Category Archives: electronic

As Seen on TV: Community

Rick and Morty‘s creator’s earlier brilliant-but-what’s-the-demographic? sitcom was not known for breakout songs, but attention must be paid to these study group misfits during the holidays.

The 2010 stop motion episode ‘Abed’s Uncontollable Christmas’ brings it.

The “Intro Song” is a takeoff of The 88’s series opening music this time with Xmas.

The characters turn into Christmas claymation tropes and have a couple memorable 3-line songs for characterization, including “Brittabot” and “Christmas Douche.”

The meaning of Christmas is put together in the show stopper “That’s What Christmas is For.” John Oliver! Christmas pterodactyl!

The next year is about singing Xmas for Glee club. To win over the surly main character, the Jewish nerd girl sings “Annie’s Christmas Song.” Brother, that’s jazz striptease junk with Betty Boop botheration.

The overlooked housewife gets a big gospel (half) number with “Happy B-Day, Jesus.” Go tell it on the lafftrack.

The actual “Community Glee Club” performance is a sad throwaway about how the hot blonde is tone deaf.

“Troy & Abed’s Christmas Rap Battle,” however, convinces the Asperger’s kid and the conflicted cool athlete to celebrate a holiday they would otherwise disdain. Much prettier, or at least much faster.

Comedy gold from those boys finally in order to convince the geriatric in “Baby Boomer Santa,” an addictive song  about the evolution of St. Nick through musical genres. An American Pearl.

As Seen on TV: Rocko’s Modern Life

Many of these cartoons don’t have much to offer in the way of specially written tunes. Sometimes there’s just enough to get me to notice. The wallaby-based series (a try out for the makers of SpongeBob), did what it liked including a couple cool dance tunes in the background of a Christmas episode.

“We’re Gonna Party” is dance music Rocko plays at his own party. Sparkly club swing.

The electronica “Ho Ho Dance” seems to be Santa’s workshop  soundtrack. Definitely dance while you work. Then try some more ritalin.

TreeMendous Holiday Fun: Time for Another Scotch Pine

When pure evil tragedy strikes around Christmas, what better scapegoat than that thing you spent all day doting on and bejeweling?

In fact, that thing might be a diabolical doorway to demonicry. “Christmas Tree from Hell” reminds us of two important issues: buyer beware, and ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ is a scary melody. Listen with the lights on to Bah & The Humbugs.

They hurt me! Kill them all! is Paulette’s “Christmas Trees” message. Talky folk, but oh my.

Metaphorsing metaphors, Bree Lucas compares you to the lack of comparison. “You Couldn’t Compare, Christmas Tree” is front room folk by a powerful talent about a terrible thing that happened.

The emptiness around this time of year coalesces for JJ Voss with “Whiskey, the Tree, and Me.” (As previously posted) it’s scotch o’clock for country rock.

“Six Billion Lights (On the World’s Biggest Christmas Tree)” makes a bummer out of living. Derek A. Dempsey and Nicole Lynch point to each person on the Earth and, in military country pop, allow that we all suffer. So, Christmas. You’re welcome.

Islands plink and doot-doo through “Christmas Tree” with alt folk philosophy… oh, you know what’s coming! Bad stuff (coffins, oppression, misunderstanding).

Orbit emplys some simple rock and not so simple word salad for “A Christmas Carol.” Get a load of the refrain. Damn. Suicide prevention hotline, please.

Okay, not so holidaysical, but “Christmas Tree Bridge” leans on the irony of the awful tragedy of losing a parent with the most family of phrases. Yikes. What sick folk is this?! BLUE ALERT

The Vandals want to kill two birds and “Hang Myself from the Christmas Tree.” Indie folk rock. Get comfy, this is a long one.

Perhaps homicide? “Murder by Christmas Tree” is a short metal ode to how to get away with murder from Santa’s Angry Elves. I don’t like them when they’re angry.

Next? “Bury Me by the Roots of a Christmas Tree” pop punk Agent Pazz. It’s such cute nihilism. BLUE ALERT

Time to give up! Life is too awful. Let’s buy the “Christmas Tree” with Kiki Bohemia and her cheap electronic hypnotic singsongery to show our despair. Bleak, black, blecch.

