Happy '17!

We wish you a happy new year, thanks for visiting this blog, commenting, all your tips, and to all artists featured here, thank you for the music. We see back in November. Have a great year.

Sunny xmas

In the Netherlands we have a second Christmas day, though not really a boxing day. At the moment it's quite sunny here. That reminds me to post this sunny Xmas tune. Major Lazer is the project of the well known American producer Diplo (Thomas Wesley Pentz). On this reggae like song, his MC is Protoje, an artist from Jamaica. Happy sunny Christmas!

All I Want For Christmas Is Therapy

The lyrics might a bit depressing, but damn this Holiday Song by Norwegian singer Okay Kaya is beautiful. Someone please give that girl some therapy!

Xmas Hospital

I hope you're all feeling better than I am, stuck with the flu over the Holidays. Maybe I should consider checking into the Xmas Hospital. This song by Dutch band Lovebombers II could be just the right medicine to get me going again.

The Blues Are Still Blue Christmas Compilation 2016

For the 12th year in a row The Blues Are Still Blue Presents:
The 2016 Christmas Compilation (download here)

01 My Bubba - Champagne Drops
02 Lisa Hannigan - Snow
03 Coeur de Pirate - Last Christmas
04 The Hidden Cameras - Log Driver's Waltz
05 Best Coast - Christmas And Everyday
06 The Pooches - New Years
07 Reindeer Tribe - Mistletoe Christmas
08 Clean Pete & Marien Dorleijn - Gaan We Kerstmis Samen Vieren
09 Howe Gelb - Severe Season
10 Billie Marten - White Christmas
11 The Avonden - IJsbloemen
12 Candy Cigarettes - A Whale's Christmas In Childress, TX
13 Charlotte Carpenter - Cheer
14 Lydia Liza & Josiah Lemanski - Baby It's Cold Outside
15 Marika Hackman- Winter Wonderland
16 Robert Rex Waller Jr - Walking Through Your Town In The Snow
17 Joe Purdy - New Year's Eve
18 Trampled by Turtles - Christmas In Prison
19 The Dyer Spawn - Wild Christmas
20 She And Him - All I Want For Christmas Is You
21 The Grapes & Friends - Christmas Crush
22 Nim Chimpsky - Avocado For Christmas
23 TaxiWars - Death Ride Through Wet Snow

city of breda chooses best christmas song

The recordshops of the Dutch town Breda compiled a top eleven list with their favorite Xmas tracks. You can find it on the site of the local newspaper BN De Stem. Not surprisingly 'Happy X-mas (War Is Over)' takes the top position with Slade and Band Aid completing the top three. We here at Christmas A Go Go are more charmed by the list from Grey Store one of the most unique recordstores from Holland. In their Xmas Top 10 you'll find songs from The Fall, The Yobs and our favorite Sleigh Shakeris. The Grey Store number one Xmas tune is this punky, almost 40 years old, Kinks classic:

Electronic xmas

Aaron Funk aka Venetian Snares is a well known name in the experimental electronic music scene. The Canadian is signed to the label Planet Mu. But he released the first Venetian Snares holiday track, the analogue sounding 'Xmas Song', on his own Bandcamp.

Scarlett & Disher

Laura Scarlett is blessed with a great, nostalgic sounding voice, great for Christmas songs. If you let that voice float on psychedelic fx, you'll get one of the bestest new Christmas songs of the year. Think St Etienne, think A Sunny Day in Glasgow, think Free Design. It's in that range of quality. The cover version on S&D's Christmas EP are cool too, like Jolly Old St Nicholas.
Scarlett & Disher's earlier Xmas song was on this blog before, in Check the Cool Wax's Christmas mix for 2014. If you want to hear it, go HERE.

Chris Tavener

If you look like a young 50s crooner, write upbeat, funny songs, you belong on this blog. Thanks Chris, for reaching out.

Song is also on Bandcamp

christmas comes down

A year without a Sufjan Stevens holiday song! But in comes indie-folk singer-songwriter Josh Garrels from Portland, USA. His beautiful album 'The Light Came Down' counts fifteen folky and soulful songs, almost all unknown. But also 'Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel' and 'Silent Night'. Beautiful!

Shitty Christmas

I was on Dutch Radio 1 to talk about alt.christmas songs, and after I got an email from Rob saying he wrote an anti-Christmas song (well, sort of) too. It's a free download on Soundcloud, and he made a nice video for it. Charming.

