Get Your Cheer On

Christmas song of the day

a wack-a-doodle tune for this morning, because Christmas is coming, and it's getting crazy, so get your cheer on already

Repeat The Sounding Joy

Christmas song of the day

despite that middle minute of glitch-pop, this is a pretty good version of a holiday classic, dontcha think?

Christmas Yay!

You Could Even Say It Blows

Never Mess Around Anymore

Is ambient sound experimentation and Christmas a good mix? I don't think so. But it hasn't stopped Banjo Or Freakout from releasing Christmas albums three years in a row. Maybe four. I haven't looked for 2012. As an avid music appreciator I can really get into the drastic reworking of holiday classics like "White Christmas", "Blue Christmas" and a completely unrecognizable (in a good way) "Jingle Bells". Taking song structure as a foundation to expand and explore with is the foundation of being an artist that considers themselves 'experimental'. Actually I think it's the textbook definition. So on that merit BoF deserves great credit and kudos and maybe even a juicy tangerine in his stocking.

But we are talking Christmas music here and there is a certain expectation of specific emotion to be derived from listening to it and not just being challenged aurally to a guessing game or the world's most challenging round of Name That Tune. So for that and that alone, I couldn't really dump all these tunes into my A-list, for the sole reason that I was sure it would cause an unmitigated dive for the NEXT button on the iPod and that, frankly, is the exact thing I'm trying to avoid by creating an A-list to begin with. That button should never even be breathed upon. 

So I'm afraid that I'm gonna give Xmas 2009 a big fat D. Maybe 2010 and 2011 will have better luck, but we'll probably have to wait another year or so to find out.

yay, christmas

Very Holy

This is the finest duet of Silent Night performed by a mailman and anthemic party monster, ever. I really like it.

You Can Almost Hear Love

Do I need to say anything?

Yay Christmas!

Bley And Swallow Carols

Recorded partially in Berlin, the other half in the South of France, this is not background Christmas music, unless it's solely for the purpose of sitting fireside and sipping a fine hot toddie and gourmet cream cheese cookies, of which I just so happen to have a connection. Carla Bey and Steve Swallow got this just right. Not too jazzy to alienate, but not corny enough to not take seriously.


Expert composition takes the forefront as this mostly horn and piano journey through traditional Christmas carols takes on all the heavy hitters like 'Jingle Bells', 'O' Tannenbaum', a lengthy 'Oh' Holy Night' And 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' in two parts will almost certainly dazzle even those mightily familiar with their melodies. Other rare treasures like 'Hell's Bells', 'Jesus Maria' and an almost unrecognizably scatterrific 'It Came Upon A Midnight Clear' (a la Bad Plus) hold the whole thing together for one of the baddest laid back Christmas jazz albums out there. Lots of soloing and noodling and it's all a little too dead on to be called free style. One of favorite parts is the trumpet/piano handoffs over bass diddling the upper register like he was powering Santa's sleigh, only to settle in on the halftime and then bring it home big band style. Fun, and I don't even know this song.


This is probably my favorite new Christmas album this year (so far). I must be on some kind of streak. Either that or I get some good advice. I had never heard of this album, and maybe neither have you, but I tell you it's a keeper, so go keep it. A+ with extra credit.

Yay Christmas!

How The Time Goes That We'd Rather Not Know

I was never a huge fan of Everything But The Girl. I fond their name clever and I loved Idlewild but everybody loved Idlewild. Since then I can't really remember them surfacing in any shape or form, and even between Tracey Thorn going solo in 2007 and then people noticing that she did in 2010 I was always a casual fan. But like we previously established, Christmas music exists on its own plain, in its own realm, and shall be judged on its own merits separate from the rest of the musical world.

