“Wish List” by Big Burd (feat. Anastasia Pshokina) is a straight out rap love song without the putdowns and crudities. Romcom fun, where he gets up as early as kid-possible (4:30) to find that particular cute girl under the tree. Swings like R+B.
Christmas Countdown: 489
A masterful mix, “ReDoin” conjures the H.H. Gregg company’s mad sales tactics into a hypnotic electronic rhythm. JerryTerry may not have come to bury the Chpter 11 (now online) tech store, but to praise it–the beat is so good. BTdubs, the 489 is the highest priced item, the LG 42-inch HDTV. At these prices why buy the warranty–you can buy another in two years!
Christmas Countdown: 500$
Perhaps in a drug trip, Merry Christmas wails Don’t hold onto me, I am an aeronaut Merry Christmas Emily Flying Battle Lulls 500! “For the Lulls” is a folk storm of a mess and i love it.
Even more hallucinatory, “It Feels Like the Christmas 500” is experimental DJ mixing from tomoe. Was that a Muppets song?
Emil Beckford is wondering how I’m gonna find 500 bucks to pay for you a surprise in his R+B charmer “Focus on the Love (It’s Christmas).” So he won’t have to, or get socks from you, he’s going to retread the reason for the season and make it about the feels. Kisses not lists. You good?
Christmas Countdown: 5:00
Double Vision, Ryan Rane, Noah Strykes is hurting in the long D bicoastal thing “Through a Screen.” Plonky altpop measures the 3000 miles and the 500 hours (21 days?) the season will separate them. Not even Skype will make it a real Christmas. A sighing song.
Jack Bennett does one of those tongue trippin’ rap races over “Christmas Morning“–which is odd at his oldness. ‘Course he Remember waking up, 5:00 in the morning, we were little kids… but this is later. Still spry for a fly guy. Antic and fun if you try to keep up with the pop references.
Christmas Countdown: 5:02
The Ramones suffer burnout in “Danny Says,” the slightest and lightest of punk doldrums. Sound check’s at 5:02, but–in L.A.–It ain’t Christmas if there ain’t no snow. (Tom Waits creates much more pathos for the endless road:)
Christmas Countdown: 5:30+
Lori Triplett is blue in “Coming Home Alone.” Around Christmas time Saturday morning, little half past 5:00, she doesn’t feel like packing up and seeing the family. Why? In misty folk-country vocals she hints at having promised to come home WITH someone. But since the accompaniment ain’t in the cards…. Pretty–and pretty sad.
Christmas Countdown: 538
Tara Oram works out her Daddy issues with a rockin’ country tune about how she was becalmed on the eve of a big storm with her pop’s telescope and a makeshift astronomy lesson. They counted “538 Stars” and discussed the one who led the three kings. It ain’t in the Bible, it ain’t worth looking at.
Christmas Countdown: 555
“No Xmas for John Quays” is a free verse punk ramble about how there is no proper holiday celebration for junkies. The 555 is a reference to buying cigs (A packet of three-five fives) at the tobacconist’s, perhaps the most fun a heroin addict can have out and about. Ask The Fall.
Christmas Countdown: 600
Fralphie Jenkins growls into the monotonous altrock of driving “December 24th (600 Miles to Go)” making the journey to the folks a Sisyphean hell of never-ending mileage. Epic angst, kids. Might be dead. Damn. Don’t try this at home. [An alternate verzh of this, “Ice on the Floor (Christmas Eve),” takes a long long Dark Side of the Moon intro, after which reality melds travel with arrival, hazard with cozy–so much so that the end of the song is the beginning. Aahhh!]
Christmas Countdown: 602… BLUE ALERT
“Tradition” is a lame title for a missed holiday connection(Flight 602 from Laguardia To Phoenix Arizona)broken heart, but the soul of Campanella pitches beautiful woe over the long distance… then, wait for the happy ending surprise!
May have missed a gem… Martin Tielli has some crazy experimental notions on music. “Sergeant Kraulis” (I am 60238 in the narcotics division) is about a wild Wednesday around Christmas in the ‘life’ of a policeman who is psychedelically tainted, taunted, and smoked. I’d tell you more but i listened to this twice now and i have to go lie down.