Old Sea Brigade

Atlanta, GA's Old Sea Brigade = Ben Cramer. When you're Dutch, you think of this Ben Cramer when you hear that name. But this is an Americana-loving, Bruce Springsteen-influenced singer-songwriter who wrote this gorgeous song about longing:

Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada VII

Our German festive friends of Lie in the Sound called it already, and we're standing with them; The Line of Best Fit is raising the bar every year with their fantastic Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada compilations, it's touching the stratosphere by now. The highlights on this year's compilation (VII) are by Sportsfan, Dark for Dark, Quiet Parade, Hidden Cameras (who have Rufus Wainwright, Feist and Mary Margaret O'Hara in the choir!), Hannah Epperson (yes, her song for Snowflakes), PreNup (it's your signature song from now on, CU!), and that's just naming the extraordinary standout tracks. No stinkers on this one, folks.
Download from HERE. For some odd reason, Sportsfan re-named their track on their Bandcamp page.

Hamiltones

The Hamiltones are the back-up singers for soul-stylist Anthony Hamilton. The threesome recorded a great retro-sounding (O'Jays, Spinners, etc) Christmsas song. Second time we feature a cool back-up singer xmas tune - see Faithettes in this list.


(VIA)

Merry Christmas from Denmark

Did we already talk about Xmas tunes from Denmark? Here's a very nice one from Tommy And The Rockets. The poppy 'Merry Christmas' is basically recorded by veteran multi-instrumentalist/vocalist/rocker Thomas Stubgaard (The Lingertones, The Hitchcocks) with some help from Kris "Fingers" Rodgers and his keyboards, sleigh bells, Christmas effects.

Jazzy bells

Pim Muda is one of the four Ashton Brothers a well known funny Dutch theatre company. He recorded the jazzy Itunes single 'Christmas Bells' together with the Amsterdam based gypsy jazz band Reinier Voet & Pigalle44.

Mike Blaha

Mike Blaha of THE BLIND SHAKE is smearing some tongue-in-cheek holiday indifference and despair with his new solo freak-roots xmas single. I'll have that blues christmas, thank you very much!

ms Maura & the Misters

'There ain't no snowmen in L.A.", true, but it don't mean you can't write a cool upbeat rock'n roll xmas song 'bout that. As ms Maura & the Misters prove right here:

Howe Gelb's seasonal song

Americana singer-songwriter Howe Gelb (also in Giant Sand) turns up unexpectedly with a Xmas song. "It's a Christmas song for those that know what it's like to deal with the holidays alone. 'This time of year/can be so severe/to those left behind. A kind of plea to Santa to come and clean up this mess you call your love life." according Howe Gelb.

DJ oscar plays xmas records

Amsterdam based DJ Oscar is a regular contributor to Christmas A Go Go. You can see him live, spinning Xmas records at various occasions:
dec 21 Paradiso, Amsterdam (with Mischief)
dec 23 Concerto Recordstore Amsterdam (with The Sleigh Shakers)
dec 24 Paradiso, Amsterdam (with Mecano Unltd)
One of the singles he'll certainly play is the one from the High Five Four, a nice rockabilly tune  from Amsterdam.

A Die Hard Christmas

'Die Hard' is the greatest Christmas story ever told. That's not me, thats the guys from Scottish indie label 'Song, By Toad' saying that, 'though I don't disagree. They've released two Xmas songs with Die Hard as a theme, by eagleowl and Jonnie Common. And they'r both FAN TAS TIC. From the pressrelease:

Yippee Kay Yule is two songs inspired by the Greatest Christmas Story Ever Told (TM), which is of course Die Hard. It will be released on the 1st December on Song, by Toad Records as a tiny snow globe Christmas tree bauble containing Lego John McClane, with all revenue going to charities which support the work our governments should be doing, had we not had a collective idiot spasm in 2016 and elected all the wrong ones.
(...)
What is it that makes these two songs so glorious? Well they're played absolutely straight. There's no ironic indie Christmas nonsense here, just two absolutely fantastic, joyously silly servings of pure Christmas magic which are bound to become worldwide instant classics if there's any justice in the world whatsoever. Which, if 2016 has taught us anything... oh, wait.

Both songs are part of the massive, 37 song Home for the Holidays compilation. Read more about this on CU, or go HERE

a very metal christmas

Dutch site zware metalen.com (heavymetal.com) did publish a very heavy metal Xmas Top 11. Most of the songs are a bit over the top, like the ones from Twisted Sister or Spinal Tap. Number one is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra from New York. Ever since 1996 this orchestra is specialised in making Christmas music.

The Regrettes go Spector

LA's (almost) female punk quartet The Regrettes do a fine version of 'Marshmallow World' with guitars and horns. Written in 1949 this song got known by Darlene Love on 1963 on the famous Phil Spector compilation: 'A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector'.

