HAPPY '16

Thanks for your comments, your visits, your tips and for celebrating the wonderful world of alt christmas songs. Back in November. Until then, from all of us here at CaGG, have a super sweet 16.

Bill Botting

And then it is:

The Blues Are Still Blue Christmas Compilation 2015

For the 11th year in a row The Blues Are Still Blue Presents:
The 2015 Christmas Compilation (download here)

01 Elizabeth Morris - The Season

02 Deep Sea Diver - It's Christmas Time (and I am still alive)

03 Sweet Baboo - Don't Be Alone (This Christmas)

04 Luke Sweeney - Loveless Christmas

05 Dressy Bessy � Kringles

06 Phoenix (with Bill Murray) - Alone on Christmas Day

07 Tele Novella - Christmas Spirit

08 Sunturns - Christmas Bells/Wedding Bells

09 Juniore - De Saison

10 Pentacon Six -Christmas Is Better With You

11 Shy Nature - Christmas Lullaby

12 The Grubby Mits - Come On Home For Christmas

13 The Hard Ground - Keep Me For Christmas Time

14 The Washboard Abs - Christmas in Dearborn

15 The Both (Aimee Mann and Ted Leo) - You're a Gift

16 Adrian Teacher - It Always Rains On Christmas

17 Corey Kilgannon and Jacob Hudson - All Through The Night

18 The Gasoline Brothers - Every Time It's Christmas

19 Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - White Christmas

20 Bill Botting & The Tho Drink Minimums - It's Not Christmas Anymore

21 Courtney Barnett - Boxing Day Blues (Revisited)

Rogue Wave

Interesting lyrics:

Miley Cyrus

When Miley teams up with Flaming Lips, she needs to be on this blog:

Laid for Christmas

Five Dutch artists teamed up for a Christmas EP on the leftfield (or should I say, 'out there') label Geertruida. This track by Douwe Doorduin stands out, but do try the other ones as well

LCD Soundsystem

Yes, a new song. Yes, it's great. And sad.

Santa skate

Sitting outside on a park bench in Amsterdam, taking a break from jumping over tram rail on roller skates in the dark during the annual Santa Skate, I cued up the Christmas YouTube video �Flocons Blancs� by Bl� on my phone to entertain some Dutch skaters.

Bl� is a young and fresh Qu�bec duo whose Christmas song has become a sleeper favourite there if we believe the Internet. And while I was showing it to people who don�t speak French, they said that the video had nice retro colours, another reason to enjoy it.

If you�re fed up with the usual No�l fare, then �Flocons Blancs� is a great song, even if the only words you can sing out loud are �Ferme tes yeux� (�Close your eyes�). �Close your eyes and remember a time when the lights seemed much brighter� sounds like nice retro colours to me as well.

Joyeux No�l et Bonne Ann�e !

Loop Line

They're back, and they're great again:

The song is sung from two perspectives: a group of aliens who believe that Santa Claus and his seemingly unlimited powers pose a threat to their civilization, juxtaposed with a group of Earthlings who try to convince the aliens that Santa is actually a symbol of peace and love. If the Clash were into sci-fi movies and decided to make a holiday song, we'd like to think it might sound like this. Like our past Christmas songs, this track is part of the soundtrack of a Christmas-themed movie that follows the same narrative as this song; a film we sincerely hope to make one day.

Funky Drummer Boy

D'Angelo-ish version of the classic:

Gasoline Brothers

It's here! The new, yearly Christmas hit by Utrecht's finest, The Gasoline Brothers. This blog gets the worldwide exclusive premiere. Think Kinks meets early REM. Great track!

(Right click) The Gasoline Brothers - Everytime it's Christmas

Or via bandcamp

BUMPS FOR XMAS

                 American rapper Fetty Wap comes with a special Xmas track: Merry Xmas

"Anywhere you want, I can take you there, I swear baby

Anything you need, I can get for you, be clear baby

Girl you are my drug, how I fiend for you, beware baby "

According to one of the first reactions , "This shit bumps for a Christmas song"!?

