Silver Swans from San Francisco made a seasonal track that's perfect for walking through winter wonderlands. Love that glacial, Cocteau Twins-y atmosphere.
Go HERE and download (via Soundcloud) two superfunky Christmas tracks. A cover of Let it snow by Diplomats of Solid Sound, and a James Brown cover (Soulful Christmas) by Ray Harris.
We all know Clarence Carters 'Back Door Santa' (1968) and if it wasn't for his original, than we know it because of the samples Run DMC used from it for their classic 'Christmas in Hollis'.
Anita Bryant, a former beauty queen from Oklahoma, was pretty successful with hits in the US in the early 1960's. But she was also known as a very conservative and religious person with a strong view against homosexuality (check out the video from 1977 where gay rights activists throw a pie in Bryant's sick homophobic face).
Sometimes you wish you didn't have that preoccupation with bizarre and rare tracks from Dutch artists. Why being curious after a xmas-track sung in a very bad English accent from Father Abraham (real name Pierre Kartner) and The Smurfs when reading about it?
Don't know the answer, but found the track (unfortunately) and I hereby apologize on behalf of all the Dutch (7", 1978).
Lilian Hak is a gorgeous Dutch singer/sample-genius who made a wonderful album using the atmosphere and the music of classic 40's and 50's movies (see here). Wouter Hamel is Holland's answer to Jamie Cullum, only cooler. Together they made a fantastic Christmas song.
English music magazine NME wrote about The Crookes from Sheffield: 'A band this good are unlikely to remain obscure for long.' They're seen as a cross between Arctic Monkeys, Housemartins & The Smiths. And they made an excellent Christmas EP.
You can scoff all you want, I think Last Christmas by Wham! is a great song. I just don't need to hear it 150 times per day, as some radioprogrammers seem to think. Brit-duo The Boy Least Likely To (who recorded a great cover of George Michael's Faith earlier) made a Christmas album that includes a song about George and Andrew.
When bands have singers who sound like Gina Loes, I'm a fan (please, try a song in French! You could end up on my FillesSourires-blog!). When bands like Vancouvers The Ruffled Feathers (with Gina) write seasonal songs like The Highest Mountain, everybody should be a fan.
A Catchy Christmas is a wonderful compilation featuring (mostly) Dutch artists performing their self-written new(-ish) Christmas song. It includes the most famous Dutch Christmas song ever (this one, with a new French version added) and contributions from Powderblue (gorgeous country), Arthur Ebeling (rhythm and blues), Brian Protheroe (blues) and Theo Nijland (Dutch nostalgia). I love this song with added x-mas classic licks by guitar trio Ocobar, scratches by DJ Git Hyper.
Unwrapping Sarah Cracknell, now there's a pleasant Christmas thought. The new X-mas compilation from her band St. Etienne (A Glimpse of stocking) is sold out, alas. You can listen to the seven new tracks (including Unwrap me) here.
wallow in some english electro melancholy with the hurts. this is one of those few christmas songs that is actually a great song at any time of the year.
I'm not really in the mood yet for Christmas since I'm still wrapping presents for Sinterklaas this weekend and I haven't listened to any Christmas songs either. Actually there's only one Christmas related song I've heard a lot the last few weeks and that's only the case because it's on a regular album that was released earlier this year: Time Of The Season. This song is featured on Hawk, the third album of Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan. The recipe hasn't changed since their first brilliant album Ballads of the broken sea, but the silky girly voice of Campbel combines so well with the murmuring Lanegan that they can go on like this for ages before getting boring.