Born to Roast

The Irish magazine Hot Press released two Christmas singles in 1978 and 1979, and is re-releasing them digitally (iTunes, Spotify) this year. It features Christmas rock songs that are inspired by The Ramones and Bruce Springsteen. Best track is the title track. From the press release:

The title track, ‘Born To Roast’, is a poignant tale of love lost that opens with the emotional lines: "Down in the frozen streets of Dublin/ Moves a lonely runaway/ Looking for her one and only/ On a chill St Stephen’s Day..." Former editor Niall Stokes says: "It is a short story song that deals with the great existential questions that every creature under the sun has to confront at some stage of their existence, even the perennial losers who dress up as Santa Claus around Christmas. I remember when Carl Geraghty played the heartbreaking sax solo that brings the track to an end, everyone in the studio was wiping the tears from their eyes. It was one of those bitter sweet moments that you remember for the rest of your life. Or at least until you have a good, stiff drink."

50 Best Christmas Songs Post Mariah

So, here it is. The list of best Christmas songs, released AFTER 'All I Want for Christmas'. Mariah' superhit is considered to be the last original Christmas classic. Which, of course, is reindeerpoop. At least 50 great Christmas songs were written and released after 1994. This list, made in collaboration with you guys, is the alternative to Pitchfork's rather unspired Top 50.
This is a Spotify playlist (and Deezer, and Apple Music), which means that a bunch of tracks weren't available. No St Etienne Christmas song (2020 EDIT: well, they're on Spotify now, so they can be included now), no Long Blondes, to name but a few. Still, these are 50 great tracks, no covers, just originals. If you can read Dutch, I wrote liner notes to every track, go HERE.

Sleigh Shakers giveaway

Thanks to Santajan, this blog can give away THREE vinyl singles of The Sleigh Shakers Christmas single. All you have to do is email wat your idea of 'Christmas Hell' is. Maybe something out of your own experience? Don't forget to send your address too! Dringendgeval(a)hotmail.com is wide open right now.




AND THE WINNERS ARE: Harm Jan from Deventer (NL), Aaron from Kansas City (USA) and Rob from Ulverston (UK). Rob wrote the best definition of Jingle Hell:

On Christmas eve, we had take away food, and sure enough - my wife woke up on Christmas morning with vomiting and diarrhoea, and spent the rest of the day somewhere between the bedroom and the bathroom. Not so bad, except it left me with a 6 month old (nappies, feeding, crying, rocking to sleep etc) and a 2 year old kid that we'd just decided to toilet train 2 days earlier, which meant that we were restricted to staying in/near the house. Every time he wet himself, he'd get cross and grumpy, and this made for a truly magical atmosphere. By the time it came to tea, I was too tired to cook all the nice food that we had, so we ate chicken nuggets and frozen chips instead.
There it is - maybe not the worst that you can imagine, but after 14 hours of cleaning up wee and poo, and entertaining 2 small kids, it certainly felt like the worst Christmas ever!

Coeur de Pirate

Coeur de Pirate, one of the finest French-Canadian singers, released a charity Christmas EP featuring three covers. Last Christmas, and two French tracks. I really dig CdP's version of Tino Rossi's Noel Sous Les Tropiques.



Certainly not the first time Coeur de Pirate sang a Christmas tune, remember this one?

Norah Jones, Stephen Colbert

Just watch, it's self-explanatory:


By the way, if you're looking for that Esquire article, it's here.

Blogroll (2)

A quick scan of songs posted on festive friends' blogs you really should hear:

'No we don't need to talk about anything/Just be together/Don't leave me hanging'. One of the most desperate (and gorgeous) Christmas songs ever, by Charlie's Hand Movements. It's short, but it stings (via CU):


Match Party's cover version of Christmas Time Is Here starts traditional, then pops an lsd tablet and things get out of hand beautifully (via Stubby):


'It's Christmas on the other side of the world/And I'm saving a plate should you ever come home again.' That's not good, right? But No Monster Club wrote a clangin' good song about 'the shittiest year' (via LitS)


A very cool Christmas song from 'Merry Christmas, Mr. Fields' the upcoming Christmas “video album” from Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos, former Harlem Shakes member Brent Katz, and director Hana Haley. The collection spans 15 tracks and is due to arrive this Friday, December 16th, through Frenchkiss Records. (via CoS)



Juliana Hatfield wrote a very VERY nice original Christmas song, 'Christmas Cactus' (via Stubby)

Les Bicyclettes de Belsize

I was listening to this podcast, that kicks off with 'A Very Indie Christmas' by Les Bicyclettes de Belsize. I wasn't aware that Charlie/LBDB re-recorded one of his greatest Christmas hits (though I could've read that over @ Christmas Underground). What a great version! The original's from 2012, I like the new version even better. One of the finest new Christmas songs, back with a vengeance.

