On Christmas Pop Music, On 3voor12

Well hello there, new visitors of this holly jolly weblog. You got here via the Dutch 3voor12-website, the leading music site in the Netherlands. Where one 'Guuz Hoogaerts' (known here as 'Guuzbourg') got to write over 1500 words on what you really need to know about Christmas (pop) music. That Xmas music is all about the longing, the desire, the nostalgia. Not necessarily about Christmas as such.

You read about the new trends, how shoegaze is a factor in today's alternative, non-hitparade Christmas music. You clicked on the songs by Slow Salvation, Bleachers, Summer Camp Girlfriend. You read about the seasonal music obsessed, the consignati of Christmas tunes. They have websites, blogs even.

And now you're here. There are 18 years of Christmas music in the archives. Theme posts. Lots and lots of covers. Short notes. Might be a little overwhelming, if you're a newbie. But hey, just enjoy. Have a cup of tea and click away. Listen. Feel the warmth, the craziness and smell the spruce needles. This is Christmas music. We're here to help.

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Four late night short notes

Of course our curiosity is aroused the moment you're describing your new track as 'my dumbass christmas song'. But Jave Foster from Canada a.k.a. Flat Pop actually did the opposite with this intriguing track, that floats from a Broadway-esque start into a painfully beautiful alternative Christmas pop song.

The clear voices of Taylor Curtis & Matt Richardson shine on this passionately sung alt rock plea, where the longing is almost palpable. Because "I don't need a thing underneath the tree, Don't want a letter or a call, I just need to see you sleeping next to me". Sweet. Here on Bandcamp.

"As the end of the world is surely upon us, hold your loved ones close, the last Christmas on earth." The image that I am the Unicorn Head paints is not very cheerful, but at least it's wrapped in a calm and cool indie track. Here on Bandcamp

Yes, we do love the weird and the wonderful, the odd and the old. But every now and then a tiny bit of contemplation is also needed and it's already late. So how lucky we are that Mateo Drew wrote his sad but moving piano driven Xmas song 'Lonely Christmas'.

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Holidazed selections

When I find a new Christmas music compilation on Bandcamp, I immediatly go for the songs with the odd titles. So, naturally, this track was the first I heard from the most recent Eternal Bummer Records-compilation:

That certainly did not disappoint. I could really see her echoing there, in a corner. Great track, really tickled the imagination.

A country-fied, weeping ballad. Could fit very well in this post about songs about Christmas songs on the radio. You do know what John Candy-movie he's singing about, yes?

Third song, totally different vibe. Snotty fast rrrriot girl rock:
And there's more. That PJ Emery song is GOOD. So is the track by Teagan Johnston. The Milkers should do a remaster. If I find more good songs, will let you know.

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VINYL GIVEAWAY TIME

To paraphrase those immortal words that start the legendary Alive album by Kiss: You wanted the vinyl, and you got it! Two free 10-inch vinyl EP's of A Dutch X-mas Party (red or green vinyl), curated by CAGG's very own Oscar Smit, are available for Christmas music fans.
That is: If you write a guestblog on your all-time favorite post-punk Christmas song. Can be anything (Waitresses, LCD Soundsystem, Cocteau Twins, The Fall, here's a Spotify playlist to get an idea), and you can make it as long or short as you want. Mail to dringendgeval@hotmail.com, with your name and address, please.

Why a post-punk theme? Because most artists on this 10-inch fall in this category. Oscar himself says on his selection: “Nowadays, there are many young acts active in the Dutch underground scene that I find original and good. I enjoy their concerts, which usually take place in small clubs. Being a huge fan of Christmas music, I got the idea to ask a couple of my favorite young artists to record a contemporary Christmas song. They could do this with complete freedom.”