Bling Crosby, the OG

Never doubted that Bing Crosby was an OG actually. Producer Raddiculous now finally proves I was right with his Bling Crosby compilation. All tracks for free. Generous as evah, good old Bling.
Check 'em all on Bandcamp.

Funky Santa

Our festive funky friend Ronny Hammond just gave us this footstompin' treat:

Carly Jamison

You heard the song, but did you see the video?

Femme

From Daisy Digital's It's Coming On Christmas compilation, for Coppafeel

Moon Moon Moon

Utrecht, Holland based onemanproject Moon Moon Moon released his Sufjan Stevens-ish, folksy original Christmas song:


On bandcamp:

Lonely Coyote

Soulful ballad with a Paolo Nutini-like voice, for celebrating Christmas on the bear rug:

Rollins grunts the Carol of the Bells

The Gromble

Add a dash of Daftpunkness to some Californian indie-yachtrock, and this is what you get:

Vyvienne Long

One of the highlights on the A Co-Present Christmas compilation:

Glossy Jesus

This band from Leiden, Holland, made a Christmas song that opens up slowly but surely. Works like a warm blanket. Beautiful.

Top 5 Bestest New Christmas Tracks of 2015 (so far)

Just to remind you, the bestest new Xmas songs of the year (so far):

A Frenglish slab of swingin' blue eyed soul:

Slow burning and as deep as the ocean:


Husky French Noel, in soft-focus:


So sad, so beautiful:


So cool you might catch a cold:

The Nuclears

Ramones-y heyhoylet'sgo punkraaawk (from 2011)! Love it!

Ette

Via The Mad Mackerel:
"Best known as the lead singer of Glasgow indie-pop girl group TeenCanteen, Carla J Easton has teamed up with Joe Kane from psyche pop outfit Dr Cosmos Tapelab to form a new project, Ette."
The best Christmas songs have bells, mention Christmas and are about longing. Longing for someone, for something, anything. And it should remind us of the Great Phil Spector. Ette does all that:

Meyhem Lauren

Rude holiday hiphop, yep, you got it:

Public Access TV

Loud, snotty, upbeat, Newyawk's Public Acces TV bring back the spirit of early Strokes, Blondie and the Nerves. VERY VERY GOOD:

Helen Love & Friends

The 'friends' of Helen Love are Tim Wheeler (from Ash), Ricardo Autobahn, Pete Green (The Sweet Nothings), Andrea Lewis (Darling Buds) and more.

Wiggum

If this blog hadn't already been named, 'Porro popom pom' woud've been great. It's also the name of a song by Spanish band Wiggum, from a few years back. I'd never heard it, it's rockingly good:

Tuxedo

'I don't need no mistletoe, no, just my sugar plum'. Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One spread some holiday luuuuurve for your pleasure:

Table Scraps

Table Scraps drive Slade's alltime xmas classic into a depressing, puddle of fuzz-drenched mudhoney. Yeah!

Spotify

Reminder; most songs on this blog are compiled in the yearly New Christmas Songs playlist on Spotify. Go HERE

Dead by Christmas

In every country there's animosity between cities, mostly rivalling against each other with sports teams. Boston vs New York is a well known example. In the Netherlands, there's Rotterdam vs Amsterdam, but also Nijmegen vs Arnhem. To bring those two provincial towns together for the holidays, record store Kroese released a seasonal single by bands from the the two towns (with members from various other bands from the region).
Alas, only singalongfest 'Lucky You' is available on Youtube, you can hear the cool flipside 'It's Almost Christmas Time' by Wilson on Spotify.

L.A. Girlfriend

Influenced by new wave and post punk from the 80s, Sydney Banta aka LA Girlfriend makes synth-heavy danceable tracks. This Christmas track sound like a New Order-demo track fronted by a Gillian Gilbert (if she could sing and sound as husky like Sydney)

Angry Snowmans

They're at it again, the Snowmans. Ho ho ho? Oi oi oi!

