And then it is:
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Friday, December 25, 2015
For the 11th year in a row The Blues Are Still Blue Presents:
The 2015 Christmas Compilation (download here)
01 Elizabeth Morris - The Season
02 Deep Sea Diver - It's Christmas Time (and I am still alive)
03 Sweet Baboo - Don't Be Alone (This Christmas)
04 Luke Sweeney - Loveless Christmas
05 Dressy Bessy – Kringles
06 Phoenix (with Bill Murray) - Alone on Christmas Day
07 Tele Novella - Christmas Spirit
08 Sunturns - Christmas Bells/Wedding Bells
09 Juniore - De Saison
10 Pentacon Six -Christmas Is Better With You
11 Shy Nature - Christmas Lullaby
12 The Grubby Mits - Come On Home For Christmas
13 The Hard Ground - Keep Me For Christmas Time
14 The Washboard Abs - Christmas in Dearborn
15 The Both (Aimee Mann and Ted Leo) - You're a Gift
16 Adrian Teacher - It Always Rains On Christmas
17 Corey Kilgannon and Jacob Hudson - All Through The Night
18 The Gasoline Brothers - Every Time It's Christmas
19 Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - White Christmas
20 Bill Botting & The Tho Drink Minimums - It's Not Christmas Anymore
21 Courtney Barnett - Boxing Day Blues (Revisited)
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Sitting outside on a park bench in Amsterdam, taking a break from jumping over tram rail on roller skates in the dark during the annual Santa Skate, I cued up the Christmas YouTube video ‘Flocons Blancs’ by Blé on my phone to entertain some Dutch skaters.
Blé is a young and fresh Québec duo whose Christmas song has become a sleeper favourite there if we believe the Internet. And while I was showing it to people who don’t speak French, they said that the video had nice retro colours, another reason to enjoy it.
If you’re fed up with the usual Noël fare, then ‘Flocons Blancs’ is a great song, even if the only words you can sing out loud are “Ferme tes yeux” (‘Close your eyes’). ‘Close your eyes and remember a time when the lights seemed much brighter’ sounds like nice retro colours to me as well.
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année !
Blé is a young and fresh Québec duo whose Christmas song has become a sleeper favourite there if we believe the Internet. And while I was showing it to people who don’t speak French, they said that the video had nice retro colours, another reason to enjoy it.
If you’re fed up with the usual Noël fare, then ‘Flocons Blancs’ is a great song, even if the only words you can sing out loud are “Ferme tes yeux” (‘Close your eyes’). ‘Close your eyes and remember a time when the lights seemed much brighter’ sounds like nice retro colours to me as well.
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année !
Monday, December 21, 2015
They're back, and they're great again:
The song is sung from two perspectives: a group of aliens who believe that Santa Claus and his seemingly unlimited powers pose a threat to their civilization, juxtaposed with a group of Earthlings who try to convince the aliens that Santa is actually a symbol of peace and love. If the Clash were into sci-fi movies and decided to make a holiday song, we'd like to think it might sound like this. Like our past Christmas songs, this track is part of the soundtrack of a Christmas-themed movie that follows the same narrative as this song; a film we sincerely hope to make one day.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Never doubted that Bing Crosby was an OG actually.
Producer Raddiculous now finally proves I was right with his Bling Crosby compilation. All tracks for free.
Generous as evah, good old Bling.
Check 'em all on Bandcamp.
Check 'em all on Bandcamp.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Friday, December 18, 2015
Thursday, December 17, 2015
One of the highlights on the A Co-Present Christmas compilation (EDIT: I dunno what happened, but this track seems to have vanished from that compilation, but it's on YouTube and Spotify):
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Via The Mad Mackerel:
"Best known as the lead singer of Glasgow indie-pop girl group TeenCanteen, Carla J Easton has teamed up with Joe Kane from psyche pop outfit Dr Cosmos Tapelab to form a new project, Ette."
The best Christmas songs have bells, mention Christmas and are about longing. Longing for someone, for something, anything. And it should remind us of the Great Phil Spector. Ette does all that:
"Best known as the lead singer of Glasgow indie-pop girl group TeenCanteen, Carla J Easton has teamed up with Joe Kane from psyche pop outfit Dr Cosmos Tapelab to form a new project, Ette."
