Christmas A Go Go!

Cut Worms is the alter ego of Max Clarke, a Brooklyn, New York based singer-songwriter and musician with an extensive track record . His music hovers somewhere between indie and roots-pop, with hints of Americana and folk and he released his latest album, 'Transmitter', just this past March. Cut Worms excels at crafting intimate and timeless songs. This talent is clearly on display in the exquisite and in terms of lyrics a bit sinister song 'The Bells of Christmas Eve'. It features more layers than a typical singer-songwriter track, yet retains that same warm, retro sensibility and dreamy guitar work.  Clarke also clearly knows the right people; he has previously collaborated with artists such as Brian and Michael D'Addorio of The Lemon Twigs, who themselves recorded a lovely Christmas single last year too ( read here at CAGG). And this year, Cut Worms presents his own beautiful Christmas song.  Cut Worms Insta here , his website over there   The Bells of Christ...

Sure, there are world famous Swedish (hard)rock bands such as The Hives, Kent, The Hellacopters, Opeth or Meshuggah. Hurula though is certainly not one of them. But in his home country, things are quite different. Hurula (real name Hans Robert Hurula Persson) is a big name and already released six pretty successful studio albums and added a remarkable and reverberant pop-rock Christmas track this week to that list, called 'December kom igen', which means something like 'December is here again'.  But back to remarkable , because what's so remarkable? Well ... what about that theme? It sounds like some kind of adaptation of a very well-known Christmas hit, doesn't it. Hmm.  Got it? Wham! Bam! Thank You, Ma'am! And there’s a lot more to be said about him and this track, check the Swedish mag Popzine too.  Hurula Insta here  

  The English singer Sam Fender spent around twenty weeks at the top of the British charts in early 2026 with 'Rein In Me'. This autumn, he recorded The Rolling Stones' 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' for a Christmas commercial from the British John Lewis department store. It is also being released as a single, with the proceeds going to the British children's charity Action for Children.  The commercial, starring actress Kristin Scott Thomas, looks completely like Christmas, but the song does not sound Christmassy at all. No sleigh bells or "Ho-ho-ho"-ing Santa Clauses; it is a tame cover without a single trace of Christmas. Does that make the song a Christmas song? I don't think so. A pity, but luckily we still have the commercial!  

Aaaand now, ladies and gentlemen! It's tiiiiiime, it's time to get down, naughty and funky with the brand new six track Holiday EP ' The Naughty List ' by Gerard Alain feat. Family Company!  In 2024, the man from from Atlanta released his highly rated debut album 'Opening Act', followed by the EP 'Dog Bite' in February of this year. And now there is this Christmas album too, because Gerard is a man with a mission: Make music people can make memories to. And he succeeds brilliantly, bringing a true sense of Joy to the World from his current home city of Nashville, infused with crisp, high-energy soul and funky rhythms. Delivered with total commitment, it's guaranteed to get listeners on their feet and moving. So, grab your dancing shoes, ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of the year again and dance around that Christmas tree.  1, 2, 3, 4! Gerard Alain Insta here and YouTube over there   Family Company Insta here  

Ferocious hardcore punk rock at the blog right now, because oh deer (no pun intended) Angry Snowmans return with their fifth festive full-length album in eighteen years! And it was worth the wait. Angry Snowmans (another regular here at CAGG) manage to hold your attention for 15 (!) tracks, driving you from one raging song to another, showing you exactly how Christmas is done in a punk rock way. Listen their complete album 'Is This Wreath?' at Bandcamp .  Red wine gets better with age, while glühwein is best consumed the same year. Angry Snowmans fits into both categories. And that in itself is quite an achievement.  Angry Snowmans Insta here   Is This Wreath? by Angry Snowmans Is This Wreath? by Angry Snowmans Is This Wreath? by Angry Snowmans

Vista Blue, the regulars among the regulars here at CAGG, have dropped their Christmas 2026 contribution. And luckily they will drop even more later this year, according to their Bandcamp page.  The two tracks they’ve unleashed upon us once again reach the high standard we've come to expect from them: catchy rock songs, the first of which, 'Is It Time for Christmas Yet?', carries a subtle Ramones-esque touch. The second track, 'Snowman's Curve', takes a slightly more laid-back approach, yet features one of the best mini-organ solos heard in a long time. In short, Christmas with Vista Blue : always a pleasure! Vista Blue Insta there   Is It Time for Christmas Yet? by Vista Blue Is It Time for Christmas Yet? by Vista Blue

From France with love, this "darkest Christmas record ever made" by The Memory Of Snow from Caen. Whether that claim is entirely justified is open to debate, but the fact remains that 'The Dark Christmas EP', with its six unconventional covers, certainly makes a strong bid for that title.  The Memory of Snow is the solo project of Albin Wagener, who describes his own music as soulful post-punk and Lynchean coldwave, a description that is pretty much spot-on. While the choice of covers (Wham!, Mariah Carey, José Feliciano, Kelly Clarkson, The Sound, and Charles Brown) may not be particularly surprising, the renditions certainly are. Draw the curtains, turn off the lights, and enjoy this Clan of Xymox inspired take on the Kelly Clarkson classic 'Underneath the Tree'.  The Memory Of Snow Insta here You want ik darker?  Listen 'Please Come Home for Christmas' by Charles Brown and we'll talk later. 

