Christmas A Go Go!

Theme posts, people, I just can't get enough. Christmas & Sex ( HERE ), Christmas and Ramones (see below ), Die Hard as/is a Christmas Movie , Christmas & California ( HERE ), I said it before and will keep saying it: Christmas music is like a huuuuge umbrella that can fit as many musical genres under it as you can think of, and there are very few themes that Christmas music hasn't touched. Animals and Christmas is a big theme; we're gonna need various postings. Use the comments for your recommendations. Let's kick off with the song that inspired this, a Pete Seeger cover by Canada's Corey Gulkin: Christmas Mixt8pe by Corey Gulkin Gorgeous cover, eh? Now, Christmas and animals, they go together like pudding and cherries of course. Santa got its reindeer. One of the most famous Christmas albums ever is centered about a guy and his dog. There were a donkey and an ox in the manger. A 17th century Dutch carol told us about shepherds in the field who...

No, this is NOT an ode to the Wham! song, it's a Christmas story submitted by Dan Hart to get you in the mood for the holidays. Enjoy! -- I was woken up at four thirty in the morning by a gleefully shrieking six year old. I wasn't even aware that there was a four thirty in the morning, until the drumstick bounced off my cranium and I was deafened by squeals of 'Preeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeents!' I growled at my little sister through clenched teeth, telling her that if she didn't get back to bed, no, not in a minute, right now, I'd call Santa Claus back here and all of her 'preeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeents' would be burning in a bin by breakfast. As dictated by Sod's law, I couldn't sleep after that, despite her positively statueseque display of feigned sleep. Resisting the urge to grab my lighter and make good on my sleepy threats, I hauled myself out of bed and went downstairs to make coffee. I opened the door to the kitchen and was promptly kicked in the crot...

Kevin Andrew Prchal is an American singer-songwriter who was featured earlier on this blog, with his great, twisted Christmas songs. Twisted in a sense that he, or better, he and his songwriting partner Nate Erickson, tilt the usual subjects or themes in a Christmas song. 'Where My Naughty Boys?' is a song about Mrs Claus, and what she does when Santa's is away. 'December 26th' is about the "special, empty, hollow, kinda feeling", after all the laughter, caroling and wrapping paper is gone. Prchal & Erickson now operate under the Uncle Billy moniker; 'Uncle Billy' is a nod to the movie It's a Wonderful Life . Their new song is yet another really great seasonal tune. Immaculate, very well crafted. This time from the standpoint of a dog, with no clue about the festive season but LOVING the trees. Very very good. It's Christmas (I'm a Dog) by Uncle Billy Where My Naughty Boys? by Uncle Billy December 26th by Uncle Billy

I beg to differ. Catchy, very dubby track, tho, by Dog Ears Montana : X-Mas Is Cancelled This Year by Dog Ears Montana

Making a list, checking it twice, it's all about Christmas, right? So before we go to the bestest Christmas songs of the decade (thanks for all your submissions so far), here's a list of all the newbies released this year. You can find it HERE . The longlist (over 200 songs) is HERE . This list isn't really ranked, but ten songs that stick out are: Beau Jennings - The Christmas Light. The best Christmas songs aren't about Christmas, but have a deeper meaning, a more heartfelt message. Beyond bells, spruce needles and stuffing your mouth with food, so to speak. Arguably the most touching Christmas song of the year is this one, a song Jennings wrote in honour of his mother, who passed away. Christmas is the time you miss dear people the most, as many songs state, but Beau states it better. An xmas song with a hint of bells, mostly just guitar, a voice and a deep meaningful story. To quote the mighty Christmas Underground : 'The warmth and love that emanates ...

Kevin & Nate, best known together as Uncle Billy , are superb seasonal songwriters. Last year, they made the highly original 'It's Christmas (I'm a dog)', and if you read our post , you know the duo have had more quality tunes up their sleeve. This year, they are going straight for your heart, via your soul, brushing your tear ducts. 'Together Again' is a warm 'n cosy ballad, lovingly arranged, and with lyrics that are very 2020 (and probably on point for years to come). Thanks Uncle Billy. When I dream, I drift away To wakin' up on Christmas Day Ain't a present to be opened Just the ones I love and hold so dear Together Again by Uncle Billy You can send the song as a Christmas e-card to loved ones. Follow THIS LINK

I was 12 years old, we lived near Montréal, Québec and my mother wanted to visit friends in a remote village some 300 km away. It was January in the 1980s with temperatures around -20, we didn't have a car, but we had matching Inuit parkas with fur and all. We hitchhiked all the way there, with hunters (I sat with a big dead moose in the back), truckers, even the police helped us along. My mom made me ask everything as she didn't speak French properly. We got there the same day, but arrived some 6-7 km from the house we had to go to at night. By then I figured out mom had not called ahead (her friends didn't have a phone) and this was a surprise visit. I thought this was normal. It's pitch black outside, no wind, we're walking uphill on a 'rang', which is a rural road with a number because it's in the middle of nowhere. No street lights, no cars, a few wild furry animals, a house every 1 km yet empty and snow, snow, snow. All you hear is the sound of ...