Anthropomorphic Snow Sculpture: abominable detour 9

Time to get weird with the cryptomorphs!

Experimental rock with Bertolt Brecht alienation comes from Nick Siegel’s “The Abominable Snowman Struggles with Loneliness.” Great concept album, still just sad songs.

Chemicals overlays industrial percussion on top of beat poetry voiced as if by a ten-year-old. See if “Abominable Snowman” doesn’t live up to that!

Islands rocks the garage with progressive experimentation in “Abominable Snowman,” more about their performing endurance than the disparate elements. Their box cashed back to earth from outer space. Dig me?

Snow Way: fun for wee ones

Snow’s here! Now what? Playtime!

Sarah Hart lullabys the innocent with her “Snow Angels.” Bit hyper to lull; soaring and insistent.

mrbuttersmusic chills you way down with the childish glee of having snow for the first time. “Angels in the Snow” is saccharine and treacly and, well, surprisingly angelic for kids’ music. Good luck getting your child’s assembly to sound like this.

Kid Pan Alley jollies up “Snow Angels and Icicles” so much so i have to ask, is this for kids or just her? The scat, too?

I mean grown ups singing simply might be rhyme-splaining or there they go educating children. Listen to the guileless Daisy May Erlewine’s “Snow Angel” and tell me the difference.

“Snow Angel” by Over the Rhine says a sad goodbye to childhood. Irish folk gets away with that.

Alt-folk Clare Means makes “Snow Angels” mean growing up and expressing yourself.

SpiRos Ontic mix punk and rockabilly for their “Snow Angels.” Hope mom doesn’t find out.

Sharon Smith calms us again with whispery joy bordering on Celtic fairie. “Angels in the Snow” feels like a smooth sleigh ride through gorgeosity. Childlike fun yet sophisticated.

 

Snow Way: falling

It  keeps keeping on! It’s never going to stop!

Educational songs for the kiddies! Guriezo sings “Snow is Falling Down” in broken English so we can learn how not to say it!

“Snow is Falling Down” gets sung by many elementary schools. Not sure where it comes from. It’s not Plank Road. But it will teach them to bang on those tambourines in any way they want to.

Vincent Micciche puts the cliches to work with “Snow is Falling.” Light elevator rock tells us about love, peace, children, Christmas, and… oh i guess other happy tidings too.

Piedmont Songbag chants out the problems we’ll have, and the precautions we’ll need with “Roger, It’s Snowing.” I’d take them seriously, i’d.

Darker My Love play “Snow is Falling” with a funky rock joy. The harbinger of Christmas seems like a glad master coming to oppress us in the nicest way possible. Be merry, i mean why not?

Shakin’ Stevens’s big Christmas hit was ‘Merry Christmas Everyone,’ but it gets shared as “Snow is Falling.” ’80s UK rock from the Welsh big dog (check out that sax). (Yeah, the VEVO is super creepy.)

Buster Inc unapologetically goes full throated with “Snow is Falling, Amen!” Christ under a star and you under a blanket of white, it just goes together, friends. To the rafters!

Creepy gospel soft country from Jim Ed Brown & Helen Cornelius in the dull shape of “Fall Softly Snow.” Angels, mangers, Mary–all crammed in there.

They said rain, but Trout Fishing in America gets us back on family values Christmas track with “Snow is Falling.” (And some fatherly jazz support wrapping the presents.) Thanks TFA!

Discordant hammering yodeling nostalgia from Timothy Seth Avett as Darling (?!) with “Snow is Falling.” Prog rock mixed media. Or, as we say around here, you don’t hear that everyday.

Silhouette goes big hair band with “When Snow’s Falling Down.” The prog electronica rock is overwhelming and it loses its way 2.5 minutes in. But this is a concert piece. Sit still and wait for the Big Finish. Boy, is it.

