I Want to BELIEVE:XXV

Trying again, “I Still Believe in Christmas Trees” is Telstar Ponies getting symbolic with their credulity. Very indie. Ray Ray Garcia takes this title and makes a country reminiscence out of it. There’s dead parents and praying though.

Mikael Englund & Árpád Solti’re just walking around hopeless and like, when suddenly they come across “Street Santa” and everything’s better. As better as ragtime lounge will allow, that is. (They know it’s really him from all the ho ho ho ho ho hos.)

Cardinal enlarges on this subgenre to make “If You Believe in Christmas Trees.” The consequent of this playful prog rock is Dadaist nonsense of the coolest kind.

Is there Something Else to believe in?! David Lazar rocks the funk as if he were Fox Mulder with that Xmas night he got “A Visit.” The truth is out there, in the sky. Cool beans.

BooBoo Bear (from ‘Hanna-Barbera’s Christmas Sing-A-Long’) slings “Hope” to one and all. This time, it’s kidsong for Santa Claus.

The kid in me will always believe, Chatham County Line explains in studly bluegrass through “O! Santa.” It’s a song of hope and glee and presents.

Christmas Workshop Band (feat. Grandpa C) makes a meal out of “Believe Santa.” It’s an echo chamber full of random thoughts pretending to be pop music. I’m shaking here.

Matthew Gumley & Beth Leavel wrap up ‘Elf: The Musical’ with the not-quite showstopping Big Number “There is a Santa Claus.” It keeps building, the tempo continues to increase… and yet… and yet. (Still waiting.)

Mickey Rooney and Ron Marshall polish off 1974’s ‘A Year Without Santa Claus’ with the treacly easy listening “I Believe in Santa Claus.” He’s waiting. [Fans rankinbasstears put an indie edge on this.]

I Want to BELIEVE:XXIV

Trying again, Tweenies begets upon us Brit kidsong (with the occasional shrieking) that swears “I Believe in Christmas.” You may credit them as they keep to the beat.

Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra, is selling is gullibility in “I Believe,” a RatPack symphonic piece that only includes some Christmas believing.

Beckoning from the dark, I Don’t Know Margo hisses in a new hope with “Believe (Big Fill).” It’s mostly Jesus, so the piano jazz steadily morphs into gospel.

Joe Stevenson begins with Santa, but with his rocking folk “Believe,” takes us to a higher plane. What is your new bike to the fate of the human race?

Josh Groban’s “Believe” (theme from ‘The Christmas Express’) is about hearts, and magic, and self fulfillment. Your basic kid stuff.

Little Big Town aw shucks the country for “Believe in Christmas.” It’s a laundry list of all the little stuff. Devil’s in the details, y’know.

The Nines (Steve Eggers) forces the Britpop “Believe in Christmas” on us with the nicest of intentions. We’re back to the good of all mankind.

I Want to BELIEVE:XXIII

Trying again, Shel lounge divas the indie “I Know You’re Real, St. Nicholas.” It’s penetratingly emotional and disturbingly sensual.

Steve Smith artistically folks over “I Believe.” Mostly it’s about you. But it’s moving.

The Moody Blues piddle all over prog rock with “Yes I Believe,” a reverential peek at Jesus’s legacy. Guys, prog rock is for elves and stuff.

Vocally vibrant, George ‘Georgios’ Mavridis plies us with “Just Believe (in Christmas).” But he’s telling us with his primal beat, not asking us. Tres tremolo.

Sarth Calhoun gets thumpy, but it’s not bible-thumping… it’s washboard thumping! “I Just Believe in Christmas” is a roustabout of personal conviction. Hold onto yer socks.

BlitZ’s “I Believe in Christmas” flat out rocks. No whingeing, no conditions, no adulation. Manifesto music.

I Want to BELIEVE:XXII

Kenny Loggins’s “December” is virtuosoistic piano playing into NewAge sentiment. Pretty, but it’s only vaguely connected to mythologies.

Hoping to Elvis the sentiment, Manos the Wild sneers through the reverential retro-pop”I Believe in Christmas.” He’s fighting the non-believers, and i believe, he knows karate.

Romany pop from Endiamonds brings “Make Believe” into focus. They’ll explain what you’ll need.

Bringing back that banging folk of a thousand years yon “I Believe in Christmas” by LUX the band highlights the upper reaches of faith.

The LoveMonkeys with JD Rankin believe in so many things with the holiday season spurring them to pop music (and a Carrib accent?) in “I Believe in Christmas.” Danceable.

“I Still Believe In Christmas” by Freddie Guarella is more than decent folk indie that actually believes in YOU. Uplifting.

Corvair tries for NewAge with echoic filter and tubular bells in the moody “I Believe in Christmas.” It IS hypnotic.

I Want to BELIEVE:XXI

Groovy Uncle schools us in retro pop via “(I Do Believe) It’s Christmas Eve.” Is that sitar?

Ian Coss plays tennis with his vocals in “The Believer.” Old timey ragtime pop that reevaluates the belief levels Xmas morn.

Fleshtones club rock “I Still Believe in Christmas” with bounce and body and everything else that makes a hair do. It’s proselytizing!

Mary Smith (feat. Tyler Schaefer) reduce folk to easy listening in the platitudinous “A Christmas to Believe In.” Cliches falling like gentle snow.

Marc Broussard hammers out piano easy listening in “When Christmas Comes Along.” It makes him believe again. You know, in magic.