Love Me Nots

From Phoenix AZ I give you Christmas RAAAAAAAWWWWWKKK!

The Pink Tiles

The Pink Tiles hail from Melbourne, Australia. They have a cat as 'spiritual leader' and make noisy, catchy (hear those keys!) garage pop. Highly recommended.

Freedom Fry

Love this duo. Love their new Christmas song:

Maartje Teussink

Dutch composer Maartje Teussink just released a very sweet, electronica-tinged Christmas EP. I love the word 'Snowflakemas'.

Funky Funky Christmas

DJ Ronny Hammond's yearly funky X-mas mix is up. Go HERE

And Dr Rubberfunk, also a welcome guest every year on this blog, made a cool funky xmas playlist on Spotify. HERE

Fortunate Ones

Canadian duo Fortunate Ones recorded a festive cover of Sufjan Stevens' Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance

Prints Jackson

Christmas Mourning from Prints Jackson on Vimeo.

See also HERE

More blasts from the past

So much great seasonal songs were released in the past years. Digging up the diamonds some more:
Channeling the Pogues via a Chinese restaurant, this is still one of the greatest alt x mas tunes ever recorded:


Wonderfully arranged, beautiful song:


Heartbreakingly sad, but so gorgeous:


Happy indie folksy:


Slashing your wrists for Christmas, upbeat style:


Golau Golau are Christmas enthusiasts, really:


Bestest new Christmas song in 2013:


And finally:

Blasts from the past

This blog is active since 2006, and in all those years we've posted some really great tracks that should not be forgotten. Like the Tom McRae track below. Or these damn fine seasonal songs:

This foulmouthed blues by giant Andre Williams still shakes foundations:


This year, a new Christmas song will be released by Utrecht's Gasoline Brothers, plus a compilation of their greatest x-mas hits, like this one:


Channeling the spirit of Astrud Gilberto:


Classic indie-xmas:


So gentle, so sad, so great:


Deep, funky Christmas:

Tom McRae

Five years old but still one of the greatest alt.Christmas songs ever:

The Both (= Aimee Mann & Ted Leo)

Second seasonal song by this great team-up:

The Hard Ground

Irish band The Hard Ground just released released this slow burning Christmas song in 2013. If The Civil Wars, The Honey Trees or Common Linnets are in your Like!-list, be sure to check this out.

Jingle Butts

Oddest, most awkward Christmas card ever?

HUMAN BEATBOX IS COMING TO TOWN

The young Dutch vocal group The Junction recorded a Christmas tune, a jazzy cover from 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'. The song is totally a-cappella, including a human beatbox. A pity the video is not festive at all.

Loose Tapestries

Everything Stubby says about this song, here

Bartlett Christmas

The Bartlett is a small music and arts venue in Spokane, Washington. They curated a Christmas EP, with four different tracks. This orchestral indie track by Cathedral Pearls is a cool taster

Cimrya Deal

Cimrya Deal hail from Le Mans, France and just released an EP of self-written Christmas songs, plus covers by Eels, Sufjan Stevens, Beach Boys and Randy Newman. Which is nice. This fuzzy track fits right in:

Phoenix & Bill Murray

Silvery

Cool, glamrockstyle Christmas tune by Silvery:

Daniel Martin Moore

Gorgeous:

VIA

Silk Daisys

Already seen on other Christmas blogs, but if you (for reasons beyond our understanding) don't visit 'm, be sure to hear this cool one-man-band-wall-of-sound, Mighty Wah!-ish x-mas song:

Lucy Sunday

Not a Christmas song, but very seasonal is this single by California-raised, husky voiced singer Lucy Sunday. Think Rhye, think FKA Twigs, think Beth Orton.

