Year-round Yuletide oddities
The wheel of time turns and crushes those unable to keep up. Mad yet?
[Sidebar: Stanley Adams and Sid Wayne debate the merits of “Chanukah is Here Again.” This Wenceslaus parody mostly leans pissed, though. Oy vey.]
DDC is BLUE ALERT put off by “Christmas Time Again.” Angry, yet melodic, punk.
Patch is seething in “Christmas Time Again.” But parang is so party perpetrating, we’ll drink to that.
Can we begin to fathom the world when Christmas has left us? Poets and troubadours take this challenge.
January Zero can’t find the way back home “After Christmas.” This cacophony of coffeehouse pop waves its metaphors proudly to capture this (lack of) spirit.
Annie Lin is sorry she didn’t pick you up ate the airport in time in “The Day After Christmas,” a bangin’, unplugged rocker of a poetic traipse over mood swings and urban expectations.
Gar Cox goes Celtic folk epic with the drinking and head scratching all over “Too Late for Christmas.” This synesthesia of images and smells and despair needs a Joycean college class to explicate. I like that.
The closer Christmas gets, the further happiness happens. For some, the overshadowing omnipresence is a ruddy reminder of regret. Bummer.
The Twang slow rock a drinking song “On the 24th.” He loves her, he’s trying to forget her, there’s the tavern…. (I need a hug.)
Carla Hartsfield gets metaphorical with skates and wings and dogs but her “Almost Christmas” is despondent impatience waiting for him. Tinkly woman folk. Maybe my y-chromosome excludes my appreciation….
Droesem garage symphonies about the aftermath of domestic conflict. “Almost Christmas Time” sounds bleak as it is. I don’t think he’s going to make it….
Raggs Gustaffe (feat. Panama Scarrett) lays a Carrib dirge of dire proportions with “Christmas Just Around the Corner.” Now it’s scary.
Time travel time! Let’s listen to old times stuff about being close to the day of Christmas.
Reeking of ’60s TV specials, Larry Nestor’s “Christmas Day” claims to be not so far away, but the retro best buy date here was somewhere in the ’90s. Room temp pop.
Old World is the same as old, right? So let’s bask in the sad Irish family chanty “Christmas is Just Around the Corner” jigged by Finbar & Maura Dennehy. God bless you and keep you far away.
While we’re on the international subject, a quieter strummer allows for a more intimate moment. So “Almost Christmas Time” by The Bluegrass Brethren scores higher on the novelty-o-meter here. Still cheesy though.
The Celtic quality of the kidsong “Almost Christmas” here by Elizabeth Hanney brings a haunted, understated happiness to the repetition of joyous well wishing. Simplify thy carols!
Now for another entry in the dictionary. Who else is the star at Christmastime?!
Not much higher praise than you are “My Christmas Star.” Cheesy corrido (with flaming Spanish guitar) sets up Claire Knox’s song about her dead dog Holly. You heard me.
Nu Revelation (feat. T. Conway) funks us a reminder that the King of Kings gets top billing tonight. “Christmas Superstar” lays down a righteous beat.
“Santa Claus *Superstar*” follows the generous downfall of our icon to the rock arena. Daniel Chorr appropriately rocks this ballad. Fear not, little ones. Lessons will be learned.
Similarly Dr. BLT recounts how “Santa Claus Wants to be a Rock Star.” Same story, now with American South sauce.
I try to avoid lyrics i can’t translate, but Gabriela Guncikova, Marta Jandova showstopping the rock with “Santa Superstar” needs notice. Woo hoo!
This is an oopsie entry. Didn’t realize i skipped a day. But there’s always one more song to list for any theme.
Sia diva pops “Sunshine” about how good you’ll feel with my comfort. What?
Even more metaphorically, Hot Hot Heat rock the state of mind in “Christmas Day in the Sun.” I’m guessing it’s SoCal burnout.
More funnily, Joel Kopischke parodies up a storm with “Christmas in the Sun.”
Family friendly rock from Aussie Kids Rock with the geography lesson “Christmas in the Sun.” Thirty degrees, Bruce!
The Stage Crew reggae rocks “Christmas in the Sun” like they’re south of the equator (Jamaica isn’t quite the ticket). It’s all love, though. Check the sing-along fervor.
The clarion call of the church bells summon some of us to the stories of Advent, Nativity, and Epiphany. So gather ’round, true believers–at least when the alarms go off.
W.D. Hay commands “Ring Out the News, Oh Christmas Bells.” That only begins to say it all, in folk cadences. Then the rest of the stories.
Face Vocal Band gets the a cappella ringing with “I Hear the Bells.” These bells call you unto.
Jesus is the King! sings Evie Tornquist to get you home. “Come On Ring those Bells” is for family, for fun, and for God’s sake. Kristen Chenowith puts more sass into it.
The Leonard de Paur Chorus “Ring de Christmas Bells” to quieten you alls down for dis King of Kings info. This is 1956 joyousness, so–authentic calypso? racist patois? i dunno. Swingin’ i’d say.
The hypocrisy of you insufferable, self-involved, unloving bastards celebrating Christ’s day makes us want to question whether we should even bother.
Young Haircut has a Bandcamp posting “Christmas is Cancelled,” an alt blues serving of mumble-grunge which grows to BLUE ALERT social consciousness. Dangerously rebellious ideas may be found herein.
“Christmas Cancelled” is also announced by Macka B with parang blame for you npn-Christians. Do it right or he’s taking his bell and going home.
Did you say Parody? ‘The Christmas Song’ isn’t exactly roasted by A.G. Simpson with a fine Reggae rendition “No Christmas song” (including a record skip) celebrates what you DON’T want out of the holidays.
Sometimes all we notice is what’s NOT there. It’s Christmas. There’s all the trimmin’s. But where the presents should be– well, not those.
Someone took a talented performance from Mr. Peter of a fine looking congregation somewhere and edited the bajeebers out of his “Nothing at All for Christmas” so that it becomes only a list of what you don’t get. No rhyme. No season. Just friendly gospel show tune.
I have no idea how to introduce or credit “Empty Box 4 Christmas.” This ‘Vince Coletta Project’ (wasn’t he a comic book artist?) stumble-raps a sad story about what this howler got (or didn’t) for Christmas.
De Postman jams a slasa carib with “Nothing for Me.” No questions nor angry accusations, only a big fat nada.