Christmas A Go Go!

Thanks for all your visits, posts, suggestions, lists, corrections. We hope you had a great Christmas season, as we did. See y'all in November. Here's a nice song to start the new year: New Year Morning (Single) by Sandtimer And HERE's a link to a Sylvester Songs playlist on Spotify.

...and if that is the case, then there's a song for you, just for you: This track is new to me, but DARN, is it one of the great alt x-mas tunes. Harvey Danger was an alternative rock band from Seattle, formed in the early nineties who called it quits in 2009. On Bandcamp, there's a 2010-version by HD-singer Sean Nelson, and what seems to be a cover (tho the singers sound alike) by Philadelphia's The Sugarpills: Holiday Mix Tape by Sean Nelson EDIT: That Sugarpills track has vanished, alas. This is a cover by The New Switcheroo: Live version by Harvey Danger HERE

A while back, I asked via social media and this blog , for your list of the 20 bestest Christmas songs of the decade. I received about 15 lists and scattered songs; so much different tracks, it's nearly impossible to make a solid ranking. The song that got the most mentions was 'That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!' by Sufjan Stevens, followed by 'My & My Baby (Spend Christmas With Me)' by The Faithettes. Both fine songs. EDIT: Although, as Stubby has just mentioned in the comments, Sufjan's from 2003 so cannot be named in this list. Hmmm. Let's settle for this great song then. Anyhoo, to make the most of out all your submissions, I decided to post ten submissions that I either forgot all about, hadn't heard of, or/and were just too darn good to pass. They're all from 2010-2019, suggested by readers of this blog. First up, this song (suggested by David and Dan) by Jonathan Coulton & John Roderick (of The Long Winters), about that unc...

Heavy Metal, Christmas, Odin, Tolkin, Ikea, Lovecraft: 'Valhalleluja' is Nanowar of Steel's personal take on modern days Norse Mythology, where alongside Odin, Thor and Loki also the greatest Swedish heroes of our age - Beddinge, Kivik and Knopparp - are sitting in Valhalla. It's a great pagan video, but the song is also out on 7 inch single .

Quite an honour, to contribute to the Observer Readers' Alternative Playlist in The Observer newspaper. With a link to the blog. Hello new readers! In that list, songs by Miles Davis, The Fall, Tom Waits, Paul Kelly, Shane McGowan (nope, not that one) and, as you can see below, the only song from this year, by Telekinesis:

The things you learn from having a blog like this...there's an instrumental rock band from Singapore who made an Christmas EP in 1966 called Christmas A Go Go. And it's on YouTube. And it's just lovely!

If you're looking for a themed Christmas playlist, you might consider selecting songs about eating (alone) in not very cosy restaurants at Christmas Eve. Suggested selections: Diamond Rugs' classic "Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant", Jeremy & the Harlequins' upbeat rocker "A Chinese Restaurant on Christmas", the magnificently depressed "Christmas at Denny's" by Randy Stonehill, the loud guitar bursts in "24 Hour Diner (Closes at 10 on Christmas Eve)" by Joseph Husak or the very British " Christmas Dinner Microwave Meal for One ". Or the song posted below, "Christmas at Applebee's", from the latest Sons of Old Town Christmas compilation. Sons of Old Town Xmas Extravaganza Vol. 3 by The New 100's, Tiblinski, Peyton Rodeffer

You know the routine: we all make Christmas mixes (CU's here , Amelia's here , Ronny Hammond's here !) and then Stubby takes the biscuit. Over two hours of alt. Christmas music, with the hits of this year and the cream of the crop of yesteryear. Download it from HERE . And see THIS if you want to know more about tracklist, the exclusive song and more context. Hurry up, cuz January 5 it will be all gone.

(This concert review of Clean Pete's Christmas show goes in Dutch, sorry folks.) In de afgelopen weken tuimelde bijna de voltallige Nederlandse (muziek)pers over elkaar heen om in superlatieven te spreken over wat we hier bij Christmas A Go Go! stiekem al jarenlang weten: Loes en Renée Wijnhoven delen gewoon de allerlekkerste Christmas treats uit. De tweeling met de charmante Brabantse tongval weet muzikaal, maar zeker ook tekstueel precies de juiste Kerstsnaar te raken. Ze verstaan de kunst om de tristesse en blues die er onmiskenbaar ook om Kerst heen hangt, luchtig en vanzelfsprekend te mixen met hoop, humor en heimwee naar dat échte Kerstgevoel. Verloren en onbereikbare liefdes, hang naar een gevoel van, ja van wat eigenlijk en verlangen. Het wordt allemaal in maar liefst dertien nummers gevangen op hun heerlijke Kerstalbum Gloria. En ze doen dat zonder ook maar ergens te cheesy te worden of in gemakzuchtige Christmas bashing te vervallen. Want hoe tragi-komisch sommige t...