So here we are. Tinsel & Lights. Really real nice. I'd say the first four tracks are one of the best leadoffs of a solo artists holiday album in a while. (but I haven't gotten to Rod Stewart's new one yet so...). Then there's the unfortunate 'In The Cold, Cold Night', which while it sounds like it would be a song about a time of year that Christmas would reside, the rhythm and the over-anxious guitar riff comes off more like a Spy Vs Spy soundtrack than anything I'd want to roast chestnuts to.

But Tracey gets you right back on track with the simply lovely piano ballad called 'Snow' and by the time the triple punch of 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas', the cover of Joni Mitchell's 'River' and the title track comes along she has completely redeemed herself and then some.

A pair of overly synthesized yet oddly acceptable tunes called '  Taking Down The Tree' And 'Sister Winter' close out the album and prep you for repeat listens. This is a jewel of a different color, original in sound and composition and with only that minor misstep has happily settled into the ranks of the holiday A-list. I give it an A.

Yay Christmas!

Santa Gets Some Soul

Back to work on padding the Christmas playlist, what with only two short weeks til the big day I have to get serious. This is Soul Christmas. It is a must have for anyone who has even the slightest interest in hearing good Christmas music. I'm thinking this is the record Santa himself listens to on occasion to prepare for a long night or just to kick back and check the naughty/nice list. It's the soundtrack that plays at the afterparty in the Northpole on December 26th when the eggnog flows heavy and every elf has his eye on that special elflette.

That's right. While this album has a classic feel to it. it also has a certain sense of sensuality that is lacking in most holiday tunes. 'Baby It's Cold Outside' is the nastiest we've ever gotten but Soul Christmas has 'I'll Make Everyday Christmas (For My Woman)' by Joe Tex, Carla Thomas's original 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' and the quintessential Clarence carter cut, 'Back Door Santa'. And there's no fluff found on here. Two great tracks by King Curtis, Otis Redding's 'Merry Christmas Baby', Solomon Burke sings 'Presents For Christmas' and Ray Charles even gets in on the act with 'Christmas Time'. And count them, three Booker T & The MG's takes on holiday cheer.

All in all this is a fantastic Christmas album that I hope to be in heavy rotation for years to come. I may even seek this puppy out on actual vinyl. Yeah, it's that good. I give it an A+. Right up there with Mantovani, Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

Where The Lovelight Gleams

Ahh Sufjan, keeping Christmas classy and beautiful even when you're being slightly twisted and horrifying. Is that why people love you?

Fun For All That Children Call

Not a big fan of this band, but I heard this version in Urban Outfitters (I think) last night and was kind of digging it. We'll see how it sticks.

Good Comps, Sucky Caffeines

Mostly I was drawn to this compilation because I thought we could use some Christmas tunes by the Shins and Calexico and Andrew Bird. But it's the tracks I originally overlooked that ended up really charming me and pretty much the whole thing passed the holly jolly test. I noticed I was really digging it during Black Prairie's version of '(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) the Man With the Bag', very nicely done. And even tho I haven't ever cared for their regular recordings I fell in love with The Civil Wars 'I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day'. They even class it up a little with Irma Thomas singing 'May Ev’ry Day Be Christmas' and an albeit lukewarm 'The Christmas Song' from Paul McCartney, but c'mon, he's Paul McCartney.

From there the album only got better, taking sage advice from Nick Hornsby and sticking the real magnets towards the end of your playlist applies even to holiday albums. The Head And The Heart do a lovely rendition of 'What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?' and I was kind of taken aback by The Heartless Bastards take on 'Blue Christmas'. Really really nice. Slight adjustments to rhythm and additional grooves here and there, like AgesAndAges 'We Need A Little Christmas' and Eleanor Friedberger's typical deadpan delivery fits perfectly on the open letter tune 'Santa, Bring My Baby Back (To Me)'. The only thing that was off was the lead track by fun. I know they're the big thing this year but this 'Sleigh Ride' is a little overinflated and frankly out of place on this album.

