Month: November 2021

Christmas Countdown: 1992

Jami Smith gets all filial with the feels in “Christmas 1992.” Sentimental country pop, so you are supposed to choke up.

An antidote to that saccharin would be the sermons and feedbacks of “Christmas 1992” from Heart Heart Julia. Experimentally hopeful with those ‘Frosty’ lines.

Less hopeful, Sam Weinberg’s nostalgia sounds like nails on a chalkboard and his snarky “Christmas Eve, 1992” raises more figurative questions than gives peace. Piano bar (+ harmonica!) sadness.

Indie pop garbling brings Figure (the indie pop project of Yoshinobu Hasebe) to “Christmas Eve of 1992,” a mixed outlet of hope and grief.

Mentioning the not-quite-virgin birth of a celebrity born in ’92 in “Miley Christmas,” Robert Lund and Spaff knock off ‘Christmas Song’ so they can show-shame the made-over diva-in-the-making. Cruel.

Sam Wineman’s over you like it’s ’92. In “New Year’s T” (feat. Andrew Scott Bell) he’s into the holiday dump (New Year New me No you) and gets a bit BLUE ALERT about it. So be warned of this adorable pop rap.

Frankie Staton is Over You in “Christmas 1992.” I’d stand back, m’man. Raging blues make it so.

Christmas Countdown: 1993

Well, technically, “Home Alone” (the movie) is about Christmas. And Heatmaps has a Rockin tribute that mentions how the Sticky Bandits were locked up til February 1993. But as fans will recall, they bust out in time for the 1992 sequel. Still, poppin’ fresh!

Even more epic, “Sandy Fishnets” is the tale of foster abuse with an haunting nautical motif. Evelyn Evelyn ends the tragedy on the Christmas of 1993 with her silent disappearance. Horrifying French bistro music.

Lily Montfré bums out on a memory fragment in “Christmas in July.” This late-night jazz bar piano dreamscape wants to remember, but fears the past. Oo-ee-oo.

Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right A B Start asks if you remember “Christmas Eve 1993.” Something weird happened, but i guess if you don’t remember… forget it. Altrock and noisy about it.

The Murrays don’t candy coat “Merry Christmas 1993.” Pop altrock that starts with old macaroni on the tree, but ends with hanging around as a supreme act of love. Wotta Romeo.

Christmas Countdown: 1994

Christmas Eve 1994, begins Matt Roach, reminiscing the good ol’ times with his baby. Those times are over in his “December Chill” an indie sentimental whiner. (He’s waitin’ by the phone for you.)

Take me back to 1994 again, craves Uncle Luc in “Christmas 1994.” Many childhood gifts merge together in his watercolor memories, but he misses those familiy bits. Rocking folk with plenty o’ Hawaiian to go around.

“Indie Christmas 1994” is a coming of age rock vamp from Gateway to Thousen. Cute backup, but not the best love advice i’ve heard.

Curious electronic experimental from watches | warnings, “Christmas Eve 1994” seems to be weather reporting under electric rhythms. The title is a mantra you’re welcome to adopt.

Nostalgia for ’94 (and later)?! Throw iPhones on the floor Pretend it’s 1994 wail Vista Blue in “A ’90s Kind of Christmas” spewing cultural landmarks willy nilly (My So Called Life, Green Day, Reebok Puffs) amidst the folk banging.

I Don’t Know Margo resists the War on Christmas with the rocking “When I Say Merry Christmas,” claiming no harm/no foul even if this were 1994 with George Costanza. That may be a Seinfeld Festivus reference, but such an alternative holiday was introduced a la TV in 1997, so yada yada yada.

Fantastic tango family dirty laundry from nerd diva Helen Arney, “Christmas 1994” was the year the VCR busted and the family fight over what channel to watch was waged. Killer. (Watch out for poetic license memory post script.) Brava!

Christmas Countdown: 1997

These year references are stretching back pretty far… time to drown in treacly nostalgia!

Ye-haw! Modern pop country from Michael Ray. One Day All You’re Gonna Have is a “Picture“! It’s just that back then it was a printed photograph (KODAK is product placed in the first line), not no digital image. Even with people still dying today, memories are snaps. Don’t forget ’em.

Christmas Countdown: 1998

Sometimes, the date is just another day. So what that it’s Christmas?

Jim White’s cowboy altrock “Christmas Day” is a bummer of a time to travel. He was crying in a Greyhound station on Christmas Day, in 1998, but saved by a mysterious loved one who took pity.

Kye Alfred Hillig, on the other metaphor, poses “Christmas 1998” as a straight shooting reveal about how you ain’t all that. Cowboy folk this time, but still hipster pop poetry. Just less concrete.

Christmas Countdown: 1999

On the verge of turning over a bunch of Ohs! Is 1999 a new beginning, or just a random configuration?

Raymond Taylor singsongs “Christmas 1999” about a pivotal time in his life. This pop existential crisis faces the new millennial pressure and caves! The honesty!

Much younger at the time, Evan Church’s rockingly pop memory adds Rock’m Sock’m “Robots” to the list of great toys he was buried in back then. Greedy brat, i love ‘im.

Perhaps a childhood memory that needs blocking, “Christmas 1999” recounts a BLUE ALERT confessional from the parents about who’s real and who isn’t. Driving rock played with tough love from Gregg Albertson.

I am the biggest fan of Spray’s “The Ballad of Xmas ’99,” a sprightly pop corrido about losing a song competition to Cliff (prolly Cliff Richard, whose ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ has been on the blog). Poor losers, great song. Wotta comeback!

Christmas Countdown: 2000 or so

David & The Citizens apropos of nothing look at 2000 light bulbs on the Christmas trees while in long distance love. “Belly Full of Butterflies” is punchy pop with a killer horn section and harmonica counterpoint.

Anacapa piano proclaims “Thousands of Lights” with soulful punctuation.

Justin North’s “Wednesday, Christmas 2000” is a non festive off key about a near miss relationship apparently at that time of the year. Lonely making music.

Christmas Countdown: 2000 away

How far are you willing to Xmas?

The Winter Failure may be exaggerating when bemoaning the alt rock “Thousands of Lightyears” distance during the holidays. Straining friendship from outer space.

Bethany Bates fells like she’s the only ones in over 2000 miles… when you smile in “Festive You,” a hard banging girl rocker. Heart’s on the sleeve here.

Leona Lewis’s “Mr. Right” is overloud pop about how 2000 miles away this house don’t feel like a home. Kudos for trying.

I sit next to you thousands of miles away, cries A Choired Taste in “Thousands of Miles Away.” While gnarly ’70s style rock, this so-called Christmas carol is just a heartbroken standard.

LA/81 ramps up the chorale for “Our Christmas Nights.” He’s lonely, listening to ‘2000 Miles.’ While it’s fine soul with gospel overtones, we feel the right to call out the appropriation of another song. Wait, that IS a thing. DJing. Sampling. ‘Kay.

THAT song, “2000 Miles” from The Pretenders, spells out how 2000 miles is very far. Whether a long distance relationship or a requiem, the sadness of loss is punched up with those Christmas carolers pushing joy onto the current misery. Classic pop. Coldplay lightens the irony.