Blood 'n Christmas. This is what you get when you cross The Revenant with Last Christmas:

American artist Jeremey Waterman did it again. His label Friends Friends Friends Records released it's fifth annual Xmas compilation with all independent artists mostly from America: 'Last Chrsitmas Party On The Left'. Waterman, from Halifax, opens the bandcamp only compilation, with a cover from 'Time Of The Season' (from The Zombies). He also has one of his own songs on it, the semi acoustic 'Cheap Gold'.  The rest of the music is pop, rock and singer songwriter with only a few renditions of 'classic' Christmas songs, like Sprout does an acoustic version of 'Santa Baby' and there's also a nice acoustic version from 'Little Saint Nick' (Beach Boys) by Sam & Megan Churney. Last Christmas Party on the Left by Jeremy Waterman

This nice poppy tune comes from Adam Leonard. He lives in Londonderry, Northern Ireland and he looks  likely to be a singersongwriter. The profits of this song go to the homeless charity in Northren Ireland. It's Another Christmas by Adam Leonard

The end is nigh (the Christmas season that is), but great songs are still being released. Like this British combo, who make psych-infused, T-Rexian Christmas boogie tracks. Here's one of two really really great songs: Leave Your Cares Behind / The World's About to Blow (Thank God It's Christmas) by Nancy & The Mysterious Visions Hat tip to Christmas Underground

Mark Peters from Wigan in the UK is a very interesting musician. He makes electronic music with Ulrich Schnauss and he is part of the band Engineers. On Bandcamp he just released a beautiful Xmas 4-track  'Winterland' . With instrumental versions of 'Jingle Bells' and 'Silent Night' and his own wonderful ambient-drone-shoegaze-minimal track 'The Box Of Delights'. Winterland by Mark Peters

Earlier on, we posted a Kraftwerk Christmas tribute . Today, a krautrock inspired Christmas track . Then Zach Malm tweeted this to me . Kraftwerk releasing an xmas song is something that's been a fantasy for many, and I just found this VERY well executed Kraftwerk-y version of Stille Nacht: Yes, I'm aware of Craig Ferguson's Kraftwerk skits. Nein, I don't think they're funny.

"The Vendetta Suite, aka Gary Irwin, who was in house engineer at David Holmes' Exploding Plastic Inevitable studio in Belfast and a some time collaborator with the legendary figure over the years. Holmes has already played these festive tracks on his NTS show, God's Waiting Room." Now THOSE are credentials. Gary was kind enough to share the festive EP he made for Hell Yeah Records, and the motorik track 'Christmas in Cologne' made a fine impression. Motorik is that driving rhythm, used in krautrock music (to quote Zach Malm : Tidings of Can, Faust and Neu!). Can't think of another xmas track who referred to that style of music, and TVS made grrreat use of it.

An anti-Christmas song every now and then keeps things in balance. This is a good, funny example: Holiday Mix Vol. 9 by Aw Fudge

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 ...

Indierockers The Hannah Barberas strike again, with an EP of ramshackle (and I mean that in a good way) Christmas hits. Including a bettered version of their old 'Oh Santa Claus' and 'The Christmas Song' (the Chestnuts roasting one) redone. Headfirst into Christmas should be our theme tune for the next year(s). Thanks HBs! By the way, all proceeds are going to Shelter, a charity that helps the homeless and fights for people in bad housing. The Hannah Barberas' Christmas Bandwagon vol.2 by The Hannah Barberas

The ninth holly-jolly instalment of the Kingfisher Bluez Christmas Village!   Kingfisher Bluez  is  a  Canadian DIY record label based in Vancouver. Since 2011 they release a seasonal 7 inch every year,  with a different painting of wintery building on the front. So if you collect them you get a nice 2 dimensional  miniature Christmas village on your mantle. This year they invited  Club Sofa from Vancouver with  'This Hanukka'  and  Carla J. Easton and Eugene Kelly (of The Vaselines) from Glasgow with 'Christmas Eve Alone'. Kingfisher Bluez Christmas Single 2019 by Carla J. Easton & Eugene Kelly That Eugene & Carla song was released earlier, on THIS compilation. Including another E&C-song, THIS ONE . And the Club Sofa song is also on Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada (see below).

The compilation we wait for every year, The Line of Best Fit's Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada . Northern artists who get in the Xmas spirit, and record (mostly) exclusive songs for a free downloadable comp. A few artists we know, like Kristian Noel Pedersen, Girlfriend Material and PIQSIQ, but most of the artists are new to us (me, to be more precise). This track by Nick Faye and Meghan Nash struck me as brilliant: About this song: "Two Saskatchewan favourites get together for a seasonal tale of life on the road. Both Faye and Nash have had busy years, with Faye fitting in some festival shows as well as a visit to Zandari festival in South Korea and Nash, off the back of a Juno nomination for Contemporary Roots album of the year for Seeker, toured across Canada and Europe. The two even played together in Tallinn, Estonia, quite some way from there Prairie home.. Both have now returned home to work on new records. As for the song itself, Faye explains: “The song explores a sad sense...