“Dutch electro-garage duo De Delegatie chose to cover a song by Daniel Lohues (singer of Skik) and Herman Finkers from 2009. The choice of the Haarlem electro-wave band Dorpsstraat 3 goes even further back. In 1976, Dutch ‘volks’singer Andre Hazes had his very first hit with this Christmas song. The Amsterdam punky female trio Earwurms recorded a contemporary and adapted version of ‘Jingle Bells’. Schlager punk trio Yodel Queen also includes two women. They provide an impression of a flexitarian at the Christmas dinner. Both girl bands are appearing on vinyl for the first time. XA4 is Xavier Boot. He has already released an album on Philip Glass’s label and treats us here to minimal Christmas music. In contrast, there is the maximal danceable dark-electro from the Amsterdammer Raderkraft. He has already released a few records and is quite well-known abroad. On this record, Stippenlift, a one-man project from Amsterdam, has the most experience with Christmas music. Every year, he writes a new Dutch-language track, usually sad or melancholic in tone. This very danceable song sounds optimistic for his standards. Truus de Groot is a category of her own. She has been making music since the early eighties, in bands like Nasmak or Plus Instruments. She is still active and proves that you can still make urgent music after such a long time. She is an example for many young musicians. Her song is a variant of the music from the timeless Charlie Brown Christmas film.”

Here are two songs from the compilation:

Guuzbourg zelf · Earwurms - Jingle Bells

RADERKRAFT · Raderkraft - Het Huis Van Mijn Gedachten

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Gotta Groove Holiday Single 2024

Gotta Groove Records is a pressing plant in Cleveland USA. They say the make “The Best Sounding Records On Planet Earth”. Whether this applies to their series of Christmas singles, I leave in the middle. Since 2011, a certain Tim, who once worked at the pressing plant, has been releasing a 7-inch record each year, in colored vinyl, featuring Christmas music made by people who work at Gotta Groove Records or have a connection with it. Here you can find an overview of all their singles. Among collectors of Christmas vinyl, these singles are a highly sought-after item. Unfortunately, for collectors in Europe, they have become unaffordable, just like all vinyl from America. This is what we wrote about the serie in the past.The music on the singles ranges from very experimental to poppy. This year, there are 4 tracks on the single that range from freaky and heavy to atmospheric. Like this light-hearted instrumental 'Holiday' with lots of Christmas bells.

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Le Band à Boivin's charity Christmas song

'Le Noël de Marcel et Denise' ('Marcel et Denise's Christmas') by Québec City's Le Band à Boivin just dropped, raising money for a local charity that helps children succeed at school. The song talks about Marcel and Denise, two realistic characters who help the poor because they know what it's like to be poor.

Le Band à Boivin also knows how to party, as shown by 'On a joué un tour au Père Noël' ('We Played a Trick on Santa') from 2020. It's got banjo, violins, bright voices, sound effects, and it features a few more artists such as Bonhomme Setter, Claude Bernatchez and Guillaume Dumas.

Fun fact: 'Bonhomme Setter' (aka 'Bonhomme Sept Heures') is the French-Canadian bogeyman who scares children who don't behave. Some say it's a deformation of 'bone setter', the healer who would come by and set bones, others say it could be related to telling kids that seven o' clock ('sept heures', pronounced similarly to 'setter') was bedtime.

And nobody really played a trick on Santa. They just wanted to catch a glimpse of him while hiding behind the Christmas tree, camera in hand. The idea that Santa still came with presents during the health crisis was definitely reassuring in 2020. But today, in 2024, poverty is still there. Helping people on the street when it's freezing cold outside is the real deal, as 'Le Noël de Marcel et Denise' tells us

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Kristian Noel Pedersen - Sauliday Party!

Christmas isn't Christmas without you, Kristian Noel Pedersen. This one is already his sixteenth (!) in a row and the thrilling conclusion to the Saul McCartney Trilogy. It tells this odd story and musically it pushes just the right Christmas baubles without becoming too Christmassy. Basically it's just really good modern alternative indiepop with some retro vibes, packed in a kinda Christmas concept album that should be heard by anyone, not only Christmas adepts. It's also an album that you don't do justice to by just listening to individual tracks. Take it from the start, one by one, in all its glory and enjoy Saul's latest feat, because this is another provisional highlight in KNP's oeuvre. And to think that we already had an eye on him last month too! 

