Category: pop music

What delivers music? Singers deliver music! Noticing choirs is only natural when sensing the seasonal sensations.

The Oak Ridge Boys call and response with their country hokum in “Christmas is Painting the Town.” Everybody gather round and sing: la la la la.

Just the kids by themselves can still recognize that for the “Miracle Child” that angels AND other choirs were singing. That’s what you do when you’re The Starshine Singers.

Yes, kid songs can be just as unoriginal. Sing-a-Saurus cultivates “Magical Christmas” from stockings, cookies, choirs, etc with all the magic of a corporate bottom line.

“Christmas Time” as moaned about by Sharon Coutanche has singing and ringing and all the -ings. Redundant children’s pop.

Paul Anka knew, even back in 1960, that when bells were ringing, choirs were singing when “It’s Christmas Everywhere.” Symphonic pop. That’s a lot of strings!

In so many words, I’m Dan He’s Dave call out the “Symbols of Christmas.” It’s a laundry list, but the folk strumming is careless and the figurative language is acknowledged, so la de dah.

Ronnie Mislay, just as pointedly, points out that choirs are singing when “It’s Christmas.” Country pop, or at least the worst of both.

More mealy mouthed country from Aurosa, “Merry Christmas, hear the choir sing” sings what it says. Twangy times.

“I Remember” sings Barbra Streisand when she would watch choirs singing carols on TV. That was last year, right? Her usual easy listening diva-fest.

Also crooning the obvious, Ray Charles notes choirs singing “This Time of the Year.” It’s like you don’t even have to see them. Slow soul.

Rocking folk Jay Kaje proclaims Choirs burst ye forth in song when “It’s Our Christmas Time.” Slightly better standardization.

Yeah yeah yeah: ringing, singing, Doris Day…. 1950’s “Christmas Story” has all the old timey pop bells and whistlers. Take a picture, it won’t last as long.

More bells and choirs when Jordin Sparks belts out cool R+B explaining “Christmas Time to Me.” Okay, checks out on my list as well.

Kicking back, We Love Christmas watches “Evergreen” and listens to choirs like there’s not a pop song care in the world. Relaxing.

Frankie Avalon croons about this “Christmas Holiday,” but seems appreciative of all the trimmings, as with the choir boys singing. 1962 easy listening pop.

Swinging the basics, “Best Time of the Year” sends Sonic Tree Music (feat. Gary DeMichele) to the stratosphere of cozy fires and Christmas choirs. They make with a mouthful of hi-fi, daddio.

Christmas Choirs are singing/Christian songs;/Heathens are drinking/Promise poeticizes the Magic Epic in “The Christmas Express.” Haunting birthday indie.

Leaning into the cliche, Marshal Keep tells us what “Christmas Is“–and he oughta know, he’s a Christmas kind of guy. Fire and choir rhyme for the endless listing in this ironic pop. Funny.

Ramskyte a cappellas “The Christmas Band,” a rowdy Gregorian pop anthem that would make a lovely TV sitcom theme for something 1969.

The Annual Christmas Album Band takes its sweet time getting to the music of “Thank God for the Christmas Band.” But the bluegrass makes it worthwhile.

Bing Crosby fronts The Andrew Sisters celebrating the toys’ party for “Poppa Santa Claus.” Oh, what a fete, the toyland band played! Symphonic jump blues.

It’s Lizzy Hilliard who will play in the band, provided she’s answered “Is It Almost Christmas?” Soaring indie.

Jack White seems to promise a band, but only when “Christmas Time will Soon be Over.” Hillbilly folk, like bluegrass.

Handy, ‘cuz Lord Brooklyn is looking for “Bandz For Christmas.” BLUE ALERT rap with needs.

The “Christmas Freak,” Nisha Baksh, spends her time listening to the Christmas band. Rushed pop.

More oblivious, Balloon Planet is so in love that “Greatest Gift of All” might be accompanied by a Christmas band, or not. He only has ears for you. Jazz pop.

