Holidays Rule Volume 2 songs!!

The sequel to 2012's indie holiday extravaganza, "Holidays Rule", has arrived! And I've got 6 songs to review from it, so here goes!


"Baby It's Cold Outside" by Barns Courtney: There's a certain roots-y, earthy, soulful quality to pretty much all the songs Barns Courtney has put out so far (especially his first and biggest hit, "Fire"). His rendition of the lyrically questionable but musically fun Christmas tune, "Baby It's Cold Outside", attempts to inject some soulfulness, but ends up sounding more like a 2010's alt-pop song with a hip-hop beat. It starts off sounding like an old jazz standard, but as soon as the percussion comes in, it becomes a whole different song. And yes, as with all versions of this oddly charming holiday song, there is a female vocalist in here as well, and her name is Lennon Stella, best known as one half of the country-pop internet sensations, Lennon and Maisy.


"I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" by Lake Street Dive: Undoubtedly one of the goofiest Christmas songs of all time, soul/blues-rock combo, Lake Street Dive, add a Latin twist to this song, making it stand out even more among holiday songs than it already did! This is the first time Lake Street Dive have sounded more like rhumba than R & B, but they do a good job at it! With a "shaka-laka" percussion section and sultry horn section, I can guarantee that a song about hoping for hippos on the holidays has never sounded more unique than this one! Make no mistake. Rachael Price does NOT want crocodiles or rhinoceroses, she only wants hippopotamuses. Nothing wrong with that, right?!


"Jesus Christ" by The Decemberists: Unless you're a big fan of Big Star, who are probably the only "proto-alternative" band besides The Velvet Underground to gain a large cult following among alternative rock fans despite having zero chart success, you might not know the original version of this song, an unusually reverent song for a somewhat irreverent and quirky band. It only makes sense, then, that The Decemberists, who are quirky, irreverent, and have a huge cult following themselves, would cover Big Star's "Jesus Christ", the only Christmas song that Big Star ever did. Like Joni Mitchell's "River", "Jesus Christ" might not have been intended to be a Christmas song, but has been viewed as one anyway ever since its release. This version stays faithful (no pun intended) to the original until its solo, which uses guitars in place of the sax solo on the original. As a side note, "Jesus Christ" might have also been the only Big Star song to use a saxophone. Most of the others I've heard by them don't use that instrument.


"Pipes of Peace" by Muna: Yet another cover of a modern Christmas song, as opposed to a "traditional" one. Many people know (and are sometimes somewhat averse to) Paul McCartney's uber-happy "Wonderful Christmastime". They might not know that Sir Paul also released a quieter, more reflective Christmas song in 1983 called "Pipes of Peace". This is that song, performed by indie-pop group, Muna. Muna seem to have a thing for middle-of-the-road classic rock, as they have also covered Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" and U2's "With Or Without You" in concert, which is interesting considering how Muna sound more influenced by electronica than they do rock. Muna maintain the quietness and reflectiveness of the original, molding a bittersweet holiday rock song into an equally bittersweet holiday indie song.


"The Christmas Song" by Judah and The Lion: Not since Mumford and Sons has there been an indie-pop band known for playing banjo. Judah and The Lion typically take it one step further than Mumford and Sons by using a pop music framework to showcase their mad banjo skills, as opposed to a more folky one. Here, Judah and The Lion use the same technique on "The Christmas Song", a song first made popular by Nat King Cole in 1945 and covered many times since. JATL's rendition of this Christmas classic is a fun one, to be sure, but the banjo solos might just be the best part of this whole song!


"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" by Andrew McMahon: This song was already covered by The Head and The Heart on the original 2012 edition of "Holidays Rule". I think their version is much better. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to just ignore Andrew McMahon's version of a holiday song originally recorded by jazz musician Ella Fitzgerald in the mid 1940's. Andrew does a decent job, but his version comes off too...well...keyboard-y for my taste. The song is supposed to have piano, which this version does, but he layers it with a synth sound that doesn't exactly sound fitting for this song. Head and The Heart extend the length of this song and add in some guitar in the background. This version has no guitar and is relatively short in comparison. Stick with the original "Holidays Rule" rendition of this song (or the original Ella version) if you want a quality version of this post-Christmas tune. It's not a bad version, though, by any means.

New songs for December 9th 2015

here they are:


"Alone On Christmas Day" by Phoenix (featuring Bill Murray): Yes, THAT Bill Murray. The one from films like "Scrooged" and "What About Bob?" The reason being is that this song is a part of his "A Very Murray Christmas" special, in which the veteran comedian hobnobs with recent stars like "SNL"'s Amy Poehler, Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis, pop sensation Miley Cyrus, and all four members of the French indie-pop band Phoenix. When it comes to Bill's interaction during the special with Phoenix, he asks the quartet to "play something that nobody knows", which they do! (Unless you happen to be a hardcore Beach Boys fan - even I didn't know that this was originally one of their songs until recently). "Alone On Christmas Day", as its title implies, is a rather melancholy song, which is rather unusual for the typically energetic, hyped up music that Phoenix has become known for. It's probably one of the most heartwarming things you'll ever hear from Bill Murray OR Phoenix, and it's endearingly odd enough that I'd venture to call it the 21st century equivalent to the Bing Crosby and David Bowie Christmas duet from '77!


"Sound And Color" by Alabama Shakes: What?! ANOTHER Alabama Shakes song?!? But I just reviewed them the LAST time I did this blog! I guess their latest album is just THAT good! Like a lot of the songs from "Sound and Color" (the album, not the song), this song could be considered "funk from outer space", but its title track differs from the other four songs that have become singles from the album in that it doesn't feature that much guitar. Instead, it features more xylophone (at least I THINK that's what they're using - it's hard to tell), synthesizer, and string orchestras. It's a slow jam, but its sound is more the sophisticated jazzy neo-soul of Erykah Badu than it is the raw, earthy soul of Pickett, Redding, James Brown, etc. Its hypnotic, trance induced sound could also be compared to groups like TV on the Radio.

Songs for twelve-twelve-twelve!!

We don't have twelve songs this time around, but there are four, and three times that makes twelve! So here goes:


"Call Me the Breeze" by Beth Orton: Not to be confused with the more boogie-woogie style, hard rocking Lynyrd Skynyrd song of the same title, Beth Orton's "Call Me the Breeze" sounds more, well, breezy! It is soft and billowy, like listening to a cloud, and it also shows just how much she has departed from the "folk-tronica" she started out with in her career. "Call Me the Breeze" is just pure and simple folk-rock. No electronic instruments or synthetic drumbeats to distract from the essence of the song here. "Call Me the Breeze" plays out almost like a children's song, with its repetitive "call me the..." verses ("Call me the day, call me the night, call me the dark, call me the light", for instance), interrupted only by its chorus ("hear my call, hello-lo-lo-lo, lo-lo-lo-lo, lo"). Definitely a good song to start out the morning with!


"Lover of the Light" by Mumford and Sons: The third single of 2012 from the unlikely folk-rock sensations Mumford and Sons is, perhaps, unlike any they have ever done! Hearing this song live during their "Gentlemen of the Road" tour was already pretty uplifting, and thankfully, M & S retain the magic of the song for the studio version of it! "Lover of the Light" is the first M & S song to feature a percussion section, and it is also the first song in their catalog that is TRULY "folk-rock", with an electric guitar providing a backbone to their more expected use of acoustic guitar and banjo. "Lover of the Light" has a similar rhythm (and sound, somewhat) to The Dave Matthews Band's "Crash Into Me". Unlike Mr. Matthews' song, "Lover of the Light" is not seductive in any way, shape, or form (for it to be so would be a shock for fans of M & S), and is instead, honest and heartfelt to the very core ("So love the one you hold, and I'll be your goal, to have and to hold, a lover of the light")! The Mumfords continue to amaze me with every song they do, and I hope they will continue in that direction for as long as they can keep a musical career!!


"Maybe On Monday" by Calexico: "Maybe On Monday" is both a sadder song and an edgier song than most of Calexico's material. The electric guitar makes a surprise appearance in this song by a band who is typically more known for their acoustic-y stuff (though "Maybe On Monday" can still be called "folk-rock" nonetheless), and there is no horn solo in the song, which is incredibly unusual for a Calexico composition. The subject matter of the song also leaves a lot of questions floating around in the listener's mind. For instance, why do the opening lyrics ("Woke up on Monday and wrote you a love song/Well the pen stopped and the paper flew out the window, and the notes rang down the road") sound as though Calexico's lead singer is somehow equating a painful relationship with writer's block?! Can't say I know too many songs that are like this one, but that's just all the more reason to like it!


"Twinkle (Little Christmas Lights") by JD McPherson: JD's success among adult alt audiences (particularly with the catchy, Little Richard-esque "North Side Gal"), came as a big surprise (but a darn good one) to listeners everywhere! Perhaps that's why JD felt like the time was right for him to do a Christmas song, even though he's only had two hits so far! The whimsical lyrics and jingle-bell sound of "Twinkle (Little Christmas Lights") recalls a lot of the Phil Spector Christmas songs from the early '60s, but the rhythm of the song, like most of JD's material, is pure '50s rock! Merry Christmas and a rockin' New Year!!

7 new releases, 2 Christmas songs, and a partridge in a pear tree...

Happy Holidays everyone!! :) 'Tis the season to review new Christmas songs from She & Him and The Killers, not to mention 5 other non-Christmas related tracks. Here goes:

"I Didn't Mean It" by The Belle Brigade: Why is the sky blue? Who (or what) created the universe? Of all these age old questions that have never quite reached a universally agreed upon answer, the one I'd like to know the most right now is this - why do so many great songs and artists end up on the "Twilight" soundtracks?! While I don't think I'll have an answer for that in quite a long time, it just so happens that the latest song to get attention from indie rockers The Belle Brigade is on the "Breaking Dawn" soundtrack of the "Twilight" series. This doesn't mean The Belle Brigade have become "sellouts" (yet), but I can't help but notice how strikingly different this sounds to their other big song, "Losers", released earlier this year in the summer. Where "Losers" was a somber, regretful folk-rock song, "I Didn't Mean It" approaches more of a catchy, alt-pop type sound, almost as if Ben Folds were female and tried covering the Linda Ronstadt version of "You're No Good". Perhaps most interesting of all is how, out of the two songs I know so far from The Belle Brigade, the slower, sadder one ("Losers") is written in a major key, yet the pop-ier, faster one ("I Didn't Mean It") is written in a minor key!! That being said, there must be some really clever people involved in that band!

"Lights" by Ellie Goulding: Is anyone here sick of how much attention Lady Gaga has gotten ever since she debuted? (I know I am!) Looking for a fresher, less sexually excessive alternative to her that sounds kind of like an indie-pop version of Lady Gaga? Perhaps not, but now there is one!! The first major song to get attention from British pop starlet Ellie Goulding, "Lights", is like a hip dance-pop song for those who prefer Tori Amos to Madonna. Like Gaga, Ellie's a blond haired girl who knows how to dance. Unlike Gaga, Ellie seems like she dances more for fun than for promiscuity and/or (desperate) attention. "Lights" is a unique, catchy song, and probably one of the few that can appeal to both the hipsters and the just plain hip!

"Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye: In the 21st century, the world-music-meets-rock-music flame that Peter Gabriel and Sting became well known for using in the '80s has been kept alive by musicians like Robbie Robertson and Paul Simon (both of whom also used that sound frequently in the '80s). Have there been any new artists that have been successful in using that sound, though?! With the possible exception of Vampire Weekend, probably not (and even Vampire Weekend's songs were a bit too bouncy to fully emulate the more reflective Gabriel/Sting sound). After all these years, however, someone has come along to return the world-music-meets-rock-music-sound to the music world as if it were fresh and brand new again, and he goes by the stage name of Gotye (pronounced GO-tee-yay). The ambiance of Gotye's first major song, "Somebody That I Used to Know" (not to be confused with the Elliott Smith song of the same title), is icy and haunting, and seems to borrow heavily from Peter Gabriel's almost equally haunting "Games Without Frontiers", and his vocals are somewhat similar to Sting's, especially as the song draws closer towards the chorus. The "cold shoulder" vibe of the lyrics, combined with the already frigid atmosphere of the song itself makes "Somebody That I Used to Know" the perfect non-Christmas listen for the winter season!!

"That Old Black Hole" by Dr. Dog: So far, Dr. Dog have gotten attention with two songs on adult alt radio, with the jaunty, Beatlesque "Stranger", and the folk-rock-y, Neil Young-ish "Shadow People" (which also manages to sound like The Beatles during the second half). Dr. Dog's latest song, then, "That Old Black Hole", marks a musical departure from the typical neo-psychedelic, "retro" indie-pop of their music, as it sounds more like the type of song a band like Modest Mouse might have done. Speaking of "mouse", another way Dr. Dog have, perhaps, sought for a larger audience in "That Old Black Hole" is through its video, whose only consistent image is of a hamster on a wheel. Other images appear in the video, but they are a bit too brief and surreal for me to find truly memorable in comparison to the hamster. The video for "That Old Black Hole" can be viewed here!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmq7MSwUUAQ)

"The Christmas Waltz" by She & Him: 'Tis the season to be Zooey!! The most beautiful woman in indie-land (and her performing partner, fellow indie musician Matt "M." Ward) has released a heartwarming, sentimental version of the classic Christmas song that states the time it is performed in ("and this song of mine, in three-quarter time...") Zooey's vocals in this are absolutely irresistible!! Matt does a good job at this song too, though, bringing jazz chords to his acoustic guitar in the finest, most tender fashion since Sammy Davis Jr. The whole ALBUM ("A Very She & Him Christmas") that this is on is great, actually, but this song is a standout, for being the opening track, the track that's gotten the most attention so far on adult alt radio stations, and for having the most snuggly, cozy feel of all the songs on the CD!!

"The Cowboys' Christmas Ball" by The Killers: Ever since 2006, Brandon Flowers and his fellow elves, umm, I mean, musicians, have released one Christmas song each December, perhaps the best of which was the one they put out during that year ("A Great Big Sled"). "The Cowboys' Christmas Ball" might not be the best Christmas song The Killers have released, but it's a breath of fresh, energetic air compared to the decent (but dreary) "Boots" they released last year. The uptempo beat and tinkly keyboards set the mood for a Christmas song that takes place in the Wild Wild West, with quirky lyrics, and Brandon Flowers singing as though he had a slight "Southern" drawl in his voice. A surprisingly friendly, bubbly song for The Killers, but it still manages to work!!

"The Same Thing" by Cass McCombs: Before I get on with my review for this song, "Cass" might sound like the name of a female performer, but is, in fact, a guy in this case. Its sound is suggestive of Pete Yorn, while the lyrics take on a more Dylan-esque quality ("Nothing in common, our blood thicker than broth/We're cut from different sides of the same cloth"). Both Dylan and Yorn are known for composing melancholy folk-rock songs, and "The Same Thing" also has that sort of sound. Vocally, McCombs seems to derive from Elliott Smith, who, again, has a melancholy folk-rock sort of sound. Cass McCombs seems to have that "lonely guy with a sad, sentimental acoustic guitar sound" pretty good! Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but it certainly is mine!