Natalie Prass

Natalie Prass released a Christmas song today. NATALIE PRASS! WHOA! One of the best alt.blue-eyedsoul singers out there!
She writes:

This holiday season is, for many of us, a confusing and frustrating one. This Christmas video is a statement on all of that. To try your hardest to be a self contained vessel of joy. To fight against what seems like a decaying wasteland of the world around you. That may seem dramatic, but I know that I've had to personally "force" myself into the holiday spirit this year. I'm sure many others can relate. With that being said, I'm hoping this video makes you want to dance and feel free to be who you are - no matter how alone you feel or how different you are than your family or community. There's a place in this country for everyone. Lets keep physically moving forward together with our stylish glasses on or off. Happiest Holidays and peace to you and yours.

Ronny Hammond's Funky Xmas Mix

Here we go again! Go here, to play and/or to download!

Barbara van der Kaay

Dutch singer-songwriter Barbara van der Kaay released a Christmas song last year that I did not know about. Shame, for it's kinda good. A tad too mainstream for this blog maybe, but sung with a clear voice and the right spirit.

Violet Catastrophe

Violet Catastrophe is one of the bands on Bartlett Christmas vol. 3: "This is the third year of the Bartlett Christmas Compilation featuring local musicians. The Bartlett is a small music and arts venue in Spokane, Washington that opened in the beginning of 2014. To celebrate the holiday season and the amazing local talent we have here in Spokane, we have put this holiday collection of tunes together for you. "
Violet Catastrophe is a female 4 piece, 'loud, proud, Disney & garage inspired'. Which means that this song is infectious, loud and clatters like an ungreased bike chain.

FVC

FVC is the solo musical project of London, England’s Florence Van Camerijk, 'I Don’t Care About Christmas (All I Care About Is You)' sounds like an old Kim Wilde demo from the 80s. It's a very good song, somebody should contact Florence to re-record it with proper production. This a diamond in the rough, people, let's cut it to brilliance.

Public Squares

Yes! Loud snotty Christmas rawwwk! Public Squares' All I Want for Xmas (NOT a Mariah cover) is THE highlight on 'Gotta Groove Xmas', the yearly 7-imch vinyl series from Gotta Groove.


Also listen to Ohio City Singers on the Bandcamp page.

Crisco Dreams

Funny Christmas songs, it's not as easy as you think. If you mix the humour with some melancholy (or tragedy), the odds are on your side. Crisco Dreams also added some pedal steel, which is nice:


Full album HERE

Wilson

Last year I linked to Wilson's It's Almost Christmastime on Spotify, now the Dutch band recorded a video and they had production wizard Frans Hagenaars (Bettie Serveert, Johan, Caesar, etc) work his magic on the song. Their goal is to be played to death on the Christmas station, but let's start here:

Kamikazi

All I Want For Christmas is Poon, Last Christmas You Sucked On Some Cock, Rudolph the Coked-Out Reindeer...here's a band with a special sense of humour. If frat house punk rock is your thing, share a keg with Montreal's finest Kamikazi. 'Even Naughtier than the Naughtiest Christmas' is their fourth Christmas EP, the first one with an original Christmas song. In French. About daddy being Santa Claus and messing with mommy. You get the picture:

Lost Fingers

Lost Fingers is a Canadian band that's heavily inspired by Django Reinhardt (the band's name is a nod to the missing fingers of the gypsy guitard wizard), if you were a follower of my French music blog you'll remember 'm for their great cover versions of French pop classics (like this one). Together with chanteuse Valérie Amyot they recorded a Christmas album (in English) with classics like White Christmas, 'Zat You Santa Claus and Joni's River. I really like their Auld Lang Syne version. Spotify link HERE, full album on Youtube HERE.
One of the tracks is an original song, alas that's not the single. But the video for White Christmas is very flashy:


Hat tip to Christmas Underground

Lacuna Coil

Italian goth-metal band Lacuna Coil released a Christmas song, 'Naughty Christmas', and it's kinda good:

Loop line

Surf's up, Christmas fans! Lyric quote:

It’s a Christmas in July and nothing could be better than the girl’s bikini tops made from ugly Christmas sweater patterns

Loop line was featured on this blog earlier, HERE.

Charlie Watts Riots

Japanese label Powerpop Academy threw three volumes of their This Christmas Time compilations on Bandcamp. Over 60 songs, by (yes) powerpop bands. Didn't see Volume 4 yet, but that might be online soon too. I haven't heard all tracks, but this one stuck:

RIP Greg Lake

Read THIS

Santa Sabbath

Ah, here's something to feast your ears on. A Los Angeles-based Black Sabbath tribute band who re-write the classics to 'celebrate' the season. Somehow, we missed last year's 'Children of the Sleigh' EP (HERE), Christmas Bloody Christmas is as good as that one featuring a hard-rockin' redressing of 'Wicked World' into 'Wicked Christmas.'