Snails

Future Islands singer Samuel T. Herring and guitarist/bassist William Cashion have another band called The Snails. They made a Christmas song. It sounds FAN FUCKING TASTIC:

Les Deuxluxes

David Bowie famously stole his Jean Genie-riff from Jacques Dutronc's La fille du pere Noel. Montreal rockduo Les Deuxluxes sex the Dutronc original up to 11.


Thanks Christmas Underground

When Frankie met Edwyn

Frankie & the Heartstrings + Edwyn Collins in a northern soul xmas stormer!

Deep Sea Diver

Jessica Dobson, you might know her as a guitarplayer for Beck or the Shins. Or from her own band, Deep Sea Diver. She's an excellent, husky singer, as you can hear in this brilliant Christmas original. Starts slow, gets wind half way:


Check out the carols and cover of Have Yourself a Merry little Christmas on the EP as well.

FRENCHY AND CHIQUE

The elegant, young, cheesy French crooner Gaspard Royant made an excellent Xmas track: 'Christmas Is Back In Town'. It's produced by the Scottish Edwyn Collins (yes from Orange Juice fame) and it has the Dexys Midnight Runners horn section on it !
It will be officially released december 4th, but ONLY on december 1st you can download it for FREE here!

Southern Culture on the Skids - Silver Bells!

Southern Culture on the skids just released a new Christmas song! It's only available as a digital download right now and I can't find a audio preview to post here. I did buy it and can tell you it's great! If you like SCOTS you won't be disappointed. So glad to have another Christmas song from these guys! You can buy it here.

Los Straitjackets - Linus And Lucy

Young War

Our friend at Christmas Underground just premiered this wonderful seasonal song:

The Killers

Renewed proof that the Killers Christmas single is worth the wait, every year:

Xmystery

'Xmystery, Chicago, Illinois', that's all we get on Xmystery's Bandcamp page. That, plus three absolutely beautiful ambient drones. Imagine walking in the north of Canada, in a winter wonderland, when all of a sudden you hear a choir. You can't tell from which direction, you can't make out words, but the sound is overwhelming. You get down on your knees, because the song, or sound, is too powerful. You're not cold, the music warms you from the inside out. That's what Xmystery is about, to me.

Sofia Talvik

Glory glory alleluia, a new seasonal Sofia Talvik single, folksy storytelling to warm your heart about cold feet, hard labour and making ends meet.

Juniore

As Stubby predicted correctly, for me the Juniore Christmas single is one of the highlights this season. French, soft-sighing sexiness. Every single of the great Snowflakes Singles Club is now up on Soundcloud and Bandcamp. Check 'm out!

Allo Darlin's Elizabeth Morris

And all the streets have Christmas lights again
And all the coffee shops are playing Dean Martin
And although I know it's bullshit and just to make us buy
I feel glad in a part of my soul

Great lyrics, great song by Elizabeth Morris from Allo Darlin'. Brother-blog Christmas Underground was on this earlier.

Reindeer Tribe

DAMN this is good. An Everly Brothers/Roy Orbison-styled, 50's teen drama Christmas song by Reinder Tribe, an Alt Rock/Alt-Folk Indie collective from Southern California who, as the name would imply, are a seasonal band of fluid membership. Every year, they collaborate and manage to come up with a full album of Christmas music. This is their 7th album. Mind = blown
(thanks Stubby)

Vulfpeck

Last year we posted the instrumental version, now there's a version with vocals, even better. Christmas yacht rock! Woo!

Rogier Pelgrim

Proper christmas choon by Dutch singer-songwriter Rogier Pelgrim, a song about what's going on today with refugees, wars, people living in the streets and what Christmas can do to help. Proper video on the way, for now:

Thee Knight of Trashe

Read a nice review of alt.christmas compilation over at Mistletunes, from a series that we hadn't heard of either. This Bo Diddley-esque tune I really like. Check:

The Darkness Christmas single

First, there was this, now there's this:

Spotify playlist

THIS is the link to a Spotify playlist with all the best, new(ish) Christmas songs of this year. For your convenience.