Medium Christmas by Caroline Fowler is from 2023, and I get the feeling this is an album that somehow fell through the cracks. Shame, for it's very very good. No mention on Randy's blog , not on Jim's , not at the La . It turned up on a random search of Bandcamp, and I got immediatly hooked by the title track. Caroline's from Spokane, Washington, but in this song she channels her inner Kirsty Maccoll or Traci Ullman: 50s style rock 'n roll with smart, slightly depressed lyrics. Love it as much as that whoo-hoo choir. Medium Christmas by Caroline Fowler On her album, Fowler (who never recorded anything else, it seems) covers some classics, but wrote some cool originals too. Christmas Lights Bus Ride is a squaredance twanger, Priceless is a warm-hearted pianorocker and in Hurry Up Christmas she lovingly longs for the season we all long for. With a Happy XMas, war is over feeling. Don't miss out on this one.

Naturally, we'd love to give credit to the artists behind every great Christmas track released each year right here on CAGG. But sometimes, things slip through the cracks and occasionally, we feel the need to make amends a year later. One track that was overlooked last year is 'I Swear I Saw A Snowman Wink At Me' by Still It Seems , the solo emo/pop-punk project of Ian Myers from Winchester, UK. This infectiously scrappy, DIY garage-rock track was released last year as an old demo, though it was actually written much earlier: fifteen years ago, to be precise, while the artist sat in the living room of his former home in front of the Christmas tree. The version released last year has been dusted off and polished with a bit of crude oil into the little gem it is today. Click below to finally enjoy the winking snowman from Still It Seems.  I Swear I Saw A Snowman Wink At Me (Rough Demo #1) by Still It Seems  

Here's something you've probably have not heard before: African Christmas songs. What a wonderful compilation was just released: ' Krismasi draws from a wide range of sounds from fun novelty records and spur of-the-moment jams to spiritual and gospel favourites.' I scanned the blog, we featured a South African indie rock band a few years back ( here ), and that's about it. So: glory to UK label Strut , for lining up 14 absolute scorchers from 1968 to 1982. Tracks from Ghana, Congo, South Africa and beyond. All really really great. Two examples: Krismasi: Christmas Songs From Africa 1968-1982 by Houghas Sorowonko This track does what it says on the tin: it's so groovy, it will be the highlight of every Xmas party. And so is this high life stormer: Krismasi: Christmas Songs From Africa 1968-1982 by Kakai Kilonzo & Les Kilimambogo Brothers Band

The band fronted by singer Kevin Rowland, Dexys Midnight Runners, was formed in Birmingham (UK) in the late 1970s. They quickly achieved a few major hits like 'Geno' (1979) and 'Come On Eileen' (1982). In 1987, they disbanded. In 2003, Rowland revived the band under the same name. In September 2026, their seventh album,' LOVE' , was released on the Heavenly label. It actually features a Christmas track, "I Want to Be Holding You Next Christmas." A delightfully long, romantic song filled with strings and the wonderful line: “and if old Bing Crosby sings one more note I’ll have to leave the room.”  It is the only Christmas song the band ever recorded. However, they once performed Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody on a television show back in the eighties.

Well hello world! Yer favorite Christmas music enthusiasts from the lowlands are back in the game. Ahh, did you miss us? We missed you. We missed the music, the cold, the warmth, the music, the bands, the singers... Tis the season again! Yay! Let's kick off where we (kind of) left last year , with a cover version of Walking in the Air: This is the first of three versions our fellow countryman Gerhardt (you know Gerhardt, he's been featured before, here/here/here/here) will release this season. This is him and a piano (hence: ivory version). AND Gerhardt will play this year's CHRISTMAS A GO GO party in Paradiso, on December 20th! You know who also will be there? Straight from Klazienaveen: The Heck! And they recorded an entire Christmas album! The Christmas Album by THE HECK And you know who ALSO will there? Straight from Canada, the EMPEROR of Christmas music, mr Kristan Noel Pedersen! No kidding! Christmas Around Town! (AKKCXV) by Kristian Noel Pedersen Of co...