The Murrays are a husband & wife indie folk-pop duo. Credo:"Making music our dog hates since 2012". None other than the great Stubby tipped me on this EP. I guess it's Indie Folk Rock, and all the tunes are about a minute long, but the lyrics are nice and twisted. Check this one: Stocking Stuffers by The Murrays There also a cool video:

'I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas' ranks up there with novelty Christmas songs like 'All I Want for Christmas is my two front teeth' and 'I want a hippopotamus for Christmas'. Sung by a minor, nostalgic big band vibe, so sweet it should come with a warning to brush your teeth after hearing it. 'Gettin' Nuttin'' is from 1955, written by Roy C. Bennett and Sid Tepper (who also wrote for Elvis, and many other big names). Five recordings of the song charted in '55, says Wikipedia . Over the years, it's been covered a lot. While scanning for new Christmas songs, I heard this cover version: Winter Mix Vol. 13 by The Maybe Nots Odd that they credit it to Relient K. That is fine version, but certainly not the first punkish one: Relient k · I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas Earlier, Less Than Jake punked it up: 2002, a year earlier than Less Than Jake, I think this is the first punk'd version: This jazzy version...

With way over 100 posts every single Christmas A Go Go year, we also tend to overlook a few songs. Et voilà: five short notes on remarkable and diverse Christmas tracks that actually deserved our attention already last year. The first one though is brand new and pretty much in accordance to our header text.  1. A minimal electro track from Grammarchist called 'Where There's a Gift, There's a Sleigh', that starts with Santa enthusiastically cracking his whip. Poor Rudolph.  2. Check out this slow burner from Japan. Maju2⭐︎ wrote an alt-rock indie track that slowly comes to life more and more dangerously, ending in a guitar apotheosis with Christmassy bells. 3. "A Christmas sing-along with Buddy the Elf, the Grinch, Sparky Griswold, Clarence (angel second class), and Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. Ho-ho bloody ho." That's this DIY Whistletoe by Martin McC . 4. Sure, a man needs a (naughty) makeover every now and then too. And you know what? Good ...

Remember our giveaway contest ? Those who wanted on of three FREE vinyl slabs of that fantastic Christmas song by Double Cream , had to write a short blog on their all-time favourite big band and/or blue eyed soul Christmas track. And the winners are: ADAM KENNEDY representing BC, Canada My Favourite Big Band Christmas song is 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Mambo' by Billy May and his Orchestra. From the opening shout of the reindeer names, to the Perez Prado-style grunts, this is a brassy, sassy, spectacle for the ears. It's Latin jazz with a bit of comedy sprinkled in. I first heard it on the Christmas Cocktails set and have loved it and introduced it to several people since then. This song doesn't request permission to enter a room; it kicks the door down, passes out tequila shots, then lights the dog on fire. Highly reccommended! Next up: JAKE HANSEN , representing Indiana, USA What is my favorite Blue-Eyed Soul Christmas song? Hand down that title belongs...

I was scanning through some old posts and playlists, and to restore lost links and find out what happened to songs that seem to have disappeared. Here are some tracks that I reacquainted with: Gone from Spotify, but still available on Bandcamp, the two Christmas songs by Boca Chica. Both are great, this galloping twang-stomper is my fave: Not on Christmas Eve by Boca Chica Remember the enormous amount of Covid-themed Xmas songs we posted in 2020? One of the highlights was this friendly country-fied plea to celebrate Christmas in June, in the (relatively) safe sunshine. Joe Mitchell re-uploaded to Soundcloud when I asked him to: Joe Mitchell · Christmas In June Summer Camp (now defunct) were only mentioned a couple of times on the blog, because of their (strong) Last Christmas and Christmas Wrapping cover versions. This is also a cover, from the Home Alone soundtrack, and what A GORGEOUS SONG this is in this arrangements: Somewhere In My Memory by Summer Camp We already did...

Three years ago I made a big post on Boxing Day tracks , yesterday I did one on December 25-songs. So why not find more songs about December 26th? From this year, Micah Edwards does a soulful number on the day he does not like: 'One double two six/I can wait for you/No matter what I do/I'll wake up feeling blue' December 26 by Micah Edwards Same vibe, but as a Tom Waits-ian piano ballad: December 26th by Justin Cross The song you could write when not everything you took on Christmas day is out of your bloodstream: Have Yourself a Christmas, Vol. 2 by St. Peter's Dog Pastoral ballad by a guy who didn't get a Lexus or diamonds, so he's glad Christmas is over: Suburban Primative by Tom Watson Same vibe, but as a very happy folk singalong: 'I wish I could just sleep until December 26th, lalalala!' The Zeroes by Foxchase Paul Dickinson talks in his sleep. Since 1986, he has documented this phenomenon with the aid of voice-activated recorders. The...

Christmas is a time to break hearts, apparently. 'I saw her in the window jingling your bells', Sami and Meg (or Snop Dog?) sing in this delicious revenge song. It's sweet, it's lo-fi, it's great.

Short notes on recently released songs: Dutch queens of Christmas Clean Pete released another new track, in time for their upcoming Xmas tour . This song is called 'In de koude winter' that nods to 'In the bleak midwinter'. Love the spacey synths: Clean Pete · In de koude winter From Staten Island, NY, Louvers writes about this retro-song: 'A nostalgic dive into the days of VHS tapes, Super NES marathons, handwritten cards, incandescent lights, and long holiday drives home. It’s a warm, bittersweet wish for snow, simpler times, and the kind of Christmas magic you can’t quite wrap up anymore.' You got us at 'VHS tapes': Retro Christmas by Louvers This needs some explaining. Skinwigs is a comedy chat podcast by Sam O'Leary and Ashlynne Tyson. They made a parody Christmas song, referring to Lily Allen's latest album , which is all about her marriage breaking down (and it's a fantastic album, by the way): A song titled 'S...

We already had quite some dogs barking around here at our blog. But let's add two more brand new songs to that: 'Poodle Christmas' and 'Husky Dawgs'. First: Tante Wilhelm is from Frankfurt, Germany and they sing an odd English with a strong German accent. They hate the weather this Christmas, but luckily play the ukulele very well. The band's name is a pretty curious one and so is the song with even more curious climate critical lyrics. Poodle Christmas by Tante Wilhelm Second: Kitty Fitz teamed up with Symbol Soup ánd her husky for a seasonal song this year. They are a bit more satisfied with the weather than Tante Wilhelm, because "Me and my husky pull a sled through the snow". A plain and simple Christmas song full of dog love.

We're quite used to unconventional xmas song here at CAGG. We've had Christmas songs from the viewpoint of a dog ( HERE) , odes to Chinese restaurants for Christmas dinner ( HERE ) or chickens at Christmas ( HERE ) but I can't remember a song about really ADORING a fake plastic Christmas tree. Holly Taymar (from York, England) wrote this very moving ballad about treasuring the Tannenbaum: 'And one thing I love is you're so nice to decorate/baubles and tinsel and gifts that will have to wait/Who could've known that you're so build to last'. Find yourself someone who'll love you as much as Holly (great name when you write an xmas song) loves her tree, I'd say. Holly Taymar · A Christmas Tree

UK Girl duo Oh My! (Jade and Alex) recorded a great version of The Waitresses ' disco wave-classic Christmas Wrapping. LIsten on Soundcloud. Go HERE . Or go HERE to download. There've been several Christmas Wrapping covers this year. Like this one from Summer Camp. And this one from Dog is Dead. This one from Exohxo.

OOR is Holland's oldest, some might say bestest music magazine. Every year, CAGG's own DJ Oscar reviews (with an early deadline) for OOR the bestest Christmas albums. This year, he found it hard to find interesting albums (remember that early deadline); most tracks are released late, and/or only digitally. Anyhoo, for his column Oscar selected these fine sweets: By far the funniest Christmas album of the year is a reissue (on vinyl, and digital): Destination Christmas! by The Superions (from 2010). A side project of Fred Schneider (B-52s). The cover got a make-over, the original songs are upbeat and cheerful. Notable tracks are synthpop-song Teddy and Betty Yeti and the French touch in Santa Je t'aime . And this video: The opposite of this Fred is another Fred, Eaglesmith that is . With his partner Tif Glin he recorded eleven self-penned songs in the past decade, in their home studio, for an album called A Christmas Card. On the oldest recording, 'Hound Dog Chris...

Let's start this year with a strange, no better a weird 7 inch. That's a word that suits John Waters better. He is most known for his movie 'Hairspray' (1980). In 2004 he released 'A John Waters Christmas' compilation. This year the American label Sub Pop comes with a coloured single. On The A-side a parody version of The Singing Dogs ’Jingle Bells', which takes the Christmas classic on a howling turn that should delight (and possibly dismay) dog owners everywhere. Meanwhile, the B-side,'It’s a Punk Rock Christmas', is a raunchy spoken word yarn about the lack of the punk rock spirit during the anxiety-provoking season. Here's John Waters doing the dogs: The cover of the singles looks like the record cover of the original 1955 project form the Danish ornithologist Carl Weismann. He used recordings of five barking dogs and Danish  producer Don Charles provided the music. A real novelty record that became a hit in America in the Bilboard charts in...