The Christmas band is only one curiosity during The Swing Pearl’s “Christmas Stroll.” Offputting big band cacophony.

Same with Ben Coleman “On Christmas Day.” Britpop synthiness.

“The Christmas Band” from Like There’s No Tomorrow seems to be all reindeer. Slow rock. They don’t really fly.

Perhaps an introduction is needed. When The Snow Angels present their “Xmas Is Here” they end their ditty with the declaration: Don’t you understand we’re your Christmas Band. Their odd rock/pop style might just be noise.

Yes, the gramophone is about the oldest technology we have for spinning music, Xmas or otherwise.

Must needs return to “Turntable Under My Tree” from The Mangles, a hepped up swinger of a rock number. That slaps.

“Christmas in L.A.” is raspy rap from Myka 9, Aceyalone, Medusa The Gangsta Goddess, 2Mex, Ozomatli, DJ Mona Lisa & Mixmaster Wolf about the highs and lows of childhood. (Yes, yes yaw’ll! I got my first turntable!!)

Then there was that one Christmas… you know… when you threw my turntable “Against My Wall” and broke it. Lukie Sherman remembers. Indie.

Santa seems to be moonlighting. He’s scratchin’ on the turntable, makin’ it spin, so goes the AI of Dennis Johnson. “Santa’s Got the Beat” is slop pop about the DJ Master Presents.

The big breakthrough in aerobicizing anonymously, this cassette tape player (originally) helped close off the world.

This was big on the wishlists of old, as testified to in “Erryday Xmas” by CrossAmillion. Musicbox rap.

For your information, from those who “Grew up in the 90’s” the Walkman was redesigned to feed off CDs. Too Many T’s raps to R+B to edify youse like. Just the goodies, Xmas implied.

“Christmas ’85” might be the height of the cassette craze, so Austin Martinez pops the music of brandnames and fads, including our handheld device.

It’s a protective reflex, but largely under our control. Hawk tui.

“Christmas (In the Year of Austerity)” is not healthy. Leeroy Stagger takes the maudlin unplugged folk rock Prine approach, barely lingering on Santa’s tubercular sound.

“Glasses for Christmas” according to The Stetsons Electric are just right for the times. Santa allows for this ask, as the asker had a Covid cough for half of last year. But it was a near thing. Hard rocking.

And then there’s COVID-19. Phill Black R+Bs the plea: Don’t Give Me “COVID for Christmas.” I think I just heard a cough! Okay who just sneezed!

“Covid Carols! (Christmas Parody Medley)” by Jake Novak includes ‘Here Coughs Santa Clause.’ So let’s go.

The Oldhouse is having the worst time. “Christmas Lights (Year After Year)” is an endless decay of fun, like that time you choked on a snowflake and coughed up a lung. Delightful pop dirge.

Sudden inhalation!!

The Creatures bang the the post punk beat solidly for “Red Wrapping Paper.” This seasonal beat poetry is punctuated with a burst, flash, gasp, and more.

Emery Ball deconstructs what it means to say “MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY (JESUS).” Indie jazz depicts even that infant’s first gasp of life. Effective.

Christmas is dead, 3EyedCrow crows in the AI “Sleigh Wrecked (No More Merry).” Your final gasp is measured. No quarter is given in this iconoclastic inferno of pop metal.

Lips closed, nose open… make like a kazoo and reverberate in your vocal apparatus.

In “He Forgot That It was Sunday” John Prine does his priney-thing with still-scapes of ordinary people. Here the children are humming Christmas carols. The alt that folk forgot.

In the AI of Dakimo Music country sad, their “Homeless Christmas Man” has an unnamed sufferer humming while he walks nowhere.

“Just One Kiss As A Christmas Wish” is Just.Mike.Project. (feat. Mayo Velvo) soft pop ballading about that special woman who misses Grandma, and hums Christmas songs, and misses his kiss. Hokey, okay?