Thank you for all your comments, all your visits, tips and festive cheers. We will see you in November 2026. Wishing all y'all a very happy new year. And a beautiful Icelandic song for your ears:  I Miss You, I Do by Arny Margret   Arny Margret Insta over there . 

Fashionably late as always, but that's all part of the So-Fi (Sophie Reekers) Christmas tradition and why we love her so much here inside the CAGG bunker. But she's just in time, so why bother, because the So-Fi Christmas song and her video are always worth the wait. Enjoy her music and, once again, her beautiful video!  This is what she herself has to say about it:  "Christmas video number seven! Musically, things have been a bit more professional this year. I recorded it with Silvan van der Zwaag, and Silvan also mixed it. Then the song traveled all the way to England to be mastered by Felix Davis. This year, the Christmas song is available on all streaming services. But then you don't have a video. The video team is just my parents and me, just like in previous years. Merry Christmas!" More on So-Fi at CAGG here . Her Insta over there .

(illustration by Petr Valek ) There are anti-Christmas songs, with lyrics that absolutely trash the trees & the tinsel. And there are songs that are named 'I Hate Christmas', but are about broken hearts or bad luck. And for this post, on Christmas Day, we focus on the latter. Trigger was a remark by The Heck-singer Henri, during a radio interview last Saturday , that got me thinking. When asked why The Heck made a (very LOUD) song called Bad Christmas , Henri said that it was his deep desire to make an anti-Christmas song. Laughter ensued. But he specified it: 'Sometimes, you just need a break on the 24th. Our song takes just over a minute, and it will get you through the day'. It's loosely translated, but this is the message. Henri's most favorite Christmas song is Reigning Sounds divorce drama If Christmas Can't Bring You Home , which tells you everything. So: Are anti-Christmas songs at heart pro-Christmas songs? They're protesting agaist ...

This mural depicts Beau Dommage , one of Québec's most popular 1970s bands. Their first eponymous album features '23 décembre', a staple of French Canadian Christmas music. All the members are still around. Alongside Rush, The Guess Who and The Tragically Hip, Beau Dommage are featured on Canadian stamps from 2013, which shows how popular they are. '23 décembre' from 1974 written by band member Pierre Huet is sung from a young boy's perspective during the 1950s when French Canadians in Québec were still second-class citizens because they didn't speak English as a first language. Much in the same way people learn 'House of the Rising Sun' by the Animals on guitar, people learn this as a Christmas song. Here's a famous live version of the original by Beau Dommage. Notice how young and old know the song off by heart. An acadian traditional and cajun country version from Les Gars du Nord, a party group from the Maritime provinces. ...

  A very successful fourth edition of the mini-festival   Christmas A Go Go   in the crowded upstairs room of Paradiso, Amsterdam. The room looked perfectly Christmassy and the six acts all played almost exclusively Christmas music. MC Santajan introduced all of them, as an occasional contributor to the blog.       Blackbird  did a short intimate set with songs from her album 'Mama Made Christmas'                     Folk duo The Lasses  kept everyone quiet with their disarming, almost acoustic Celtic folk Christmas songs from their album  ' A Celtic Winter' . Blanko  beautifully covered 'Fairytale Of New York' and suddenly conjured up singer  Ellen ten Damme , with whom he performed their duet-single 'Christmas Night'. The Heck  generated a lot of enthusiasm with their raw anti-Christmas songs. A band that covers 'Santa Claus' by The Sonics just can't go wrong!   ...

Vista Blue fans (aren't we all?) know that their heroes are big baseball fans, earlier this year they released a The Smiths-themed concept EP with songs all about the ball 'n wood (but rest assured, no Morrissey or janglin' guitars anywhere). And for Christmas, they sing the praise of Chicago Cubs-stadium Wrigley Field: Christmas at Wrigley by Vista Blue It's loud, it's Ramones, it's Weezer, it's Fountains of Wayne, it has the Vista Blue quality stamp. Hey ho, let's play!

We've discussed Arbor's compilations several times before, but hey, every year there's always beautiful (new) Christmas music to enjoy. And this year is no exception on that. This 26th edition features eight tracks. Read here all about previous Arbor editions at Christmas A Go Go.  And now the music. If it fits in a minute and a half, why take longer? And it doesn't have to be that complicated either; just listen to this perfectly good and civilized rockin' track by It's A King Thing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Arbor Christmas: Volume 26 by Arbor Christmas Mark Martucci was on Arbor compilations before, but he surpasses himself with this bare, yet very atmospheric synthy electro Christmas track of a true story, which hums warmly into the Christmas season. Beautiful vocals too. Insta over there . Arbor Christmas: Volume 26 by Arbor Christmas

Now, I know we used the term 'To end all other versions' a few times on this blog. Here, for the Boris-version of Last Christmas . And here, for Sun's screamo-version of All I Want for Christmas. But this, people, this version of Mariah's AIWFC is something else. You want it darker? See for yourself: Fantastic, no? More on this French metal project Waste\Dawn here . The lyrics are here .