Just looking at the artists involved with this compilation I was completely expecting a loud, verging on obnoxious collection of overly experimental and misguided attempts of being secularly merry. But that really wasn't the case. Rufus Wainwright partners up with Sharon Van Etten for the classic boy/girl duet 'Baby It's Cold Outside' made famous by Zooey Deschanel and Will Ferrel and Calexico does a song infamous in Celtic circles called 'Green Grows The Holly' and makes possibly one of their most gorgeous records ever. And I didn't even mention Andrew Bird's 'Auld Lang Syne'.

Starbucks gets a 'A' for their ability to put together a good compilation but still a 'D' on their bitter coffee.

I Won't Make A List And Send It

I don't begrudge Mariah Carey a good Christmas jingle. I dig her Christmas tunes. I couldn't tell you a single non-holiday song she sings, but that's kind of the point. Some things are best left to this season, like fruitcake, figgy pudding, eggnog and over-sized indoor foliage. Plus, adding The Roots to even the worst things in the world somehow make them automatically aweseme. Even fruitcake.

It Ain't Retro If You Don't Know It

Going retro today, but it's hard to get all nostalgic about a bunch of tunes you've never heard before. But mostly I chose this compilation because pretty much every track was brand new to me. From the old-fashioned pleasantries by The Hollyridge Strings to the Mexicana-tinged tunes by Esquivel, this collection was really giving me a handful of stuff that I've genuinely never heard before. A few tunes that are brandy new as well like 'Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?' by John Barry and 'Holiday On Skis' by Al Caiola & Riz Ortolani. Also, the original 'The Bell That Couldn't Jingle' by Burt Bacharach makes a glorious appearance, and here I thought that was a Herb Alpert tune all along.

I guess the only downfall here is the re-occurrence of most of the popular traditional tunes; 'Sleigh Ride' twice, 'Winter Wonderland' twice, Rudolph times 2, double Frosties, and count them three 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town's. The versions differ enough to not make me throw my computer speakers out the bedroom window, but still, pushing this comp to 25 tracks while the second half practically repeats the early ongoing seemed kind of redundant.

At the end of the day they are all good versions that will all make it into the playlist so who's to worry about it really. There's eggnog to drink. And now, starting next year, I can be truly nostalgic about these tunes and enjoy their retro-ability.

B++++++

Yay Christmas!

A Pantomime Not A Play

song of the day

Dave Brubeck died today...

Ah that quintessential dinner party pop-up and most welcome sax melody, master of the 5/4 time, and creator of some damn good Christmas tunes while we're on the subject. We started off tonight's tree decorating session with his version of 'Away In The Manger'. I think the tree turned out well because we got off to that good start.

Grab Your Winter Scarves And Mittens

Christmas song of the day

here's one of those Rosie Thomas Christmas tracks... her holiday covers are fantastic, especially Joni Mitchell's River and the like, but I thought I'd give you an original... because the world will never have enough Christmas songs.... seriously

I Hear Something Barking In The Stair

There is pretty stark difference between playing a straight forward cover of a holiday song and then trying to put your own personal stamp on a popular Christmas tune. Arcade Fire do neither in their now much-lauded, moderately-loathed attempt at a "Christmas" album. As the legend goes, members of Arcade Fire took a drunken winter's eve oh so many years ago (before their Funeral heydays) and grabbed whatever instruments lay around the Montreal apartment and decided to recreate song Christmas cheer, to varying results. There's definitely a ramshackle and un-micced drum kit, a trombone, a out of tune piano, and I swear I hear a slide whistle pop up every once in a while. The tunes are cringe-worthy at best, 'Chestnuts Roasting' mildly mimicking chord progressions and taking best-guesses at lyrically melodic accompaniment, and 'Jingle Bell Rock' must have been recorded during that tiny interval of time at any good party right as everyone hits their highs and then it's all downhill from there. 'O Holy Night' takes itself way too seriously in the beginning and then kind of vomits on itself before the final refrain. Surprisingly the finest song of the bunch is the original take of the aptly titled 'A Very Arcade Xmas', which starts off seeming as a bit of jerking around, making up goofy lyrics, bandmates probably switching instruments, but settles down halfway thru to be a pretty damn decent little lo-fi holiday number.

