I went over to Google+ (which for me is basically like CarterHayes' blog). CH and some of his friends were discussing not what Christmas on other Holiday music one likes, but what one is looking for in popular Christmas music. I'd like to ask that around here. I'm thinking primarily about contemporary music (in the sense of: since the last Twins' pennant, but feel free to expand that a bit to fit your needs). Also, I'm not trying to restrict it to non-religious songs, just songs for radio play, or regular iPod or streaming service play, rather than stuff for Christmas Choral Concerts or church organs.
In other words, if you're going to go looking for some new Christmas songs, or new performances of traditional Christmas songs, what are you looking for?
[I was gonna put more of my thoughts here, but other obligations sapped my time.]
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While I'm on the topic, there's a certain surviving Beatle who wrote a song a few decades ago that I hate with a white-hot passion. Give me six hours of James Taylor as opposed to one listen through of that recording. If someone puts that on the video of the day, I will break into the HTML code or whatever and find a way to give it a -10 stars. Without listening.
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Next week, I think I'll look at that list of Grammy nominations and make some hypercritical remarks.
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* Part of Me - Tool - Opiate
* Another Love Song - Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
* Whirring - The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar **
* Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing - Neil Young - Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968
* Help Me I Am In Hell - Nine Inch Nails - Broken ***
* Suggestions - System of a Down - (self-titled)
* Help Me I'm Hungry - Nirvana - With the Lights Out ***
* Lily (My One and Only) - Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
* Warm - Swans - The Great Annihilator
* Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) - Deftones - Around the Fur
** Just wind 'em up and let 'em go - the song just goes on until they run out of energy.
*** The only two songs in my library with "Help me" in the title, there may be a tiny person in distress inside my iPod.
DG, have you yet heard Feersum Ennjin? It's Paul D'Amour formerly of Tool...it's a decent little mood record.
I have not. Will certainly check them out though.
Im not a huge fan of Holiday music, but I always enjoy hearing The Kinks 'Father Christmas', a delightfully twisted song about robbing Santa. And the Squirrel Nut Zippers swing one out of the ballpark in 'Carolina Christmas'. Other than that, its the standard rock and roll Christmas songs I like (Bruce Springsteen, U2, etc)
'Femme Fatale' - Velvet Underground Velvet Underground and Nico
'Sweet Jane' - Velvet Underground Loaded
'The Long Way Home' - Norah Jones Feels Like Home
'Penny Lane' - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour
'A House in the Country' - The Kinks Face To Face
'Substitute' - The Who The Ultimate Collection
'(Keep Feeling) Fascination - Human League
'I Alone' - Live Throwing Copper
'Radio Nowhere' - Bruce Springsteen Magic
'Bite Hard' - Franz Ferdinand Tonight:Franz Ferdinand
It's been a while since I've thrown a list up, so it's probably time.
Frightened Rabbit, "Nothing Like You", The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Apocalyptica, "For Whom the Bell Tolls", Inquisition Symphony
Lifehouse, "Breathing", No Name Face
We Were Promised Jetpacks, "Quiet Little Voices", These Four Walls
Flogging Molly, "The Worst Day Since Yesterday", Swagger
Apocalyptica, "Life Burns!", Amplified: A Decade of Reinventing the Cello
Blue October, "Breakfast After 10", Consent to Treatment
St. John's University Men's Chorus, "Dona Nobis Pacem", In Concert Spring 2006
Evanescence, "Going Under", Fallen
Travis, "Sing", The Invisible Band
For me, the best Christmas song is always "Fairytale of New York", and there's not a close second at all.
Yup, same here, though I spin Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack to "Charlie Brown" constantly each December.
I actually don't dislike Christmas music as a rule, but it's hard to sort through the crap and the cash grabs to find the good stuff.
Same here absolutely love the "Charlie Brown Christmas" and "Fairytale of New York". I've also become strangely enamored with Dylan's "Must Be Santa". Another fave is Ella Fitzgerald's "Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas. Actually there's quite a lot of Christmas music I enjoy.
I don't like christmas/holiday music.
1. Blue Eyes -- The Wedding Present
2. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat -- Bob Dylan
3. The Great Blake Street Canoe Race -- Guided By Voices
4. Slow Down -- The Feelies
5. Penny Lane -- The Beatles
6. TV II -- Ministry
7. Something (demo) -- George Harrison
8. I Still Can't Believe You're Gone -- Kelly Wells and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts
9. Just Go Away -- Jack Logan
10. I'm a Little Dinosaur -- Jonathan Richman
Bonus: Billie's Blues -- Billy Holiday
Next week, I think I'll look at that list of Grammy nominations and make some hypercritical remarks.
Ignoring the Grammys would make you much happier, no? Not taking awards shows seriously was a hard step for me to take, but man, it was as nice as giving up on comment sections.
The way I figure it, awards shows as they exist don't make a lot of sense to me. The beautiful thing about art is that it's a collaborative process, but by providing a list of nominees publicly long before the shows, a competitiveness with other artists is created that doesn't otherwise exist. The whole thing is icky...that's why I prefer the award lists that some outlets do - no nominees, just a list of winners they'd like to acknowledge.
Ignoring the Grammys would make you much happier, no?
Oh, no. I find the lists enjoyable because I typically have no idea how the nominees are arrived at.
And the 105 different categories gives me some deep inanities (contemporary folk vs traditional folk: some year, both lists will feature several of the same nominees) to pick at. And I like to see which of the artists I actually like get some attention. (Teaser: Photek got nominated for remix of the year! 15 years after his peak, and for a half-baked remix for a known artist's crappy movie theme cover for Disney, instead of his great remix for a minor artist's original song. Really, it is great, probably the best thing I've heard from him since 1998.)
I don't believe the awards are worthwhile arbiters of taste or quality, but in this world of ever-eroding common culture, I like to see what an official body of the industry thinks are the five best songs or whatever. I find the Grammys particularly laughable due to their nomination rules which cut off releases at Sept 30th, (or is it Sept 1?), right before all of the big albums of the year are released in Oct-Nov. Imagine how pointless the Oscars would feel if their awards were at the same time, but excluded all movies released since summer (but did include last winter's prestige films!).
Anyways, Colin Stetson didn't even win the Polaris Prize* so the real album of the year doesn't stand a chance. Maybe Steely Dan or Jethro Tull has a new album!
*Arcade Fire won, which makes sense, except when you consider that the Stetson album is better than anything ever, which includes all Arcade Fire albums (past, present, and future).
Shorter AMR:
No, I find the Grammy Awards* enjoyable because I put no stock in them. 105 different horseraces for records!
*The awards themselves, not so much the awards ceremony, where I get to see my preferred flashed onscreen for a 3-second "Also winning awards..." bumper. Congrats, La Roux!
Okay, I suppose it probably works as comedy.
Couple Christmas tracks I like that at least aren't ancient:
Keith Emerson - "Silent Night" ("Variations on 'O Little Town of Bethlehem'" and "Troika" are also good)
Yellowjackets - "Go Tell It on the Mountain"
My all-time favorite Christmas track is "The First Noel" by Tom Stacy on A Nu View Christmas, which was the first time an English Horn player was nominated for a Grammy.
I just heard the Trent Reznor & Karen O cover of "Immigrant Song" that's on the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trailers (though I'm sure you've all seen/heard it plenty of times by now). I'm usually not a fan of covers, but I found this one somewhere between "not bad" and "tolerable", perhaps even "decent".
Grrrr. ITunes won't let me download my pre-ordered copy of that soundtrack.
The Zeppelin cover is pretty cool (and a better fit than the "Hall of the Mountain King" cover in The Social Network)
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01. She Does Everything for Me - Zombies - Anthology
02. Soon as I Get Home - Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues
03. Look at the Rain - Meat Puppets - Classic Puppets
04. Roll Away the Stone - Moot the Hoople - The Ballad of Mott
05. Seven Spanish Angels - Ray Charles/Wilie Nelson - Revolutions of Time
06. Whole Wide World - Wreckless Eric - The Big Stiff Box Set
07. Just Like Honey - Jesus & Mary Chain - 21 Singles
08. Forward March - Derrick Morgan - Tougher Than Tough
09. Something Burning - Stone Roses - Turns Into Stone
10. Heart Full of Soul - Yardbirds - Shape of Things
Late start to my music listening this morning thanks to back to back meetings upon walking through the door.
01. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Twins" from Higher Than the Stars EP
02. Nirvana - "Milk It" from In Utero
03. Devin the Dude - "Gimme Some" from Gotta Be Me
04. Lil Wayne ft. T-Pain - "How to Hate" from Tha Carter IV
05. Why? - "A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under" from Alopecia
06. The Black Lips - "You Keep on Running" from Arabia Mountain
07. Sonic Youth - "The Diamond Sea" from Washing Machine
08. The Intelligence - "The Sailor Itch" from Males
09. Lil B - "You 4real" from Red Flame
10. Tyvek - "This One - That One" from Nothing Fits
1. Retribution Gospel Choir “Kids” Retribution Gospel Choir
2. Balloon Guy “Newest Industry” Dü Hüskers: The Twin Cities Replay “Zen Arcade”
3. Steve Reich “Music for 18 Musicians (Ruoho Ruotsi's Pulse Section Dub Remix)”* Reich Remixed (2006)
4. Fila Brazillia “Extract of Pineal Gland” Maim That Tune
5. Sonic Youth “Death to Our Friends” Evol
6. Palace Music “Horses”* Lost Blues and Other Songs
7. Leila* “Something” Like Weather
8. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy “Quail and Dumpling” Wolfroy Goes to Town*
9. Sleigh Bells “Crown on the Ground”* Online Single
T. Frank Ocean “Novacane” Nostalgia, Ultra
Notes:
3. Meh. If remixing Reich is a contest, Ken Ishii's take on "Come Out" wins. Though daylight's second (and probably third through fifth as well). Tranquility Bass's "Megamix" actually places (While TB remixing Reich and a Reich Megamix sound like bad ideas), and Nobukazu Takemura's take on "Proverb" shows.
6. One of my five favorite "Palace"-Era songs from Will Oldham (aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy), even though I believe it's a cover. (I have not heard the original though.) That electric guitar solo at the end makes me picture what club shows from the guy must've been like 15 years or so ago.
7. Leila Arab, Björk's former keyboardist and the sister of Roya Arab the jungle vocalist (I know she was prominent on Grooverider's album), released this quirky little album on Rephlex, the label co-founded by the Aphex Twin. It's an enjoyable, intimate record, with warm production, odd edits, varied vocals from her friends, and a sense of space even if it was made in her bedroom. She's since released two decent albums (and her fourth is on its way), but neither of those had that feel of getting a listen to someone's private recordings that were too good to keep to herself, but almost too personal to share.
8. Second album in a row that's done little for me. He's really ditched his talent at writing hooks, veering more towards long, sprawling songs that are what I imagine Joanna Newsom songs are like.
9. Before they signed with a label, Sleigh Bells posted a bunch of mp3s online. This is the version from that, more than a demo, but not as polished as the Treats version.
I love Christmas music. I've been collecting it over the years and have a pretty sizable library. I generally find with pop music for Christmas, if I like the group's normal albums, I generally like their Christmas albums. I also really enjoy new twists on traditional Christmas songs, especially jazz versions. The only Harry Connick albums I have are his Christmas ones. Perhaps my favorite Christmas album is "Songs for a Big Band Christmas." It includes Count Basie doing "Jingle Bells" and Lena Horne singing "Let it Snow!" Plus it has a terrific jazz version of "The Nutcracker Suite." The newest Christmas music I've downloaded is "Christmas in Diverse City," which is mostly TobyMac and is really good.
I also really enjoy new twists on traditional Christmas songs, especially jazz versions.
Dingdingdingdingdingdingding
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysIzPF3BfpQ
There's also several groups that I never listen to except for their Christmas music. The obvious ones are Manheim Steamroller and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This also applies to the King's Singers and the Canadian Brass.
Count Basie -- Jingle Bells
Canadian Brass -- Jolly Old St. Nicholas
Manheim Steamroller -- Joseph Dear oh Joseph Mine
David Crowder Band -- Joy to the World
Casting Crowns -- Joyful, Joyful
Kerrie Roberts -- Keep Breathing
Stellar Kart -- Kiss the World
Manheim Steamroller -- Kling, Glockchen
Press Play -- L.O.V.E. Now
The King's Singers -- La Peregrinacion
E-6 just linked to his holiday mix last week. The Low song "Just Like Christmas" is one of my favorites.
1. Glass Julian Casablancas
2. Sailing To Philadelphia Mark Knopfler
3. Wet Sand Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. Slowdance On The Inside Taking Back Sunday
5. Mainstreet Bob Seger
6. Parachutes Pearl Jam
7. Make Believe Toto
8. Please Remember Me Low
9. The Bear My Morning Jacket
10. No Cigar Millencolin
Bonus: Slow Motion Third Eye Blind*
*The version with lyrics: “Ms. Jones taught me English but I think I just shot her son, ‘cause he owed me money. With a bullet in the chest you cannot run.”
Yeah, that Low song is one of my faves of theirs (of all their songs). I play it all year round. I think it's unfortunate that they don't really have any other songs that are peppy like that.
Back in the late 90's, when Gap ads were a high-profile showcase, Low got their fuzzy-organ take on "Little Drummer Boy" featured in one.
Also, Creed has Sold more Albums in the US than Jimi Hendrix.
I've been holding on to this for FMD...gross.
Haven't clicked through, but I hope that corrects for the population of the US over the times when those albums were released.
Also, Hendrix had three studio albums, two greatest hits packages (Smash hits and whatever that gold-and-red one was), four live albums (Band of Gypsies, Woodstock, and two others I can't think of), plus posthumous collections and various other random collections. I don't know how many albums Creed has released, but I'm sure it's more than three.
I think that when I'm looking for new Christmas records, I'm typically looking for standards. I typically love hearing artists I like cover songs I know, to hear what they do with them, and Christmas records often let me do that easily. What I've really wanted to find was something like Spring Heel Jack's covers of songs from The Sound of Music.* (Of course, I also wanted a similar cover of "Star-Spangled Banner", thought it might be a decent update of what Hendrix did at Woodstock, except only musically.)
So, that's what I'm looking for, but what I usually find are things like Low's "Just Like Christmas" and Blackalicious's "Toy Jackpot": new songs that work as well as canon. Outside of Low, I can't think of any recently-recorded versions of Christmas standards that I've said "Wow! That's good!" too, and instead I use Ella Fitzgerald, Nat "King" Cole, John Denver, and Vince Guaraldi for the standards.
Well, Coil does have their one Christmas song, which seems to be a traditional that I had never heard.
*I couldn't find either track available from the regular places I look. The estates of Rogers and Hammerstein must be really strict. Okay, here are samples from amazon.