And sure, we're certainly not Rolling Stone or Creem Magazine, but we do recognize a darn good Christmas album. And what's in a name after all?
So enjoy, here at Christmas A What What, this brand new and outstanding Kristian Noel Pedersen album. (Many thanks for the fun shoutout, Kristian!) 


More on Kristian Noel Pedersen at CAGG here.

Kristian's Insta here, his X there, his Bandcamp over there.

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Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club: their new harvest

 

Is Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club from Amsterdam the only Christmas record label in the world? I think so. Please let us know if there are more labels like this. It specializes exclusively in 7-inch singles. For more than 10 years, Snowflakes has been releasing 1-4 white vinyl singles per year. As a result, we have written a lot about the label. For an overview, look here. Unfortunately, nothing was released in 2023. The label is making up for it this year with no less than four singles. The idea is that each artist comes up with their own song for the A-side. On the B-side, there is always a cover.

First band is Canadian based Holiday Crowd.They have a nice indie-sounding own song ‘Winterland’. On the B-side they chose to cover Dolly Parton’s Hard Candy Christmas.

 Les Pommes De Lune are also from Canada. They sing in French and their members played in bands such as Thee Gnostics, The Double Feature Creatures, The Saffron Sect or Les Séquelles. Musically inspired by the British Freakbeat scene of the late 1960s and the French Yéyé sound of the mid-1960s, Les Pommes De Lune have developed their own take on psychedelic rock. That’s what you hear on the very psychedelic A-side: ‘La Révolution Des Lutins' (The Elves' Revolution). On the flip you can find the Le Plus Fort, a cover of THIS track by yeye-girl Pussy Cat.

 The third single has jangle pop from Simon Chesterfield, member of the forty-year-old English band The Chesterfields. It’s the only single with a video. Their cover is of one of the absolute classics of British Christmas rock, Greg Lake's 1975 UK #2 hit 'I Believe In Father Christmas'. Personally I used to hate progrock like Emerson Lake & Palmer. But this version sounds less bombastic and very atmospheric.

'Wild Man' from the Nevada based Whatitdo Archive Group, is a very funky tune. But it has a strange subject: The myth of the Wild Man is a folktale that goes by many names: The Yeti of the Himalayas, the Bigfoot of North America, and, of course, Krampus of Eastern Europe—a yuletide beast with a reputation. Their version of ‘Greensleeves’ is jazzy and funky with some nice wah-wah guitars.

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Last Minute Christmas List

Neil Brogan likes making songs, it says on his Bandcamp page. Christmas songs, too. I am not that familiair with his band Sea Pinks, but Neil's seasonal tracks kicked of with the covid-year-diary-album Weird Year, and the song It's Christmas with a Difference. About, well, Christmas during covid. Every year, a new track/tracks followed, with 'Christmas with a small c' from 2022 being labeled as a future classic.

Same can be said of this uptempo C86-y, anti-materialistic Christmas song. Love how his cool voice drifts on the jittery guitars. Proceeds go to Simon Community (who work with homeless people) and Oxfam Gaza Lebanon-appeal.
On the b-side, there's a tender acoustic song, inspired by children's book illustrator Shirley Hughes.
Here are more of Neil's seasonal songs:

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Vetter - I Really Hope It Snows

Sorry about this, but I can't resist writing down this bad, late night after going out, Dutch pun: the vetter, the better. Judge me later, fellow Dutchies.
On topic now, because this really ís a good track. It's from Joshua Vetter, a musician from New York who wrote 'I Really Hope It Snows (This Christmas)'. Lyrically a bit depressing but it's such a beautiful semi-acoustic xmas track! Joshua's voice sounds a little like a slowed down version of J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. sometimes, while the song drags on for over four minutes without reaching a real climax and still remains very exciting every single second. Fingers crossed for snow this Christmas.