Katie Malco

Deeply touching, melancholic Christmas music; Bring. It. On. Thanks Katie for writing this song.



This track is also available on Bandcamp. Katie's bio:

Scottish-born Londoner Katie Malco writes music that sits quietly somewhere between an aching, serene sadness and a hopeful determination. Somewhere between morbid and elevating. She mourns her past and lays it out on the table for all to see, exposed with twitching nerves. Armed with only an old telecaster that's seen better days, a piano - any piano - and her voice, she has toured the UK and mainland Europe extensively.

Martin Creed

'We present you the weird and the wonderful', our header says, and that certainly goes for this video. Martin Creed is a Turner Prize winning conceptual artist, who's made remarkable art. Like this. This. And this. His Christmas song is kitschy, funny and honest. See for yourself:

It's You from Martin Creed on Vimeo.

SHEL video

From one of the best Christmas EP's of this year.

GFOTY

From this site:

There's something about this track that really gives me the feels. Maybe it's because GFOTY whisper-chants "angel, mistletoe, Christmas day" over and over again until you can't help chanting along to it, under your breath, at work. Maybe it's because it utilises that pleasing jingle bell sound that immediately makes the festive transmitters in your brain light up. Or maybe it's because it contains the line "let me ride your christmas sleigh", which we all know means something hella dirty. Either way, this is an underrated holiday banger that definitely deserves a place on the next That's What I Call Christmas CD. Sort your shit out, NowMusic. Now, you bellends!

Blogroll

You might not be into (new) Christmas music as much as we do, or just don't have the time to scan all the blogs, sites 'n tweets. So here's a short round up of what's going on over @ our xmas blog friends.
Because Stubby just posted a really cool track by Ben Smith, you should hear:


Our German friends of Lie in the Sound are opening their advent calender doors, and this ennui-filled, Last Christmas-inspired gem of a track fell out:

And look what Christmas Underground posted, this is Ben Folds-good:

Wolf Blitzer

Boston, Mass. based band Wolf Blitzer released a VERY fun seasonal EP. Featuring 'a Fountains of Wayne-esque sort-of-pop sort-of-love song, an imagining of what a Radiohead Christmas song would sound like' and 'a glitchy interpretation of a traditional song'. That last one is called 'Little Drum Machine Boy' and will bring a smile to your face. That Fountains of Wayne pop/love song is a-okay:

john oates christmas

After a seasonal album in 2006 with his buddy Daryl Hall, 'Home For Christmas', John Oates comes back solo with a nice green coloured seven inch with the country-jazz song 'Santa Be Good To Me'.

Toni And Ash

Electrofunk duo Toni and Ash stepped out of their robotmode and recorded a sultry, jazzy Christmas tune. Then they made fun of themselves in this video:

Pentacon Six/Crystal Furs

Pentacon Six' 'Christmas is better with you' was one of the highlights on TBASB's yearly Christmas mix on this blog (HERE!). Pentacon Six renamed themselves as Crystal Furs and updated/remixed 'Christmas is better with you.' The St Etienne'ish vibe, the desafinado vocals and the piercing organ are still there, thank goodness, only more fresh.
EDIT: Crystal Furs still exists, but these songs are gone from Bandcamp, alas.

Listen to the old version HERE.

Grapes and Friends

Austin, TX bands Dangeresque, The Gorgeous Hands and Genuine Leather combined forces to write a yacht-y, blue eyed soul Christmas track, think Hall & Oates meets Ween. It's really really good:



(VIA)

Five of the Best New Christmas Songs of 2016 (so far)

(EDIT: I have no clue what song was here originally, a soundcloud link to...?)






Or listen to Christmas Hell on SOUNDCLOUD

Pender

Pender is a 'husband and wife chiptune indie folk band' from Missoula, Montana who released 'Christmas Dirt' back in November. If you don't tag a Christmas song as such in Bandcamp, it's hard to find for Christmas enthusiasts - just saying. Pender's track, that sounds like a twisted version of The Civil Wars, is part of the 25 song compilation 'Camp Daze presents ABC Families the 25 Daze of X-Mas: A Cassette Compilation', which is, yes, a cassette. But you can hear the tracks, including Pender, on Bandcamp. Do try the Nickolas Hawksley track as well!

MxPx

American punk rock band MxPx have a long history of releasing Christmas songs, see this list. 'Punk Rawk Christmas' is a compilation of those singles. 'Another Christmas' is a new track, just released. Uptempo, harmonies, melancholic lyrics. Cool tune.

