade him to do so. And despite Loes' seductive dancing in her glitter dress and blowing kisses to the camera in a final attempt to change Mark's mind, he sighs and even disconnects. You have to dare.
Official release this Thursday, now already at Christmas A GoGo!
