Christmas A Go Go!

A great original by Charlie Brown from Rossendale, UK (who actually calls himself Charlie Boy on SoundCloud), but anyway he recorded this sugar sweet Christmas tune in association with the kids at Tor View School in Rossendale. At a nice slow pace, Charlie talks, sings and wonders for a good five minutes where Santa is. And just wait for that touching chorus at the end. Where's Santa? Oh wait, there he is! Where's Santa? by Charlie Brown Phil Cook is certainly not the biggest fan of Christmas, to put it mildly. In fact, he doesn't want Christmas at all. Give Me A Break is Phil Cook & the Fall Dogs ' anti-holiday anthem "for everyone who’s had it up to here with forced cheer, plastic tinsel, and the annual orgy of consumerism" . But there is a solution for everything; I think we should contact Phil for our annual Christmas party in Paradiso, Amsterdam to let him heal. Sharp x-mas rock with organ and free sixties vibe.  This artist seeingf...

With the release of their remarkable 6 track Christmas EP, UK-based Martyrs have immediately introduced a great new Christmas genre: sno-fi. A hashtag that perfectly fits their somewhat dark and atmospheric DIY indie sound, making it ideal for this season. Moreover, all the tracks on the EP have 'snow' in their title, and "they're all absolutely drenched in seasonal melancholia and a fair number of sleigh bells." We couldn't ask for more, #snofi.  All proceeds from sales go to Cancer Research UK.  The sno-fi EP is available for just £5 at their Bandcamp .  Martyrs Insta over there .  The snow fell. Let it wash over you. sno-fi ep by Martyrs More up-tempo, this track features the addictive spoken word flow and synths that take you into increasingly boisterous and noisy territories. sno-fi ep by Martyrs

Dandy Boy Records is active since 2016 (the first song appearing on Bandcamp), releases most post punk, new wave and power pop, and since 2018 they put out Christmas songs. That we've never featured on this blog. Which is sad, really. I mean, listen to this wavey, bouncey track from the 1981: Christmas in the Tenderloin by the 1981 That should've been on this blog in 2018, no? In 2021 there was a first compilation, well reviewed by Jim/Christmas Underground , and with this really really fantastic track that sounds a bit like Smashing Pumpkins' 1979: Have Yourself A Dandy X-Mas by FLTY BRGR GRL And now there's a new compilation, with new wave, folksy lullabies & power pop tunes, like this rumblin' beauty: A Dandy Christmas by Autos And this Fountains of Wayne-ish stampyerfeet'r: A Dandy Christmas '25 by The Goods Proceeds of the new compilation go to Toys for Tots .

The Coral is a great British rock band, they've been around for 30 year s and released twelve albums. But no Christmas song. Until now. A single (the vinyl's sold out , dammit) with a spoken word track, a seasonal, slightly uplifting story told by the father of one of the band members. And a piercing (hello organ!) stomping flipside called 'She Died on Christmas Day'. Haunting. Not quite the festive mood there either, but hey, that's how we like it! The Coral · She Died On Christmas Day

National Lampoon is an American national treasure, a comedy magazine, radioshow and theatre comedy show. In Europe, we got to know National Lampoon thanks to the movie spin-offs, with comedians Chevy Chase and John Belushi. The most prolific (in the 70s and 80s) were Animal House and the Vacation-series, see the movie list here . A long introduction to the song Holiday Road, written and performed by Fleetwood Mac-member Lindsey Buckingham, in 1983. Holiday Road was his fist attempt to a soundtrack, the song was used first in National Lampoon's European Vacation, and later in other ... Vacation-films. But NOT in the Christmas edition (so to speak). Somehow, the track became a Christmas Holiday classic. Though Christmas isn't mentioned in the lyrics, and Christmas isn't a factor in the first movie. The song is a pop version of a rockabilly tune, with it's galloping rhythm and easy singalong choir. At first, it became a staple among acapella-groups, as you can see in...

There is an air of mystery surrounding Haunted House Party. It appears to be an electronic project created by one or more musicians, most likely based in New Orleans. Could it be an AI-driven endeavour? This seems unlikely, as releases under this name have been appearing since 2021, as evidenced by their Bandcamp page. Among these are numerous Christmas-themed records, albums, and singles. Strangely enough we never wrote about them. In 2022 they released the album ' A Very Haunted Christmas'.  It opens with the line: “At exactly midnight on Christmas Eve, when Santa is flying overhead you hear this, ” after which an eerie guitar motif accompanied by a collection of vocal samples can be heard. The remaining fifteen tracks feature a range of experimental sounds filled with samples, electronic beats, and titles such as 'Kringle', 'Blitzen' and 'Tinsel'. At times, it reminds me of the work of People Like Us . A Very Haunted Christmas by Haunted House Par...

So the story goes like this: "On November 4, 2025, I got an email from Jason Rubin with a song attached, asking if there would be a GMR Xmas album this year. The last one was in 2020. I had been busy with ninety-six releases since then, including my massive undertaking “Olympia: A True Story”. Hmm. It was a little late to be starting such an endeavor, but WTF? I said sure and put out the word to the usual suspects. Little did I know I would get 34 tracks submitted, a giant pile of music to deal with in a very short time. So much cheeriness that I decided it needed to be split into Vol. 1 & 2, listenable piles of Christmas newness." So says the CEO of Green Monkey Records, a label that's been putting out Christmas comps since 2009. Last time was, indeed, five years ago. And with 34 songs and two albums, well, call that a comeback. Tis also A LOT to digest, but as with other Green Monkey Christmas albums , it gives great pleasure to do so. These songs stood out ...

We started blogging about Xmas songs in November 2006 ( see? ). So to celebrate 20 years, it’s time (again) for the Netherlands’ biggest Christmas blog, Christmas A GoGo, to throw its annual Christmas party. Blackbird, Blanko, Talking Trees - a duo that transforms tree pulses into synthesiser music -, The Mieters, The Lasses and The Heck will be performing at the Bovenzaal of Paradiso in Amsterdam . It’s the perfect fit for a Christmas site that claims to showcase ‘the weird and the wonderful.' On Monday, 22 December, the musical pine tree waft will be spread by: Blackbird. In the past, Merel Koman gave us her own Christmas hits, such as the smash ‘Christmas Getaway’. On her new EP (on green vinyl ), ‘Mama Made Christmas’, you’ll hear Het Metropole Orkest backing her up. Paradiso plans to be the tree-topper of her Christmas tour. The Lasses. This duo met at an Irish pub in Amsterdam. They’ve put out four albums, performed countless shows, and now they have a Christmas a...

A special and limited 7-inch single has been released by Sundazed : Dr. John playing 'Silent Night' on piano. The single contains two takes, both recorded sometime in 1981–1982. On side A you can hear him start over a few times. This version was previously released on the CD edition of ' Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack ' (1989). On the other side is 'Silent Night Take Two', which has never been released before.

As far as I could tell, we at CAGG have never written about the American label Rum Bar Records from Boston. I could only find this post   on their band Beebe Gallini. They’ve been releasing punk/rock ’n’ roll Christmas music for a few years now. This year no fewer than three vinyl singles have been released. First up is a fast, punk-like version of Darlene Love’s ' Baby Please Come Home' by a bunch of old punks: Greg Antista and the Lonely Streets. Christmas, Baby Please Come Home by Greg Antista and the Lonely Streets At Rum Bar Records they also venture into lounge, with this soft jazzy, pink-tinted single ' It’s Martini Time' by the duo Velveteen Lounge, which instantly transports you into the world of kitsch, Martinis, and Tiki bars. Velveteen Lonunge Kitsch-en Christmas (Velveteen Lounge Records) by Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en The third single features two bands. On one side you’ll find Hilken & Melissa (feat. Kay Hanley) with the country-tinged ' Wh...

Christmas for a good cause. 'A Wild Christmas, We Broke Santa' by Shapes Like People is raising funds for the Stars Appeal with this awesome track. Indie pop couple Kat & Carl Mann originally wrote it for their new album, "but it didn't quite fit, so we've given it a Christmas makeover". Cheerful jangle-pop, sleigh bells, a late eighties crystalline sound with great singing (think Miki Berenyi and more recent Lana del Rey) and that typical Christmassy feel. But as sweet as the song is, so hard is their Christmas. Grandma is so drunk, her teeth fell out and who put tequila in the turkey brine anyway? Merry Christmas, great song!   Stars Appeal are aiming to raise £2million this calendar year to enhance care for patients across all wards and departments at Salisbury District Hospital, and support the NHS staff who care for them.  Donate via Bandcamp .  Shapes Like People Insta over there .  A Wild Christmas, We Broke Santa by Shapes Like People