Yvonne Lyon adds an edge to her indie folk “I Believe in Christmas.” A tale of hesitant celebration is told.

I Want to Believe:XX

Trying again, Kelly Nolf & Wyndi Harp look from a Santa doll to a Nativity scene and realize “I Believe Again.” Clip clopping country with perspective.

Pistol Annies will do it for love. “Believing” is a seasonal folk country anthem. Toys, reindeer, and snow rate on their preferences. Disillusioning baby brothers, however, is a turn off.

Ellie Laver brings back 18th Century hymning in the form of diva pop. “Rejoice All Ye Believers” translates well into today’s music morass.

From the musical comedy ‘Welcome to Virginia’ “Anything Can Happen” is the palate cleanser belief provoker that makes you shift uncomfortably in your folding chair and go Hmm.

Dolly Parton is here to stir you back onto the right path with her country-gospel “I Still Believe.” She spends most of the song giving you reasons to give up, but brings it back around in the end.

Razzamatazz Productions wind up the Whirlitzer for a special grandparents’ show featuring “I Still Believe in Santa.” A show tune from Vaudeville times!

Ron Lehner uses angels to ask “Do You Believe in Him?” Resonant folk that makes you look up.

I Want to BELIEVE:XIX

Time to kneel to the knell of church bells! Do you hope to believe? Do you believe to hope?

Trying again, Matthew West’s “The Hope of Christmas” is reverent folk for the big guy born as a little guy on this day.

“Blessed Hope” delivered by The Glenn Mohr Chorale is the feel God of the season.

“Season of Hope” allows Andina and Rich to strew secular tidings about the miracle of Gospel.

Barry Johnson gets all unplugged and thoughtful with his folk related pop “I Believe in Christmas.” But it’s only about that one guy.

Sounds of Blackness swirl a multitude into “Why Don’t You Believe in Me?” He really wants to know. And He might be God. I can’t really tell.

Alexa Green & Graham Scott Fleming apply symphonic piano to the gospel-freindly “The Moment You Believe.” There’s gonna be angels!

The Ohio city Singers use “Love and Hope” to decorate their holiday home with Boogaloo bebopping.

I Want to BELIEVE:XVIII

“Is Santa Real??….” is BLUE ALERT practice time from ƒucĸvɪlle & Lil Dookie. This supposed comedy is masturbatory garage experimentalism. Erm.

HorrorScene rehaunts our blog with the echoic indie “Believing in Santa.” It’ll keep you up nights.

Aspiga will do anything–out of a broken heart–and “I’ll Make You Believe” apparently in love. But comparing your heart to the North Pole connects us to the holidays. Reverb indie.

Insistently Make Like Monkeys figures The Jig is Up when they retro pop as cool as Big Daddio when they attack in the mall. “Mr. Santa Claus, I Know Who You Are” results in an humbling melee, but belief is maintained. Groovy.

Jaime Adler, Ilan Galkoff, & Harriet Turnbull also wrestle with misidentification (wrong as wrong gifts!), but apply reconciliatory pop with “Santa, You’re Still My Friend.” Despite snitching, this letter ends in a kick line. Weee!

Will you still “Believe in Me” Cassie McMullin chants to a toy piano. This oddly underdeveloped indie shares vulnerability, but inspires little hope. The season’ll do that to a body.

I Want to BELIEVE:XVII

Trying again, David Phelps returns us to 1983 for the hypothetical country rocker “If Everyone Believed.” More than Santa seems to be at stake here.

Looking over the evidence of Santa’s visit should be a “Beautiful Morning.” But Darkcave’s soothing indie take on this seems like the aftermath of a tragedy. Kids are going to need therapy here.

Blasphemous Basement (feat. Sinnysounds and Babbling Blubber) hit us with an experimental mixed media “Santa is Real” full of opinion and criticism. The debate is hotly contested.

“Santa Claus is a Real Guy” by Dnice and the Experiments tends to dink around but that’s all well in good in the Believe Santa campaign. Swallowed pop.

Comic relief from Eva Via repurposes the concept. “Make ’em All Believe” is about convincing the family that I Do Have a Boyfriend. This Guy I Brought. See? Poor recording of a pop hit.

Occam’s razor tells us when it smells like a rooftop landing “It Must Have Been Ol’ Santa Claus,” here revisited by Keli Vale. Changes a non-believer into a suspicious investigator. Ragtime fun.

I Want to BELIEVE:XVI

Trying again, The Hooves caution against proving Santa with peeking; instead go with it and BELIEVE you had a “Hoof on the Roof.” Good ol’ Rock’n’Roll.

Others need something more tactile. Loop Line claims “We Know Santa’s Real” bc they rode in the sleigh. To the North Pole. And to the mall. Okay, they just KNOW. Swing and sway pop.

Ben Rendall takes some R+B pop moves to prove “Santa is Real.” Don’t care how you feel…. (The Chipmunk Version surprisingly undermines the whole process.)

Bug-eyed Jerry Colonna returns with proof of Santa. It’s “Sleigh Bells In The Sky,” a 1953 jazz band wack-as-doody of silliness. That’s Paul Sells leading the orchestra, not Spike Jones. Not that i can tell.

“If There is a Santa,” begins Nooshi… then itemize all the good you’d see in the world as a result. Like in Quantum Mechanics and stuff. Electronic indie leaning into kidsong.