Barnaby Bright also characterizes that lonely female as humming some Christmas hymns missing him in some “Star Crossed Christmas.” Indie pop, but i’m getting the feeling humming isn’t just wistful… it’s a cry for help.

Or, it could be a cry to the spectral plane. “Lonely Lights (This Christmas Night)” from Harmonic Pulse Collective gives us a protagonist who moans, And I’ll hum oh I’ll hum a melody/To keep your spirit here with me. Plaintive AI pop.

Absent-mindedly the honoree of “Cowboy Christmas” hums ‘Away in a Manger’ as sung by Terri Clark (feat. Ricky Skaggs). Pretty dang lonely, though. Real twangy country.

AI from DMHA118 describes the mental condition of humming that earworm of “Not Another Christmas Song (Remastered).” Country whining.

David Ker invites you to hum along with “My Little Jingle,” a not-quite-catchy holiday New Age jazz mashup. Humph.

Disco from Christian Paul, Christian San Pascual alerts us that “Christmas Has Begun.” You can tell because of the sweet harmonies we hum. Happier!

Undone Sons are ambivalent when considering whether or not to “Wreck the Bells.” They might hum Auld Lang Syne, then they do so. Unironic pop.

Finger popping time, daddio. Discounting cookies, sudden cold spells, jeans fasteners, witty comebacks, or photos… the number of songs with percussive phalange jazz is small.

Deana Carter’s “Boogie Woogie Santa” betrays his cool when all at once his fingers started to snap. Dixieland boogie.

K Bibbles does the BLUE ALERT nasty rap for “S.O.M.L. (sit on my lap),” punctuated with Boom-Snap-Claps. Confessions of a mall Santa.

Church party music from Taryn Leia Prescott has “Ridiculous Grace” kicking up heels, hands clapping and fingers snapping. It’s pretty wild. Pop.

Sydney Belle is all about you, dear. “My Christmas Dream” involves mistletoe and dancing. You got my finger snapping, she wants you to know. R+B lounge pop.

Moonman Music is morose over “Late Merry Cursemas.” Is Thanos really cruel for snapping life away? he wants to know, for this holiday where he’s alone, unloved, and cold. Tinkly pop.

Uses are so handy and portable they’ll infect your holiday party before you can furrow your brow. Look out, he’s got one over there!

Jeremy Lister combines poinsettias, wassail, cookie dough, and ukuleles for the ultimate strummer “Holiday Party.” A bit of the ol’ ragtime in that jug band, you ask me.

Owl City has the shopping stress of the holidays and kicks pop down the street of choices (a bike, or like a ukulele?). This indecisiveness sends him over the edge and into a “Humbug” frame of mind. Cute.

Is it racist to cast the Hawaiian Islands’ holidays in the key of uke? “Christmas in Texas, Aloha in my Heart” from Nova Sly (feat. The Flores Sisters, Sky Flores & Waipuilani) is slow country two step with only a tiny dab of S.Pacific. Different.

The Radish Friends revive “Ukulele (Christmas) Anthem” as a folk manifesto, poorly written but serious as fruitcake.

No, we still soundly disapprove of 12s around the blog, but Hawaiianfreak’s “12 Days Of Christmas” not only includes ukes (8), it gets metal on your asses. Wha–?

Well, that opened the door, di’ntit? “A Ukulele in a Pear Tree” by Emma and Charlie’s Radio Podcast combines all our instruments (‘Tubular Bells’ style!), but landing back on that first stringed box each round.

“All I Want for Chanukah Is a Ukulele” pits Alison Faith (feat. Karla Kane)’s light folk against the juggernaut of Chanukah music. And, the uke wins.

Parody break: “Ukulele Xmas” from Joel Kopischke is gentle and merry. Ahhh.

Ukulele Lee raises the bar with the namedropping little girl who–through folk pop–asks Santa for “A Ukulele for Christmas.” Awesome sauce.