Moonlight Breakfast/SHEL

Oohlala, our spiritual xmas friends @ Elves Bells posted a VERY nice, jazzy Christmas song by Romanian band Moonlight Breakfast. It's from 2012, but still great:



Also, go over to Stubby the hear the WONDERFUL Christmas EP by Shel.

Stippenlift

Stippenlift is Dutch producer/keytarplayer Hugo van der Poel, also part of Earth Mk II. Stippenlift (which translates as Stiplick) is his one-man project, just his slacker voice and synths. 'Zielig Kerstfeest' (Sad Christmas) is an EP featuring weepy Christmas songs about Christmas desire, but mostly about being alone, being afraid of Santa and the general annoyances one can experience at a Christmas dinner table. All songs are in Dutch, the EP's on Spotify and iTunes. I found a link to YouTube, but alas you cannot play the videos. I think his songs are kinda catchy, I really dig the Giallo-influenced, creepy 'De Kerstman', but I wonder if you get it when you don't understand Dutch.



Huilen (kerst) is an xmas version of the earlier released song Huilen. More Stippenlift here.

Tellison

Two songs I wish were on Spotify (EDIT: they are now!), so I could include 'm in my Best 50 Christmas Songs list, are by London-based indie rock band Tellison. Somehow, they're not in the alt Christmas canon, but they belong there. Melancholic, good drive, great lyrics. Both songs are available on Bandcamp.

Fightmilk

'It's only Christmas (Cheer up you moody prick)', LOVE that title. Love the powerpop song that goes with it, by UK band Fightmilk, and they way they weave well-known carols through the song.

Spotify playlist

All the new(ish) Christmas songs of this year are in one Spotify playlist, that you can find HERE.
Including this track:

G Matthews

Equal parts Katy Perry and Blondie thrown in a power pop blender, produced by a guy who worked with MOTORHEAD and Social Distortion. Sung by a girl (G Matthews) with great pipes. What could possibly go wrong?

Ed Struijlaart

Ed Struijlaart's one of the nicest Dutch singer/songwriters I know, I have a very soft spot for the guy. He's an excellent guitarplayer, has the right amount gravel in his voice and writes solid tunes, in a John Mayer-ish style. 'Like December' isn't a Christmas tune as such, but has a Christmas feel. Good enough for me. And this version has bells. Which is nice.

Sleigh Shakers' Christmas Hell

It's HERE!
"Jingle Hell offers the excitement of electrified blues with a contemporary Yuletide feel. Christmas trees fall apart, accidents will happen and the devil is on their track while The Sleigh Shakers let it rip. From their toy shop in the capital of The Netherlands they bring howling guitars and bloodthirsty blues harp."

Jona Lewie

Does Jona Lewie's 'Stop the Cavalry' belong in a Best 50 Christmas Song List? I, for one, could live on without hearing that song ever again. Same goes for 'Fairytale of New York'. The songs are not bad, it's just that they're overplayed. The odd thing is, same goes for Wham's Last Christmas of Mariah's Christmas hit, but those I can hear for days on end, even in cover version form.
Read this cool piece on how Jona Lewie made his Christmas hit that wasn't intented as a Christmas hit. Then leave your comment; does this song need to be in THIS list?

Learners

If Christmas Underground passes you a track, you sit up, take note and then ROCK YOUR SOCKS OFF! Wheeew! Japanese rockabilly band (I know, sounds good already) Learners released a Christmas single featuring a version of I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, and a kick-ass medley called Hot Club of Christ. That was done earlier by Aztec Camera. That last one is an instrumental, so it doesn't feature the lovely chipmunk voice of the female singer (or singers?). Try their album as well, it has a Japanese version of Undertones' Teenage Kicks (I KNOW!)!

Expendable friend's Dachshund

EVERYTHING is spot on about this EP. The artist's name, the theme (highly critical about Christmas, tongue in cheek), the sparse instrumentation, the Kirsty MacColl-ish voice. I had to laugh really hard when the chorus of this song came:



Do try the other songs too. Expendable Friend is 'Jacqui + instruments', she's from Cambridge UK and has Gravenhurst, Neil Finn, Iron and Wine, Andrew Bird, and Mew among her fave artists. Which is nice.

Candy Cigarettes

When scanning new Christmas compilations and tracks, I usually pick the most outrageously titled songs to listen to first. When looking at the tracklist of Candy Cigarettes' 4-track EP, you'd wanna hear 'A Whale's Christmas in Childress, TX' first too, no?



Candy Cigarettes = Lane Mueller from Portland Oregon, who writes sweet indie rock songs. Listen to his first album, the song 'The Party's almost over' is really really good.

GMR Christmas VII / A Holiday Benefit

The 7th edition of Green Monkey Records' yearly Christmas compilation, featuring North-American bands either re-doing the classics or singing their own song. Eighteen tracks on this one, most of them highly charming, but (to be honest) few really standout tracks. The one that caught my ear was the Clash-y All those Christmas Songs:



Same (more charming than standout) goes for the Holiday Benefit sampler curated by SoundRevolver. Gentle rockbands, R&B and some latin, originals and covers. This track is kinda fun:

a jj heller christmas

Californian folky singersongwriter JJ Heller loves the holiday season. She likes tunes like 'White Christmas', 'Let It Snow' or more Christian ones like 'O Little Town Of Bethlehem' or '' O Come, O Come Emanuel'. She says: "I hear just a few notes of these familiar tunes, and somehow I'm six again opening stockings with my family, or driving around my neighborhood looking at Christmas lights." You can all find them on her new album 'Unto Us'.

Carter Sampson & Hidden Agenda Deluxe

This one's for the rootsrock/Americana lovers. Carter Sampson, aka The Queen of Oklahoma, teamed up with the finest players from the Dutch Heartlands, to make a Christmas album with covers and originals. A bit too tasteful for my ears, to be honest, but if Eagles, Byrds and Allmans rock your world, give this one a spin:

50 Best Christmas Songs - The Alternative

Thanks for all your song submissions for the 50 Best Christmas Songs list we're making as response to Pitchfork's uninspired list of the same name. You can add in the comments, or in this communal Spotify list.
Alas, not all suggested songs are on Spotify. Some of those songs are new to me, like these three:

SOUTHERN ROCK CHRISTMAS

A couple of older American rockers got together and made this special rocking holiday album: 'The Southern Christmas Songbook Hymnal' (on National Treasure). It's all traditionals like 'The First Noel', 'Away In A Manger' or 'Joy To The World', done on a Southeren way by people like Spooner Oldham (Drive By Truckers), Billy Crain (Outlaws) and Tammy Rogers (The Steeldrivers) on fidle. Have a listen to this Allman Brothers like version of 'We Three Kings'

Pete Green

If you're called Pete Green and you're a musician, you might be mistaken for former Fleetwood Mac guitarplayer Peter Green. It took a while before I found Sheffield, Yorkshire's Pete Green's website. Pete was mentioned in the comments of this post, I'd never heard of the guy. The song, this song, is really beautiful. Thanks Stubby! Alas, it's not on Spotify, so I cannot include it in this list.

Kevin Andrew Prchal

Nice, melancholic jazzy waltz about the Day After (or Boxing Day) by Chicago-area singer/songwriter Kevin Andrew Prchal . EDIT: Kevin is also part of Uncle Billy, he brought the song under that umbrella:

N 6 4 / Robbie Duguay

Irvine, Kentucky's N 6 4 made his second Synthetic Christmas album, with music to haunt you 'round the Christmas tree. Slowed down choirs, bleeps and weird fx probably are not everyone's idea of jolly good Christmas music. But on a blog that praises the weird & the wonderful, this music find a warm home.





Canadian Robbie Duguay also synthifies Christmas, for the 4th time he reimagines Christmas carols and xmas pop as music for console games from the 80s and 90s.

JAZZY CHRISTMAS

Fourteen original Christmas albums on ten CD's! That sounds like a bargain and it is. In this little box you can find original old jazz albums from folks like Johnny Mathis, Louis Armstrong, June Christy, Andrew Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Stan Kenton etc. It's a very cheap package but there is hardly no information about the recordings and no pics of the original sleeve. The music says it all. This Johnny Mathis song isn't among his fourteen songs on this boxset.

Brace yourself

This. Out on December 2. This is gonna be YUGE

TCBYML · The Sleigh Shakers - Jingle Hell

Pitchfork's 50 Best Christmas Songs

Read it and weep HERE.
Sure, one of the perks of making a Best Of-list is that someone else can disagree with it. But this Pitchfork-list is so, as CU tweeted, uninspired it's getting me nauseous. There are non-Christmassongs in the list. Songs that are overplayed. Two versions of the same song. And Low's Little Drummer Boy instead of Just Like Christmas? Really? REALLY?

Let's get a few things straight. When making a Best Christmas Songs-list, you need to set ground rules. Do hymns (O Come, O Come Emmanuel), traditional Christmassongs (O Tannenbaum) and pop songs compete with each other? Do you choose original versions or best versions? And, maybe the most important thing, what does your (play)list achieve; to heighten spirits, to have plain fun? Pitchfork's list just f's around, there's no real idea behind it.

So, whatabout us, CAGG-team and you, readers, make an alternative Best Of-list? Songs that are criminally overlooked by Pitchfork. Pop songs, rock songs, funk tracks. No hymns, no traditional songs, all original tracks from, the sixties 'til now. 50, to start, but if we get to 100, why the hell not?! Goal: to have a jolly good time in the days before Christmas.