Poeina Suddarth

Two years old, but unseen on most Christmas music blogs, this 50s style Christmas pop-tearjerker by Poeina Suddarth. Be warned: their will be blood in the video.

KYLIE GOES CHRISTMAS

Kylie Minogue made her first Christmas album, simply called 'Kylie Christmas'. We all know her seductive version of  'Santa Baby' ! On the album she does more covers, like the grand openingstune 'It's The Most Wonderfull Time Of The Year'  or a fine version of '2000 Miles'. She also does a duet with Franks Sinatra on 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town', yes nowaddays everything is possible! She turns  'Christmas Wrapping' (The Waitresses) in a great Blondie like tune. The album also comes in a deluxe CD/DVD version.

The Sons of Old Town Collective and their X?-?mas Extravaganza

Punk rock troubadours Cory Taylor Cox, John Davey and Wilderness Alive joined forces on this first edition of the X-mas Extravaganza. Four bitter-sweet acoustic songs for those who like their Christmas a bit melancholic.

New Sparks Christmas video

Remember that other Sparks Christmas track?

Found Wandering

Found Wandering is an folksy, jazzy combo from Philadelphia PA, led by husband and wife Colin and Sarah. They will release a highly charming Christmas album with some very entertaining cover versions. Among them, Sweet Little Baby Boy by Jaaaaaames Brown. Listen:



Original version HERE

How To Throw a Christmas Party

It's out there, Beaches of Bethlehem, the new Christmas album by How to throw a Christmas Party, a collective of Dutch musicians making beautiful seasonal songs for years now. This is the catchiest, sunniest track:

And listen to this gorgeous, partly a-capella sung track:

Sparks

Teaser video!

Maryse Letarte

Seven years ago, Canadian songstress Maryse Letarte released an album of original Christmas songs, most of them in French. Which is nice. Now, she made another one. This is the title track.


Hat tip to Christmas Underground

Cassie Ramone "Christmas In Reno"

Pre-order Cassie Ramone's new holiday record "Christmas In Reno" featuring all kindsa classic Christmas tunes done by Cassie of Vivian Girls and The Barbies. Get the color vinyl or cassette (yes cassette) here.

Yoko Ono and The Flaming Lips Release Christmas 7"

Available on December 11 via Chimera Music. Both songs were previously available but never on vinyl. I was really hoping for a version of Happy Xmas (War Is Over) sans Yoko, but I guess I'm out of luck there.

 

The Drabs

San Diego-based powerpop The Drabs released a Christmas EP. Santa's Got Toys is the best track, with it's papap-ooh-choir and it's Lou Reed-ian Sprechengesang. There's one track featuring A.J. Croce on guitar too.

Sondre Lerche & Jherek Bischoff

From Amazon's Indie for the Holidays playlist, this great track by Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche, together with Jherek Bischoff. Indie for the Holidays features Robert Pollard (Guided by Voices), Rogue Wave, Yacht, Anna von Hausswolff, SOAK and more. (Via Stereogum)

ASTROCOLOR MAKE INTRIGUING XMAS ALBUM

'Lit Up- music for christmas' is an album filled with covers from known Christmas songs, like 'Do You Hear What I Hear', The First Noel', 'Sleigh Ride' or theirs strange version from 'Beau Sapin'. But because of the strange jazzy, dubby and krautrock arrangements you hardly recognize them. Astrocolor are from Canada and they made an amazing album, only out on green vinyl (on Last Gang Records) and digital!