His Insta over there.

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Impressive Indie

Have Yourself A Merry Indie Christmas Vol. 4, Welsh journalist Kevin McGrath has attempted (and didn't fail) to compile the best Christmas songs from the indie and underground scene of recent years.
With no less than 65 tracks, this is also the very last part of this digital series. For all 4 Bandcamp compilations, go HERE. All proceeds will go to the British homeless organisation Crisis. This fabulous Volume 4 includes the melodic indie from The Photocopies, solid guitar work from Shires, up-tempo tracks from Warm Digits, and the glamrocking TV Smith (ex The Adverts).

We also encounter old acquaintances and favorites, such as a remix of this synthesizer track from Ex-Rental (from 2021):
April March with 'Last Train To Christmas' (2022): My favourite is this silly titled song from Grandaddy (2021):

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A Dollyrots Christmas

In recent years the punk couple The Dollyrots, from Los Angeles has regularly surprised us with a delightfully bouncing punk rock song. We wrote a lot about them, see here.  This year they have tackled the 51-year-old song 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day' by Wizzard. The track now sounds even faster and louder! It can also be found on the compilation 'A Very Dollyrots Christmas', which has been re-released and now features no less than 17 tracks, all Christmas songs they previously released. Including their ultra-fast 2019 version of 'Fairytale Of New York'.

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Christmas on the isle of Texel

 The Dutch singer-songwriter Vic Willems undertook a very special Christmas project. In 2016, he won the 'Grote Prijs van Nederland', the most prestigious music competition in the Netherlands. This year he recorded the song 'Christmas on Texel' together with the 'Pop Choir of Texel'. The song is inspired by the fact that his mother recently passed away from cancer. She spent her last Christmas on the island of Texel. It has become a personal, intimate song about their last Christmas on Texel, with beach walks and glühwein (mulled wine). Moving.

Also on Spotify (HERE) and Soundcloud (HERE)

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Short Notes Don't Stop

It's Bandcamp Friday, it's the day after Sinterklaas, so the new Christmas releases pile up. We'll talk you through some of the highlights:

Nicole Atkins' seasonal songs, can't have enough of them on this blog. On the heels of her duet with Gaspard Royant, here's a new dreamy ballad:

As announced by Jim/Christmas Underground, this GREAT alt rocking Christmas tune from Scotland's Cords:

London's Old Dirty Brasstards have made Christmas cover-EPs before, this year they're putting the horns to the Home Alone soundtrack, Feliz Navidad and this version of that ole' alt Christmas staple by The Waitresses:

Richard Cejer and m.demian made a groovy Christmas track, love that electric piano. Taking notes from Paolo Nutini, John Mayer and Tom Misch, these gents like their seasonal song to kick back and relax, with a cocktail instead of hot coco:

Joe la Panic is one of the most promising new French pop names. Her debut album is just out, as a surprise she released a tender, husky not-so-anti-Christmas song:

Cannot have Christmas with this cheerful lot, lighting up the seasons since 2016. Let the Ishmaels wrap themselves around you like a warm scarf, with this Muppets-cover

Lovely 50s style, torch song duet, from a musical production:

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Gerhardt - Santa Is No Friend Of Mine

One of the coolest dudes here at Christmas A GoGo undoubtedly is Gerhardt. For a number of years now, he has been surprising us with the most fantastic and diverse original Christmas tracks. So it's no coincidence that he also made an appearance at our first CAGG spectacular in Paradiso Amsterdam two years ago.
Today, his annual release is here and once again he lets a completely different vibe flow from his multi-colored Christmas cocoon to us. Sleigh bells, handclaps, Ho Ho Ho's, choirs and church bells mixed with a touch of tango: in Gerhardt's Christmas universe where Bowie meets Tim Burton meets Queen, all is possible. And waddabout that intro? An absolute highlight! Oh, and Gerrie (as we may call him affectionatly) stresses us to mention that the single cover is NOT made with AI, but a handmade Gerrie's Imaginarium collage.
But despite all that beauty, the big guy in red is no friend of Gerhardt. No wonder, because "Year by year, he passed me by, A promise lost in wintertime, No gifts, no hope, no northern light, Santa is no friend of mine".
Applause.

Gerhardt's Insta here, his musical work over there.

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Finnish Die Hard-inspired Christmas music

We all know that Die Hard is a Christmas Movie, and if artists keep making Die Hard-inspired tunes, we're going to keep track of them as much as possible.

From Helsinki, Finland, where some say Santa is really from, Riikkahoi offers us not only a poppy techno song about being the angel of vengeance (John McClane?), but also an entire Christmas album! Besides 'Die Hard', the slow vibe of 'Kirkka-us' (roughly, 'Brightness') has a mood all its own. Do listen to the whole album: it's not very long and it's a whole vibe in itself.

Besides being having very colourful art with or without cats on instagram, we don't know much about Riikkahoi, so if you do, let us know. Yippy-ki-yay!

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Three more short notes

Slowly but surely things are finally starting to get better and better with good Christmas releases this year. So again: short notes, three this time.

We can't get away from it, Christmas covers. And we don't mind, as long as it's done in a good way. So over to Frosty. We haven't heard of him this year so far, but Strawberry Whiplash is changing that with this cool rattling indie track.
Apart from a howling wind in the distance, there is little that is Christmassy to be found in this track. But nevertheless, 'Xmas Sox' by B.Miles from New York turned out to be a damn good poppy (Christmas) song.

The loud post-Xmas track 'Santa's Coming Down' has to be taken literally, as Jimmy Stash wrote this banger during the final removal of a giant Santa from a mall in Adelaide. That means Arctic Monkeys-esque guitars from The Land Down Under! 

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More Short Notes on Great Christmas Songs

Autista from Chile, with great loud riffs and cool vocals. Catchy song! The bandmembers are actually autistic, the bio on their Bandcamp says. This could very well be AI-enhanced, but still:

The idea of We Never was to record a Christmas album on a portable recorder, and then...that didn't happen. But this loud, pushy punk-track is darn good:

This was spotted by Santapalooza, but Christmas Underground revealed it's a re-release from 2011. The girls make acoustic nsfw country pastiches (random song title: Washin' my big ol' pussy), but this track has a drum machine, synths and screamy vocals. I laughed first, then I loved it:

From a compilation with bands from Portland, Oregon. A rambling, charming song about playing xmas dvd's. Alt Christmas rock at it's best, really:

From a very nice compilation with mostly alt pop songs (listen to the first three on the album!), but this late 80s sounding hiphoptrack is a real highlight, deep groove:

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The return of Gaspard Royant

When we first wrote about him in 2015, we called him 'Frenchy and chic.' We referred to Gaspar Royant as a French crooner back then. Read more about him  here. In 2022 he duetted with Maxwell Farrington, but now he's back with the album All The Best For Christmas!

It’s a mix of some of his older songs and some new work. This uptempo song from 2017 is on it: (C'mon Baby) It's Christmas Time!
The new songs are mainly duets. Like this one with American singer songwriter Nicole Atkins, about the perfect Christmas song.
Nicole Atkins wrote a pretty meanrocking Christmas tune herself, in 2020.

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Val Orendain - Navidad Acústica (Live Session)

Today was release day for the beautiful Mexican alt-rock musician Val Orendain. She recorded six great acoustic live versions of Christmas classics, only accompanied by herself on exquisite electric guitar. Partly sung in English and partly in Mexican, her wonderful, slightly hoarse voice puts an exciting thin frayed edge on the worn-out songs, making them sound cool and authentic again like crunching fresh snow under your shoes. Now I wonder what Christmas with Val Orendain looks like in Mexico. 

Her Insta over there, more of her on YouTube.

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