To me, personally, a good solid Christmas pop song (with pop I mean non-classical, every other genre is allowed) is ABOUT Christmas. This sounds odd, but Pitchfork chose John Coltrane's 'Favourite Things'-version. Great version, no doubt. But no song and not about Christmas at all. And take 'Jesus', by Big Star, same thing. It's about the birth of Jesus, which we celebrate at Christmas. Let's not get biblical here, or scientific, but a song about Christmas is (to me) about the festivities and the feeling, not the facts (or, if your an atheist, 'facts'). A good Christmas song, even if it's anti-Christmas, is at heart a song about longing. Longing to be together, to celebrate together, or to NOT celebrate, NOT be together. 'Driving home for Christmas' is probably the best example of the feeling I'm talking about. It's aspiring, it has a huge sense of nostalgia, instead of actually celebrating the fest. Again, anti-christmassongs have that same sense, old experiences make the singers/artists rail against the obligation to celebrate Xmas. And, to be frank, the longing is better than the celebration.

Hope I made mayself clear. I've created a communal Spotify-list (HERE), to which you can add your song. But please, before you do, make a comment below about WHY this song has to be in that list. I've contributed Futureheads' 'Christmas was better in the 80's', because a) it's a fantastic song and b) it has that sense of longing and nostalgia that makes a great Xmas track. And I've added Low's 'Just like Christmas' and Ron Sexsmith's 'Maybe this Christmas', because, well, these songs NEED to be in a 50 Best Christmas Sogns list. Really.

Best Coast

Best Coast have contributed an original holiday song to the upcoming Amazon Prime-exclusive kids special An American Girl Story — Maryellen 1955: Extraordinary Christmas. It’s called “Christmas And Everyday,” and it applies the band’s sunny pop sensibilities:


(VIA)

Clean Pete + Marien Dorleijn

FINALLY a brand spankin' new DUTCH Christmas song. Sung by girl duo Clean Pete and Marien Dorleijn (he of the band Moss). 'Gaan we kerstmis samen vieren' (Are we gonna celebrate Christmas together) winks at 'Dream a Little Dream of Me', which is nice.

Niagara Balls

A Very Cherry Christmas is a well know xmas compilation series (well known with alt-Christmas fans, that is), and when ogling the tracklist of the upcoming edition (#11) I noticed Niagara Balls there. I knew this band from earlier, hard rawking (and funny Christmas tunes. And I knew that title as well. But either they used the wrong title, or used the same title for a different track. Listen:



And from 2014:

Rabbitbash & the Rabbitbashers

From Brisbane, Australia I give you Rabbitbash & the Rabbitbashers. They synthify up Christmas carols, loving this version a lot:

Laura Cantrell, Christmas on the Lam

A new compilation featuring radio performances by folk'n countrysinger Laura Cantrell is out now, it features her grrrreat Christmas Letter Home, recorded for John Peel in 2002:

If good ole music from the heartland is up yer alley, try Red House Records' compilation Christmas on the Lam, featuring big shots like John Gorka and Dale Watson (the fantastic Christmas and Me), sultry singers like Davina (and her Vagabonds) and more. You can stream the comp on the RHR site.

LATIN CHRISTMAS

Almost every year Putumayo comes up with an exotic seasonal album. This year it's 'Latin Christmas' which celebrates both regional and global classics interpreted in bossa nova and other Latin and Brazilian styles. You find Juan Carlos Quintero do 'Jingle Bells' or Roman Street do 'Christmas Rhumba. Listen to Erica Gonzaba play 'Blanca Navidad.

SNOWFLAKES CHRISTMAS SINGLE CLUB

Like every year Dutch label Snowflake Records comes with a bunch of original Xmas 7 inches: this year four different surprises! The Manhattan Love Suicides are from Leeds and remind me of Sonic Youth, specially side A, 'Look Who Is Coming To Town (Please Let It Snow)'. B-side is a great cover of Elmo and Patsy's classic 1979 Christmas novelty 'Grandma Got Runover By A Reindeer'.  The Haywains from Midsomer Norton, England, play catchy pop. 'Who Needs Summer?’ sounds a bit summery. And‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' is great raunchy pop. 'Never Had Christmas / A Winter's Tale' is a single by Rope Store. They sound like seventies glamrock. The B-side is a rework of a David Essex song from 1980. My mind was blown away by the eerie version of ‘White Christmas’ from American violinist and singer Hannah Epperson. It is nearly a modern classical piece, very original but unusual, just like her song 'Raise The White Flag’.

Christmas Chicken

Yay! Finally an odd Xmas song to share. It's from 2012 but I'd never heard it before.

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