Year-round Yuletide oddities
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.
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.
How long they don’t forget… since the Jay-by.
“It’s Christmas Eve” claims two thousand years–so long ago… Easy listening piano bar from Angela Mahon. Never did so little message sound so well sung.
Two thousand years ago three wise men left their home, begins Reba McIntire with her iconic sass in “This Christmas.” More loungey than country.
Upper beat prog rock from Joy Williams, “2000 Decembers Ago” dreamscapes the query: did anyone notice back then what was happening to the whole (not quite yet Christian fragment) of the world?
Giovanni McGlone raps the way to find salvation: Yo! 2000 Years ago, He came and paid my tolls, from “To Be Jolly.” It counts!
Even though it’s been 2000 years, “It’s Christmas” country-splains Jimmy Wooten. Here comes the holy holy holy chorus! No fear!
The hope that has slumbered for 2000 years, sing the Muppets with John Denver about “The Peace Carol.” Gentle country, but was the world waiting for that long until JC was birthed?? Who’s been doing this slumbering recently? Confusion.
Avidly mystical, Over the Rhine wants a “White Horse” for Christmas–to ride over the town, in the sky, to Bethlehem 2000 years ago. A lullaby of new age/pop descent.
Santa, on the other hand, spent 2000 years on the North Pole… according to Jeremy Lister. (Always thought those two were the same guy.) It’s been so long, however, that “Santa’s Lost His Mojo.” Happens when you’re old. Jiggedy blues pop.
And now, a word from your Censors: BLUE ALERT. “BO$$ HOG Malt Liquor” from the Boss Hog Barbarians gets nasty rapping from the get go. Be on the look out for misogyny, violence, inebriation, and home boy profanity. Whew.
Two to the oh to the oh to the six white raps Xmas Wrap in their diary entry “Xmas Wrap 2006 (We Love Christmastime).” Quite the journey.
Bourgeois pain looks more like “Picture Frames” from Ian Lah, a memory lane stroll through snaps on the wall, including a holiday frozen moment. Piano bar folk.
Dallon Weekes pops out a tidy heartbreak-hopeful tune with “Christmas Drag (2006).” With all its last year – next year references, i’m gonna lock it into this one year. Not too exciting, and for a lovelorn song that’s something.
“Nothing Like Home (The Color Book Collection)” begins the happy couple with that first date Christmas of 2008. Country from Amber Nicole Sutton with scrapbooking mushiness that seems overly personal.
“Everyone Cries at Christmas (2008)” is some bizarro fantasy dystopian menagerie from Patrick Canning. Off key pop/psychedila. Who hurt you, man?
Tambourining over the croony pop music, Vocal Few poeticize that horrible winter where you couldn’t drive–but they did take the bus to that show–whoa, remember? “Ice Storm 2008 (Merry Christmas)” is that personal story of few details that raises an eyebrow is recognition, maybe a tear of nostalgia too. Bravo.
2012 was notable for yet another doomsday scenario. The Mayans apparently ran out of calendaring for whatever came after 12/21/2012. So getting to Christmas was not in the cards. Or was it…?
Not mentioning the year, “Mayan Christmas 2012” is a hoot of an excuse for why I got you nothing for Christmas. Cowbell pop from King Everything.
New Justice Team also expect you to know the year with their lounge-tastic “Mayan Doomsday Christmas.” A little premature, but waddya expect from The Something Awful guys?
Bill Burns chants a charming “(Have a) Merry Mayan Doomsday” carol for the attention deprived. Tom tom along!
Jeff Govednik leans on ‘Blue Christmas’ for his “Mayan Christmas.” This club recording has a bit more research/personality than the others. Paints a picture, including regretful dark corners.
Polly Wolf gets in and out with their sweet pop “Apocalypse Not Now.” Were the Mayans lyin’?
Karl Miehl gets amusing with his pop folk “Christmas 2012 (The Mayans were Wrong)” and gets me right in the funny bone. The talent’s in the lyrics, boys and girls.
When you’ve suffered a loss around Christmas, that becomes a focal point of the holiday. “#Remembering” from Son Scotty raps that loss while clinging to Grammy ambition.
To turn it around, The Holderness Family is back with “#JammieTime,” family home movies that make them seem better than us–with R.E.M. music to back them up.
“Christma$ Twenty Fourteen” may not speak the date, but honors the time with a pop/rap mashup torn from interior sentimentality. Jay Stansfield is xylophones of fun.
“2016 Hurray Hurray for Christmas” is so happy the election is over (goodbye to Trump and Hillary!). But that was short sided, not a good look for folk. Mostly about Greg Helmer’s friends and family, not the world at large.
A parody from BSam “Don’t Worry, Be Jolly” also mentions how shocking this year is–
So, back to The Holderness Family with a “Merry Christmas 2016” music rap: all the positive news of the year including the Cavs, Gilmore Girls, ‘Hamilton,’ the mannequin challenge, and a new puppy. The big deal is IT’s ALL IN ONE TAKE. Infectious.
Now for historical documents: songs that salute the year they hail from. Hindsight? Not much! Anger? Oh, yeah.
Malinda does her annual Xmas card with “An Honest 2020 Christmas.” Her angel/devil debate over how sucky the year was includes murder hornets, John Krasinski, TikTok, and global death totals. Much witty parodising of carols.
A different approach comes from The Holderness Family, whose “Christmas Jammies 2020” (a tradition beginning in 2013) celebrates drive throughs, less pollution, UFO acknowledgments, ‘Parasite,’ and the Christmas Star (juxtaposition of Saturn and Jupiter). Rap (The Killers) parody upness.
“2020: A Virtual Christmastime” by Sam Gecko (feat. Kristen Leah) is a lively pop tune about Covid and masking and isolating and whatnot. Party! I said, Party! I can’t hear you! No, you’re on mute.
Actual parody–now about Hanukkah!–The Waitresses don’t quite take a back seat for Haim’s “Christmas Wrapping 2020 (all I want for christmas is a vaccine).” The election, cutting one’s own hair, emotional meltdowns… oy vey.
Buck Æ Down appropriately downers the year with superlatives. Fine folk is “2020 Christmas” with its class warfare, police brutality, racism, and economic failure. And Alex Trebek?!
Upbeating, The Sons of Pitches (feat. Dan Bull) a cappella “Best Christmas” about hand washing and vaccines and whistling!
Desperate for positivism, Nathan Ro goes lounge easy listening for his “2020 Christmas.” Great masking joke.
Dominique’s “2020 Christmas” is ethereal pop about over drinking and all the reasons to do so (12?).
At this point, the year Twenty Twenty-five is the future, so the spirit of Xmas then, as per Holiday Roger’s faboo “Christmas Spirits,” tells us Cookies are made of lasers, Christmas lasts forever, Santa is president, and Better reindeer are invented. Let’s go! Electronic comedy pop.