The rest of the "Xmas" album are extraordinarily un-Xmas-y and act as rough takes on demos and future album tracks, most notably a decent take of 'In The Backseat'. So it's only really those four songs padded with some other material the Fire was testing the waters on. They packaged this and handed it out as gifts that Christmas. I help but think they may have lost some friends that year. But they made up for it shortly after.

This all ties into yesterdays listen, Ira Ironstrings Plays Santa interestingly. You see, Ira Ironstrings was a.k.a. Alvino Rey, and Avino Rey is Win Butler's grandfather, and Win Butler is the lead singer of Arcade Fire. So that's kind of fun huh?

This thing gets a C-, because while it was probably a blast to make and we get a kick out of it the first time around, I don't see this having any chance of becoming classic, and really, isn't that what Christmas music is about. I'd hope that if this album had any intention of doing any good in the world that it would further motivate the band to redeem themselves someday and release a proper holiday album, because you know that would be pretty damn good.

The Very Merry Mysterious

No one knew who Ira Ironstrings was. When suspicious recordings under the moniker started surfacing out of Warner Brothers in the early 60's it was a great mystery. Of course now, in the modern age, and eight years after his death, we've learned it was none other than swing pioneer Alvino Rey and his Orchestra trying to avoid lawsuit from Capitol Records whom he was signed with at the time. Oh nobler times.

Ira Ironstrings Plays Santa is recorded with some classic 50's dixieland jazz styles and it's probably my only holiday album that incorporates bass clarinet, banjo, and mallets on xylophone simultaneously. Barn burners like 'Jingle Bell Stomp', 'My Tow Front Teeth' and 'Over The River And Thru The Woods' are sure to get grandma and grandpa up and shaking a tail feather. They work nicely as single tracks intermingled within a diverse playlist as the one I'm attempting to create, but I can see how recurring and incessant listens to an album like this may cause someone to beat the holy hell out of some lawn Santas and burn the figgy pudding on purpose.

This nugget receives a B+ for it's initial enjoyability factor and it's capability to remain on the downlow.

It Really Picks Up When The Harmonica Comes In

Yay Christmas!

Rant And Rave And Loudly Blare

Today's holiday album was a compilation, which is always risky. Some Christmas comps rely solely on their one or two hits and are heavily padded with "like" artists or fellow labelmates. It's almost never a good, cohesive listen. The internet has created literally thousands of self-made mixtape creators (myself included) that really take pride in their work and put thought into their playlists so they are out there to find, unfortunately they don't have big business bucks to advertise. I reached back to some early compilations, maybe when money wasn't so much the motivation as much as putting together some quality tunes and came across Jingle Bell Jazz.

The cover alone kind of sells it for me. Classic, stark, and a direct representation of those old city streets outside the clubs that this very music was probably heating up the joint on their own. Very cool tracks from Dave Brucbeck and Duke Ellington, a lovely "Christmas Song" by Carmen McRae and the wildest arrangement of "Rudolph" I've ever heard by Pony Poindexter. Loved Paul Horn's interpretation of "We Three Kings" enough to go seek his whole holiday album and Herbie Hancock's "Deck The Halls" may be my new favorite rendering.

The only sidesteps seem to be the unfortunate intro/outro of the Lambert, Hendricks & Ross track that probably cracked people up in the 60's but for this superb compilation, it just kind of throws a wrench in the gears. And then the second to last track before the Mile Davis closer is a Marlowe Morris rendition of Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree that awkwardly walks the line between jazz and polka. Decent tune in an all-encompassing holiday playlist but again, it throws this particular collection of fine, fine tunes into brouhaha. But then, like I said, Miles salvages the wreckage.

A++ for being a (the?) true jazz Christmas compilation.