Category: rock

Domain and Rangifer: rest in oven

Whaddya do with a dead reindeer? (Many of our blogged songs have covered this territory afore, we’ll focus on some new juicy cuts.)

Other reindeer don’t seem to take it well when Santa snacks on “Rundown Reindeer.” Mark Cummings infuses his band number with some fiery honky tonk piano.

Justifiable hoof-icide from Arthur Kill and The Pollutants, “All of Santa’s Reindeer” is a jolly pop punk salute to disappointment. It didn’t solve the problem, just made them feel angry.

Well, let’s eat (more sugar!)–

Chuck Picklesimer returns as is right with “Reindeer for Breakfast on Christmas.” Traveling weird country music.

Gregorian chanting from The Withers wonders “Flank, Hock, or Hoof“? Pass the salt.

Back Pocket take some roadside Blitzen for their roast beast feast in “Reindeer & Gravy.” They were driven to it! Boisterous folk rock fun.

Domain and Rangifer: getting better

The power of Christmas compels you… to quit your naughty ways! In defense of the bad some reindeer do:

“Lesser Known Reindeer” rocks the metal out of some of the accomplishments of our grateful eight, but there’s some trouble according to Revenge of the Egg People. Be wary.

More familiarly, Michael Stipe carols out the ‘Olive the Reindeer’ rocker “We’re Not So Bad.” What say ye, jury?

Domain and Rangifer: heroes on the hoof

How much do we love Santa’s reindeer?!

Jonathan Groff as Sven from ‘Frozen’ has his musical moment in the ‘duet’ “Reindeers are Better Than People.” Folk musing.

Erica Fleischmanns kid assembly song “Reindeer on the Roof” associates the beastly herd with glorious treasure. Hooray! Clatter!

Leelu gets ’60s folk hand-holdy with the anticipatory “I’ve Got Reindeer on My Roof.” We’ve been waiting so long!

Just as kum ba yah, those Hawaiian melody mavens The Brothers Cazimero make magic of “8 Tiny Reindeer.” Despite the brand name dropping, this is imagination-pricking.

Kid song gone too far is The Yule Logs letting their freak flag fly as each in turns sings “I Walked with a Reindeer” Last Night over and over again. Sweet mindless repetitive rock is the true tribute.

Domain and Rangifer: intro

Hang on a sec, or a coupla secs anyway–we all on the same page when it comes to reindeer? Y’know, Rangifer tarandus? Sure you’ve got the cartoons in your head, or you’ve seen the European pants-wetting children’s petting zoo antics… but ARE they caribou? DO both males and females have antlers? WOULD they eat children? Time for some fundamentals.

Sam Jones takes us on a journey of folk rock mythos (it’s not just what you see; it’s what you believe) covering the pretty little lies in “Tell Us Tales About a Reindeer.” Enchanting.

Animal Facts (Nick Naylor) has a splendid myth-busting pop rock recitation humbly entitled “Reindeer.” Tell me you knew all this already; didn’t think so! (Now you do.)

The Rude Off: immodest

A 1939 Montgomery Wards holiday booklet retold the ugly duckling story one more time, with a weird-o ousted hoofer having the one mutation to save the day. Whether handicapped, non-white, non-binary children took ‘Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ to heart way back then–the songs and shows co-opted this outlier concept so all mainstreamers can see themselves as special. Hooray.

If you began listening to every cover of the Johnny Marks song (over 420 on Secondhandsongs.com–so i figure over a thousand, easy) you might be done by Christmas. So, don’t do that. And IDONOTCARE if it was sung better by Burl or Gene or Ella or Dean….

However, some songs reference Rudy in novel ways–including several we’ve sampled on the blog before.

One of my favorite parodies is Jars of Clay’s Nirvana’s “Smells Like Rudolph.” Swell smell!

Also prized parody, “Here Comes Rudolph” is The ’60s Invasion’s Rolling Stones’ take on the 1967 stop-motion special.

NOT a parody of The Crystals nor Chuck Berry, “Da Doo Run Run Rudolph” is a gentle folk rock froth from The Not Fur Longs. Love song stickiness. (Title’s just a hook, no actual Rudolph here, for those who care.)

Name Four, too

Yes, the middle reindeer inspire us beyond Vixenation.

“Vixen” as rapped by KentheMan is nasty as it gets BLUE ALERT. This might just be a sex worker.

So, let’s get/to real music with a real rocking number from The Droogettes. “Vixen” is grrl rock recalling the ’80s vinyl-dressed post-punk insouciance. Eyes closed for a small BLUE ALERT.