The best Christmas songs have bells, mention Christmas and are about longing. Longing for someone, for something, anything. And it should remind us of the Great Phil Spector. Ette does all that:
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Monday, December 14, 2015
Sunday, December 13, 2015
In every country there's animosity between cities, mostly rivalling against each other with sports teams. Boston vs New York is a well known example. In the Netherlands, there's Rotterdam vs Amsterdam, but also Nijmegen vs Arnhem. To bring those two provincial towns together for the holidays, record store Kroese released a seasonal single by bands from the the two towns (with members from various other bands from the region).
Alas, only singalongfest 'Lucky You' is available on Youtube, you can hear the cool flipside 'It's Almost Christmas Time' by Wilson on Spotify.
Alas, only singalongfest 'Lucky You' is available on Youtube, you can hear the cool flipside 'It's Almost Christmas Time' by Wilson on Spotify.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Wednesday, December 09, 2015
Tuesday, December 08, 2015
So much great seasonal songs were released in the past years. Digging up the diamonds some more:
Channeling the Pogues via a Chinese restaurant, this is still one of the greatest alt x mas tunes ever recorded:
Wonderfully arranged, beautiful song:
Heartbreakingly sad, but so gorgeous:
Happy indie folksy:
Slashing your wrists for Christmas, upbeat style:
Golau Golau are Christmas enthusiasts, really:
Channeling the Pogues via a Chinese restaurant, this is still one of the greatest alt x mas tunes ever recorded:
Wonderfully arranged, beautiful song:
Heartbreakingly sad, but so gorgeous:
Happy indie folksy:
Slashing your wrists for Christmas, upbeat style:
Golau Golau are Christmas enthusiasts, really:
This blog is active since 2006, and in all those years we've posted some really great tracks that should not be forgotten. Like the Tom McRae track below. Or these damn fine seasonal songs:
This foulmouthed blues by giant Andre Williams still shakes foundations:
This year, a new Christmas song will be released by Utrecht's Gasoline Brothers, plus a compilation of their greatest x-mas hits, like this one:
Channeling the spirit of Astrud Gilberto:
Classic indie-xmas:
So gentle, so sad, so great:
Deep, funky Christmas:
This foulmouthed blues by giant Andre Williams still shakes foundations:
This year, a new Christmas song will be released by Utrecht's Gasoline Brothers, plus a compilation of their greatest x-mas hits, like this one:
Channeling the spirit of Astrud Gilberto:
Classic indie-xmas:
So gentle, so sad, so great:
Deep, funky Christmas:
Monday, December 07, 2015
Sunday, December 06, 2015
Friday, December 04, 2015
Thursday, December 03, 2015
Wednesday, December 02, 2015
David Bowie famously stole his Jean Genie-riff from Jacques Dutronc's La fille du pere Noel. Montreal rockduo Les Deuxluxes sex the Dutronc original up to 11.
Thanks Christmas Underground
Thanks Christmas Underground
Tuesday, December 01, 2015
Jessica Dobson, you might know her as a guitarplayer for Beck or the Shins. Or from her own band, Deep Sea Diver. She's an excellent, husky singer, as you can hear in this brilliant Christmas original. Starts slow, gets wind half way:
Check out the carols and cover of Have Yourself a Merry little Christmas on the EP as well.
Check out the carols and cover of Have Yourself a Merry little Christmas on the EP as well.
The elegant, young, cheesy French crooner Gaspard Royant made an excellent Xmas track: 'Christmas Is Back In Town'. It's produced by the Scottish Edwyn Collins (yes from Orange Juice fame) and it has the Dexys Midnight Runners horn section on it !
It will be officially released december 4th, but ONLY on december 1st you can download it for FREE here!
It will be officially released december 4th, but ONLY on december 1st you can download it for FREE here!
Southern Culture on the skids just released a new Christmas song! It's only available as a digital download right now and I can't find a audio preview to post here. I did buy it and can tell you it's great! If you like SCOTS you won't be disappointed. So glad to have another Christmas song from these guys! You can buy it here.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sunday, November 29, 2015
'Xmystery, Chicago, Illinois', that's all we get on Xmystery's Bandcamp page. That, plus three absolutely beautiful ambient drones. Imagine walking in the north of Canada, in a winter wonderland, when all of a sudden you hear a choir. You can't tell from which direction, you can't make out words, but the sound is overwhelming. You get down on your knees, because the song, or sound, is too powerful. You're not cold, the music warms you from the inside out. That's what Xmystery is about, to me.
As Stubby predicted correctly, for me the Juniore Christmas single is one of the highlights this season. French, soft-sighing sexiness. Every single of the great Snowflakes Singles Club is now up on Soundcloud and Bandcamp. Check 'm out!
Thursday, November 26, 2015
And all the streets have Christmas lights again
And all the coffee shops are playing Dean Martin
And although I know it's bullshit and just to make us buy
I feel glad in a part of my soul
Great lyrics, great song by Elizabeth Morris from Allo Darlin'. Brother-blog Christmas Underground was on this earlier.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
DAMN this is good. An Everly Brothers/Roy Orbison-styled, 50's teen drama Christmas song by Reinder Tribe, an Alt Rock/Alt-Folk Indie collective from Southern California who, as the name would imply, are a seasonal band of fluid membership. Every year, they collaborate and manage to come up with a full album of Christmas music. This is their 7th album. Mind = blown
(thanks Stubby)
(thanks Stubby)
Proper christmas choon by Dutch singer-songwriter Rogier Pelgrim, a song about what's going on today with refugees, wars, people living in the streets and what Christmas can do to help. Proper video on the way, for now:
Read a nice review of alt.christmas compilation over at Mistletunes, from a series that we hadn't heard of either. This Bo Diddley-esque tune I really like. Check:
Monday, November 23, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Kylie Minogue made her first Christmas album, simply called 'Kylie Christmas'. We all know her seductive version of 'Santa Baby' ! On the album she does more covers, like the grand openingstune 'It's The Most Wonderfull Time Of The Year' or a fine version of '2000 Miles'. She also does a duet with Franks Sinatra on 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town', yes nowaddays everything is possible! She turns 'Christmas Wrapping' (The Waitresses) in a great Blondie like tune. The album also comes in a deluxe CD/DVD version.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Friday, November 20, 2015
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Found Wandering is an folksy, jazzy combo from Philadelphia PA, led by husband and wife Colin and Sarah. They will release a highly charming Christmas album with some very entertaining cover versions. Among them, Sweet Little Baby Boy by Jaaaaaames Brown. Listen:
Original version HERE
Original version HERE
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Seven years ago, Canadian songstress Maryse Letarte released an album of original Christmas songs, most of them in French. Which is nice. Now, she made another one. This is the title track.
Hat tip to Christmas Underground
Hat tip to Christmas Underground
Monday, November 16, 2015
San Diego-based powerpop The Drabs released a Christmas EP. Santa's Got Toys is the best track, with it's papap-ooh-choir and it's Lou Reed-ian Sprechengesang. There's one track featuring A.J. Croce on guitar too.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
'Lit Up- music for christmas' is an album filled with covers from known Christmas songs, like 'Do You Hear What I Hear', The First Noel', 'Sleigh Ride' or theirs strange version from 'Beau Sapin'. But because of the strange jazzy, dubby and krautrock arrangements you hardly recognize them. Astrocolor are from Canada and they made an amazing album, only out on green vinyl (on Last Gang Records) and digital!
CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS ARTICLE TO SEE THE COMPLETE PLAYLIST!
Monday, November 09, 2015
Our Dutch friends of How To Throw A Christmas Party (HTTACParty) done it again: they just released the first song from their upcoming, fifth, Christmas album. It's a Dutch song, a duet with legendary Dutch folk singer Elly Zuiderveld. If you're unfamiliar with Dutch folk, Elly is like Sandy Denny. Try, if you like, these tracks (1, 2).
More on HTTACParty HERE
More on HTTACParty HERE
Saturday, November 07, 2015
Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Monday, November 02, 2015
Sunday, November 01, 2015
CaGG-favorite Janne Schra, Ruben Hein and Paul de Munnik, plus houseband Ocobar, will be present as well.
Yep, it's November 1st, and CaGG-team is excited to go x-mas blogging again. Remember, only the funkiest, weirdest, wonderfullest and downright HEAVY christmas/seasonal tracks of the year end up here.
Funky and Heavy, that's what the new Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party (vol 3) will be all about. Get a taster down below:
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