A Near Thing -26

What are waiting for? CHRISTMAS! Who are we waiting for? SANTA! Santa? Did you see him? Get outta the way–it’s Santa, goddammit!

Let’s start with the antique country pop of 1971 (it’s not country… it’s not pop… it’s lounge Americana) “A Whistle and a Whisker Away.” Lynn Anderson accomplishes a recording about patient children with little memorability, and no feeling.

Florence K gets unhooked jazzy (just this side of jump blues) with “Santa’s Almost Here.” Despite the energetic musicality, this is by-the-numbers sentimentality.

Originality boosts (barely) the James Leo Oliver easy-listening song “Ready or Not,” herein retooled to be sung by Santa getting set and going for Christmas. (Points, too, for the sneaky Santa-Nativity crossover.)

Jerry T Band gets dadrockin’ with “Santa Will Appear,” a bombastic pop-rock attempt at kidsong where this much enthusiasm becomes a little scary.

Marc Amendola adds metal to your stocking with the “I Almost Met Santa Claus” song. It’s jolly and regretful as only gonzo punk can capture.

Spin me some fat daddi-o wax from the ‘Fifties and i’m yours! Huey ‘Piano’ Smith and His Clowns wail some N’awlins soul on “Almost Time for Santa.” Warms me to the core.

Tree Lights

Blog here has covered trees and their decorations extensively, but let’s see what we still like while plugging away at Xmas lights songs.

Elevation Music pits Jesus-loving falsetto with kids’ music sentimentality in “I Love the Lights on the Christmas Tree.” Hate to tell ya, but i’m getting a synesthesia-headache…. (Even when Alan Price solos it.)

Continuing with our spiritual tree decorating, Jane Sieberry runs a chorale fantasy around and around with “Are You Burning, Little Candle?” It’s a hymn for her.

Beleaf (feat. Frank Puppet) raps the joy into the reveal with “Light It Up (Christmas).” Quite a house warmer.

Several oldsters make solemn with “Let’s Light the Christmas Tree.” Let’s keep it to a barely resurrected 1948 crooner from Jack Brown & The Three Jills. It’s about missing those far away (serving in WWII).

Bearkat takes a lively big band sound and amps it up with millennial pop in “Hang the Lights on the Tree.” I’m dancing now.

Blinded marches out their industrial punk march “Candycanes and Christmas Lights” to catch your joy off off guard. Yet this DIY decoration course may add a new touch to your annual routine.

Trouble with Lights

Because we all love the Bob River’s song about one of the pains of Christmas being those gee-dee lights, we’ll pass on that one. Who else hates the snarling, tangled, uncooperative beasties?

We’ve heard some of these before. Oh well.

Getting them out was the problem for Watkins & The Rapiers with their Argentinely syncopated “Christmas Lights Untango.” Tee hee.

Checking them was the problem for Brian Kinder with his oompah kidsong “Blinking Lights.” See, for a Midwesterner, the term blinking is like swearing. Har de ha.

For a neighborly commentary, Z100 concocted that wacky rude pop blues number “Your Christmas Lights Look Like Crap.” This is olden comedy, so offensive was the new black.

Ian Sands has something I recently discovered (beware: talented amateur). “I Hate Christmas Lights” is a punk metal dad band pop number that ranges over random cultural references to make its (with hard to understand vocals). Still, tip of the hat to South Brunswick High School art teacher Ian Sands.

No Thank You

What about those spoil sports who just don’t want anything for Christmas? Don’t let them get away with that! But, listen a spell.

Pissing and moaning, Matt Stratton tickles the strings for a country sounding set of blues in “Empty Christmas.” Sucks to be… hell, everything just sucks.

Eric and Sari abstain from all the frippery including presents and prefer just to chestnuts and chill. With each other. “This Year I Don’t Want Anything for Christmas” is garage pop fun for grammas everywhere.

Canadian-American emo-boy new wave from The Classic Brown mopes about the pointlessness of a list in “Walmartiana.” Wah, wah, be-shoop de-doo.

Also despairing musically Futureman gives up on asking in the alt-folk “Better Christmas.” (P.S. That’s ironic: nothing will ever be better.) Sigh. La la la.

Let’s just say it: “Nothing for Me.” Jazzy punk from The Muffs cops to the big zero for Christmas. And… you’re all caught up on your shopping then.

Baby It’s Coal: the opera

A ’90s gang of Philly musicians joined warped minds to skewer Christmas music. They took a while to rise above door-to-door cassette sales, but i highly recommend you lay your hands on whatever Hot Buttered Elves released, regardless of roster.

Coal” is their 11 minute opus (apparently in several parts) about the ins and outs of striking black rock for the holidays. At times instrumental (haunted symphonic) at others experimental club (haunting beat poetry). Grab a cup o’ joe and settle back for this one. It’ll take you places you never dreamt. See you on the other side.

Baby It’s Coal: yeah right

Punk music doesn’t mind the smell of its own farts. The subject of coal for Christmas is neither a rant nor a rave, more of a shrug for these torchwood hoodlums.

Nö Class singsongs their punk “Coal for Christmas” as a dance number you can keep time to.

I’m not sure what self respecting punk group goes by the epithet Christmas, but these guys metal out “The Story of the Coal Workers Slavery.” Not the holiday connection we were hoping for, but hell if my head ain’t bobbing in solidarity.

Children’s punk turns the corner for us with Backyard Superheroes’ “Coal in My Stocking.” This ska-powered logic posits that you-give-me-coal, I-now-misbehave. That’ll teach you. Away we pogo!

Born this Day, two

Out of the 1990s Santa Barbara college rock circuit hales Munkafust with their post-punk pissiness. The title “My Birthday’s Near Christmas (And It Sucks!)” is all the lead in you need to feel prepared for this synth-banger.