Ghost Of Christmas Past (remake)

The first edition of Chantons No�l - Ghost Of Christmas Past was released in 1981 on Les Disques Du Cr�puscule. After several editons there'll be another remake on 2 cd's (a few artists missing, but a lot of new additions). Releasedate 11/27

CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS ARTICLE TO SEE THE COMPLETE PLAYLIST!
Disc: 1
1. Jesus Sweetly Sleeps - Section 25
2. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - Miranda Dali
3. Jesus from the Block - The Wake
4. We Met Bernard Sumner at a Christmas Party Last Night - Marsheaux
5. Winter Circle - Ultramarine
6. Lamina Christus - Isolation Ward
7. Jingle Bell Rock - Thick Pigeon
8. Hot Club of Christ - Aztec Camera
9. Scottish Christmas - Paul Haig
10. Rocking Carol - B Music
11. Weihnachtsrap - Tuxedomoon
12. Festivo - Virna Lindt
13. Jingle Hell - Blaine L. Reininger
14. Silent Blight - Blaine L. Reininger
15. Xmas Blooz - Blaine L. Reininger
16. Snowflakes - The Durutti Column
17. A Theme from This Special Evening - Monks in the Snow

Disc: 2
1. Breakfast at Christmas - Hillcrest Club
2. Christiana - Paul Haig
3. Tokyo Twilight - The Names
4. One Christmas for Your Thoughts - The Durutti Column
5. Possessed By the Stars - White Birds
6. Praying for a Cheaper Christmas - The Swinging Buildings
7. Ode to Joy - B Music
8. Noelle a Hawai - Antena
9. Benoit's Christmas - The Pale Fountains
10. Santa Baby - The French Impressionists
11. Peep Show International - Simon Topping
12. Silhouettes - Thick Pigeon
13. The Snow Falls and the Village Is Overflowing With Children - Deux Filles
14. Message De Noel - Mikado
15. The Twelve Days of Christmas - Winston Tong
16. Write Your Letter - The Arcadians
17. Cream Or Christians - Michael Nyman
18. Honolulu 25 Dicembre 1990 - Magazzini Criminalli

Elizabeth Chan

You've probably seen this one, but if not, it's a great mix of Jingle Bells and Taylor Swift's Shake it off:

Snowflakes Singles

By now, you should know that the Snowflakes Singles Club is THE best thing happening to alt.christmas songs since Christmas itself. The new batch of singles (glorious vinyl) contain bands like Tele Novella, IKON, Terminal Gods and, ohlala, Juniore. Read Stubby's extensive preview HERE. Go HERE if you want to order any of the singles.

How To Throw a Christmas Party

Our Dutch friends of How To Throw A Christmas Party (HTTACParty) done it again: they just released the first song from their upcoming, fifth, Christmas album. It's a Dutch song, a duet with legendary Dutch folk singer Elly Zuiderveld. If you're unfamiliar with Dutch folk, Elly is like Sandy Denny. Try, if you like, these tracks (1, 2).
More on HTTACParty HERE

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE BANDANA SPLITS

Nice singing girls and Christmas is an ideal combination. From New York the three Bandana Splits girls give us an album with lots of classic songs like 'Winter Wonderland',  'Blue Christmas' or 'Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian Christmas Song)' and three new Xmas songs. Available on bandcamp only.

Armenian Christmas

I know, I know, there's no such thing as a Navy in Armenia...but still there's an Armenian Navy Band and they do celebrate Christmas

Crime Scene Christmas

Ah, this is nice. Kerry Pastine and her 'souped-up hot rod with bulletproof glass' of band, shake up Christmas in a rock'n roll spirit. Cool beans!

Whatever happened to Christmas?

We're about to find out what happened to Christmas, when Ricky Koole and Leo Blokhuis (a very talented singer and actress, plus her music-mad husband of a dj/tv-maker) present their first of hopefully many christmas shows, on December 22nd in Theater Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Holland, that is).
CaGG-favorite Janne Schra, Ruben Hein and Paul de Munnik, plus houseband Ocobar, will be present as well.

Christmas make me horny

Ain't it the truth:

Back in business, Santa baby!

Yep, it's November 1st, and CaGG-team is excited to go x-mas blogging again. Remember, only the funkiest, weirdest, wonderfullest and downright HEAVY christmas/seasonal tracks of the year end up here.

Funky and Heavy, that's what the new Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party (vol 3) will be all about. Get a taster down below: