Paper Scissors, Sofia Talvik

I'm stealing a few posts from Stubby's Stocking Stuffers over @ Falalalala.com

"This might be a bit of a stretch (but aren't most of my analogies?), but, listening to "All Of Us On Christmas" by Paper Scissors, I kept imagining Simon & Garfunkel doing the vocals on "Incense & Peppermints". (As an aside, I did a cursory search to see if S&G had actually done "I&P" and was blown away by the Martin Denny version, which I'd never heard before. Just sayin'.)
Anyway, Paper Scissors are from Maryland and "All Of Us On Christmas" is their third annual Christmas tune. All of them free and all of them quite excellent Alt Psych Rock tunes, each in their own way. Any proceeds raised from these "name your price" tracks will be donated to The Church Mouse, a thrift shop and non-profit outreach center in Berlin, MD. The other mixes don't do anything for me (the "kids" mix is where they let their kids handle the vocals), but those primary tracks get a Stubby's seal of approval. YMMV."


"Sofia Talvik holds a special place in my Christmas music heart and she's been a part of my Christmas pretty much since the Internet became part of my Christmas (you can read a little about Sofia and I over at Stubby's).
Most years, Sofia looks at the lesser explored territory of the season...usually the darker side of the holidays. Her 2019 offering takes the tale of Krampus (Santa's evil counterpart who collects up the bad little boys and girls), updating the mythology to a "Christmas Train" which roars through the country, stealing dreams and lives. The music Sofia uses places me instantly in the 1800s, when steam engine trains ruled this continent. They were, then, both awe inspiring and frightening. As a depiction of Krampus must be. God help us all when Krampus gets computerized.
Don't forget that Sofia has a full Christmas album, "When Winter Comes", and her recent album release, "Paws of a Bear", is one of maybe three non-holiday albums I ever featured in 9 years at Stubby's."