Parodies’ Paradise: 2013 “Fancy”

Our favorite Australian rapper’s debut studio album dropped this hit as the fourth single from it… Iggy Azalea described this as electro-hop song… cowritten and performed with featuring British singer Charli XCX… leaked under the title “Leave It” in December… reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100… both Azalea’s and XCX’s first number-one on that chart… held the spot for seven consecutive weeks… also topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand… reached the top ten in several countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom… named Billboard’s Song of the Summer… the most-streamed song on Spotify and most-watched music video on Vevo for the year… won the Top Rap Song category at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards… nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards… one of the best-selling singles worldwide, with combined sales and track-equivalent streams of 9.1 million units according to IFPI.

K J Julian classes up his “‘Fancy’ Christmas Parody” from the Chapel Student Ministry Talent Show. It’s about who’s more Christmas. Got me beat. I mean present-grubbing, Santa name-dropping, Nativity twerking….

Parodies’ Paradise: 2012 “Royals”

The hit from New Zealand singer Lorde from her debut extended play album was later included on her debut studio album… her debut single… made it atop the record charts of many countries including Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom… in the US, the single spent nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 (making Lorde the first New Zealand solo act to top the Hot 100, as well as the youngest artist to achieve a number-one single since 1987… as of November 2014, the single has sold 10 million copies worldwide… listed as one of the best songs of 2013 by publications including Rolling Stone, Time and Spin… won numerous awards, including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and the APRA Silver Scroll Award… regarded to be an anthem for the “Millennial” generation.

Aubrey Howell gets holy harmony with her cuzzes for “Christmas in the Air.” It’s like a real song with someone else’s music.

Aizey Pinede also belts his heart out with his “‘Royals’ A Lorde Christmas Cover.” He thinks he’s an elf!

The Kalatharas address “Elves” as a mixed bag–i think they’re being a bit racist.

Cassie Becker posts a pretty clever “‘Royals’ Christmas Parody” about an exhaustive Xmas list. Santa, you’ve been served.

Baily Crooms also amps up the talent part of her “‘Royals’ Parody of a Parody” (?) about seasonal shallowness.

BP Productions has a time out of their “White Christmas” musical production to slap together this parody about performing their show. Whining, but they’ve worked hard to earn the right.

Lindsey Cardinale & Heather Lannan play it like Garfunkle and Oates with their poorly recorded “Spoiled.” Hee, hee, hee.

Lori Mae Hernandez introduces an ‘impersonator’ to share her “‘Royals’ Christmas Version.” Spoiler: she gets Vans.

Nicola d’Alessandro (& friend) belabor not being Santa in their “Lorde ‘Royals’ Unofficial Christmas Edition” from the front room.

Oral B lays Asiansploitation on us with his “Rudolph.” Not your usual reindeer game.

Mod Carousel’s “Rudolph” blows that out of the snowbank. tighter outfits! Chipmunk voices!

Yves Nicollier delivers “The Reindeer Song 2,” which i guess i should list after the others.

assetmarie23 packs her “Christmas Parody of ‘Royals’” with holiday spirit tinged with God’s word. Holy message.

Erin Oechsel, however, rebels against too much early joy in “Carols.” Angry!

Nubile Cassidy Quinn plays “Santa” for the fun it.

Parodies’ Paradise: 2011 “Sexy and I Know It”

LMFAO’s second studio album, Sorry for Party Rocking provided their third single… went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100… remained there for two weeks… second number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, making them the first duo to have two successive number-one singles since Outkast… also reached number one in Australia, Canada and New Zealand… charted within the top ten in nearly every country in which it charted.

Key of Awesome don’t downplay the allure of Kris Kringle when they get him to admit “Santa and I Know It.”

Parodies’ Paradise: 2011 “Party Rock Anthem”

Hip house sensation LMFAO’s big hit featured British singer Lauren Bennett and American music producer GoonRock… first single from their second album… went to number one in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States… also reached the top five in Finland, Italy, Norway, Poland and Sweden… and of course the best-selling single of all time in Australia… worldwide, it was the third best-selling digital single of 2011 with sales of 9.7 million copies… and the third best-selling digital song in US history… over 1.4 billion views on the Youtube.

Serious Youtuber Brian Havig goes the distance with his “Jingle Bell Rock Anthem.” Santa Claus is in the house tonight! And he’s here to show you, despite the cool reception at times, electronic hip hop will make any party a good time.