Rule of thumb: if a song suddenly pops up on more than one Christmas themed album, it can be considered as a Christmas(-y) song. Case in point: Snow is Falling in Manhattan , a song by Purple Mountains (= David Berman, of Silver Jews fame) from 2018. The fact that Berman died within a month of release of the album that included the song, adds to the weight, the impact. There's an understated beauty to this song. And that 'snow'-chorus is great. Read more on Berman and Purple Mountains here . There is no mention of Christmas in the lyrics, but there is a December feel ('So much joy in merely looking') and a slight Christmas spirit at the end: 'And on the couch, beneath an afghan/Lies an old friend he just took in/Seeking shelter from the cold wind.' Here is a selection of the versions that I found In 2020, two bands put cover versions on Christmas albums, this one by Brooklyn based Holly Grove Choir (that's not a choir, by the way), that put a slight...

Another guest blog by Santajan Vollaard, our esteemed host on the upcoming CAGG party in Paradiso ( ticket link! ): Hidden on the B-side of a 1966 comedy 45, I found one of the most hilarious versions of the time-honored White Christmas ever. In a conversation between "Senator Bobby" and "Senator McKinley," the latter proposes the brilliant idea that connecting with the young student electorate could be fostered with a song from "the folk bag". Folk music went through a revival in the early 1960s, and the great hero of that movement was, of course, Bob Dylan. McKinley comes up with a song by a certain Bobby the Poet. After an intro clearly inspired by Like a Rolling Ston e the singer launches into a gritty sung White Christmas , unmistakably with the timbre and timing of Dylan circa 1966. He sticks neatly to Irving Berlin's lyrics until he abruptly rhymes "sleighbells in the snow…" with "..it flóws and gróws and blóws." Thes...

Making a list is SO Christmas, that's why I round up of all the bestest tracks every season (according to me). I left out the covers, I tried to pick only songs that were released this year. There is a Spotify playlist HERE with over 35 songs. No trend really stood out this year, apart from the Sad Girl Xmas songs that just kept on coming. There were French tracks, punk anthems, alt rock gems, Dutchies getting involved, covers, electronics, reworks, KNP released an album, so did THE TOOTH. In fact, A LOT to enjoy, really. Here are some of the highlights of 2025: * The bestest of the best is King Hüsky's December95 . Already wrote a post about that song, that Jim/Christmas Underground posted first . And every time I played it, it just got better. It's the melody, it's the structure, it's the solo (very much the solo), the nostalgia in the lyrics, the voices, the sped up ending. It just stays interesting, ticks all the right boxes. It's good. Very goo...

The album 'Translation Is Key', released this year by underground darling Frankie Traandruppel (translated Frankie Teardrop, got it ?), is widely considered one of the best of the past year in Belgium. And rightly so; listen here and marvel at the beautiful DIY lo-fi songs that grate and slur, effortlessly finding their way to your heart. But back to Christmas. Frankie Traandruppel (Lee Swinnen) from Antwerp, Belgium has recorded three tracks that continue the line of his aforementioned album, but with a slightly sweeter tone, less noisy and more melodic. I'd say this EP is, at the last minute, a real 2025 Christmas gem!  And beside the two songs below, don't forget to listen to the moving loneliness story in 'A Frankie Christmas Carol' slash rap slash whatever it is you want it to be, including appropriate choir singing and Ho Ho Ho's.  "This is volume 4 of the 10 years of Belly Button 7" EP series. It's a thing of beauty and the perfect gi...

I love it when a good concept is played out well. XMASX is a seasonal project by members of two Philadelphia punk bands, and their kids. The concept is: play a very loud & fast cover of a Christmas classic, and wrap it in a cover design referring to a legendary punk/hardcore album. This is most recent example: Bad Brains-fans probably recognised this immediatly . And it sounds like this: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas by XMASX Earlier singles referred (in design) to Black Flag and other hardcore bands. Can you tell which ones? And while we're on the subject of punk-versions of Christmas classics, here's another concept version. From a Beach Boys tribute album ( heyyy! ), this Ramones-y take on a carol: A VERY DIY Beach Boys Christmas by The Ram-Ho-Ho-Ho-nes