Saw this album on Cover Lay Down , a blog dedicated to folksy covers. They gushed over Lana Winterhalt's version of The Holly & the Ivy, which is very good indeed. But Canadian songstress Winterhalt also recorded a bunch of originals tracks. Storytelling with bells and guitar, in very fine form: Diamonds by Lana Winterhalt

Going back in time; in 2012 we featured 'Help Me Santa' by Danish band Surf School Dropouts. 'A great Beach Boys-inspired single', we said, short 'n snappy as ever. Later on, SSD released another Xmas single, this one , which we compared to The Walker Brothers. And now, the Dropouts slightly return with a free download of that first single. It's remastered, revamped, re-ignited, re-up. Re-turn to greatness, is what we say: The Man in Red - EP by Surf School Dropouts

Trentemøller loves Christmas. No wonder when you're from up North, Copenhagen, Denmark. Silent Night is his 2019 Christmas treat. "I chose Silent Night as it has such a beautiful melody that, for me, sums up the whole vibe of Christmas. Originally it was a lullaby and since I became a dad, Silent Night made so much sense to me especially as it’s my girlfriend Lisbet Fritze who sings on it." Nuff said. Silent Night by Trentemøller (And here a beautiful old one by Trentemøller, On a Cold Christmas Night )

What's the saddest Christmas song ever written? There are kitschy weepers like Christmas Shoes and Faith in Santa . Country big shots like Johnny Cash singing Ringing the Bells For Jim , Loretta Lynn's Christmas Without Daddy and Santa Can't Stay by Dwight Yoakam. I've made a playlist (see HERE ), including Prince, John Prine and A Girl Called Eddy's version of The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot. While searching for sad Christmas songs, I bumped onto 'Christmas at Denny's' by Randy Stonehill. And I think this makes a very good candidate for the title 'Saddest Christmas Song Ever'. If you're unfamiliar with 'family restaurant chain' Denny's, you'll get a pretty good picture of just how sad a place it is during Christmas. Unlike the weepers mentioned earlier, Stonehills song is dramatic and sentimental, but as a seasoned storytelling artist (he's been active since the early 70s, up there with James Taylor) he kee...

I'll just leave this here. It's only on YouTube and Vimeo, and a real soon on Christmas Underground's new Xmas Mix. It's....unbelievably good. And over 10 years old.

Thanks Rich, for the tip. Folk/country-infused Swampmeat Family Band from Birmingham, UK, says about this track: "So we recorded a Xmas track in August which was weird but it actually turned out pretty decent. So much so that PNKSLM offered to put it out for the festive season. Ollie our manager suggested we up the good will factor so our wonderkid guitarist and art guru Tommy Hughes designed a killer Xmas card that has a download of the track included... We're gonna hock these at our Xmas show on Dec 20th at The Castle & Falcon and they will also be stocked at a few local record stores and dive bars. All profits will go to Birmingham homeless charities so hopefully we can do a little bit with our Xmas ditty to help a few folks out during what can be a shitty time for far too many." A Present For Me [single] by Swampmeat Family Band

It Will Soon Be Christmas Day (edit) from the magic city trio on Vimeo . Christmas is all about nostalgia, as y'all are well aware. A day or so ago, I posted a track by a C86 band, and here's another one. Well, sort of, 'cause The Magic City Trio 's Frank Sweeney used to be a member of The June Brides . And he uses 'a couple of themes from C86' in this song: It Will Soon Be Christmas Day by The Magic City Trio

Sometimes people, aware of this blog but unaware of the richness that we call 'Alt Christmas', ask me: what makes a good Christmas song? I smile, handcomb my beard, put down my glasses and say: well, a good Christmas song contains a holy trinity: bells, lyrics about events in the past and/or a feeling of nostalgia, and a mention of Christmas. Like all-time greats like White Christmas or The Christmas Song (chestnuts etc), in the best Christmas songs there's a desire, a longing, a need to be or do something else than what you're doing at the moment. I don't know mr Gianmarco Cilli, a Philly songwriter and singer. Jim CU tipped me on this song by Cilli, who played with member of The War on Drugs on his recently released album. But Cilli knows my rules for a Good Christmas Song. Check it out: Christmas Right Here With You by Gianmarco Cilli Sidenote: of course, there are HEAPS of solid Christmas songs that don't have bells (Beau Jennings' ultra-brilli...

A Christmas record from Clem Burke of Blondie,  Eliot Easton of The Cars,  Wally Palmar of The Romantics,  Andy Babiuk of The Chesterfield Kings! Gee, that looks like a great line up. They are the Empty Hearts and made this incredible catchy song 'It's Christmastime' on the A-side and a great Bo Diddley like 'Joyful Noise' on the B-side.  Incredible punk-rock&rol single! Spotify says this track was released in 2016, Discogs isn't sure about the release date, and now there's a Bandcamp link and a vinyl version ( see BC ). It's Christmastime by * The Empty Hearts And watch this great video, with very bad sound, shot during the 2017 Hollywood Christmas Parade.