Indie Rock Cafe - Independent alternative music blog

The 12 Plays of Alt-Indie Christmas - Mix Seven

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Hey everyone, the days up to Christmas are flying by. Yet the lists of alternative Christmas songs out there is much, much longer than I ever anticipated.

There are literally hundreds of worthy Xmas and holiday songs performed by an exciting and diverse line-up of musicians, groups and bands. Here is yet another example featuring artists such as Manic Street Preachers, Thick Pigeon, The Weepies, Monster Bobby, Green Day and dozens of others.

The 12 Plays of Alt-Indie Christmas - Mix Seven

- A Very White Christmas - Le Man Avec Les Lunettes

- All That I Want - The Weepies

- Christmas Time is Here - Vice Guaraldi

- Do They Know It's Xmas (Feed The World) - Far w/ Chino Moreno

- Holiday - Green Day

- Ghost of Christmas - Manic Street Preachers

- I Feel Like Going Home - Yo La Tengo

- Jingle Bell Rock - Thick Pigeon

- Last Christmas - Le Sport, Montt Mardie and Mr. Suitcase

- Not Christmas At Home - Crawling With Kings

- Not Giving In - Rediscover

- Silent Night - Monster Bobby

- So This is Christmas - Acceptance

- O Little Town of Bethlehem - Bright Eyes

- Santa Claus is Smoking Reefer - Squirrel Nut Zippers

- The Christmas Sound - 44.1K

- X12 Days of XMas - From First to Last

- Christmas Cake - Rilo Kiley

- The One About The Mistletoe - The Loyal Trooper (courtesy of EarDrumsMusic)

- A Change At Christmas - The Flaming Lips

- Christmas Extravaganza - Ladybug Transistor

Post a review of any song and win an iTunes Gift Card!

Yup, anyone, anywhere can post a review (using the Comments section) of any one song on this playlist in 100 words or less.

On Thursday, December 27, 2007, a winner will be chosen and will receive the gift card (can only send to valid email addresses - obviously). This is a great way to perhaps become a regular contributor to this site. We are always looking for writers, photographers and videographers who have original material they would like to see published on a high-profile site.

Good luck and Happy Holidays everyone. Watch for the remaining five Xmas playlists as they will be all published by Christmas day. Then the "best of music" series for 2007 begins, including bloggers' lists for best songs, albums, music videos, concerts, festivals, artists, album cover artwork and more for 2007.

IRC will publish the 'Best of 2007' series during the next week or two. Each installment will feature artist profiles and links, MP3s and playlists, song and album reviews, music videos, artwork and more from the greatest musicians and bands of 2007 that will unlikely surface on any of the mainstream award shows like the Emmy's and the MTV Awards.

Labels: Alternative Christmas Songs, Alternative Xmas, Indie Christmas Music, Indie Christmas Playlists, Indie Christmas Songs, Popular Christmas Songs

The 12 Plays of Alt-Indie Christmas Songs - Mix Six

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Here is Mix Six in the 12 Plays series. This playlist includes a diverse collection of Christmas and wintry songs, just in case you are somewhere in the world where it is not going to be a white Christmas.

Indie giants like Yo La Tengo, Comet Gain, Chris Letcher and Belle and Sebastian, plus relatively new favorites on the non-mainstream music circuit - whether you call them 'indie', 'alt' or whatever - like Band of Horses, Great Lake Swimmers and Phantom Planet contribute to the Christmas songs anthology.

(Above: The note Santa is reading in the cartoon reads: "Dear Santa, If you leave a new bike under the tree, I will give you the antidote to the poison I put in the milk - Tommy.")

A Change of Pace offers up the introspective "Christmas on the Coast" and the Parenthetical Girls present indie cheer with "I Love Christmas", plus holiday season songs by Dave Melilo, The Halo Brothers, The Reindeer Section, Phofo and Jason Gleason.

A Hooves Christmas - The Hooves

I Love Christmas - Parenthetical Girls
All I Want For Christmas - Dave Melilo
Asleep On The Snow - Comet Gain
Christmas on the Coast - A Change of Pace
Deep Frieze - Chris Letcher
Here Come Christmas - Remington Super 60
It's Christmas Time - Yo La Tengo
Light The Menorah - Phofo
My First Christmas as a Woman - The Vandals

Santa Claus - Belle and Sebastian
Sleigh Bells and Wine - Jason Gleason
Snowfall - The Halo Brothers
Song For The Angeles - Great Lake Swimmers
The First Song - Band of Horses
Winter Wonderland - Phantom Planet
You Are My Joy - The Reindeer Section

Labels: 12 Days of Christmas, Alternative Christmas Songs, Alternative Xmas Songs, Best Christmas Songs, Christmas MP3s, Indie Christmas Music, Indie Holiday Songs

The 12 Playlists of Alt-Indie Christmas - Mix Five

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

This Christmas playlist features a great mix of indie and alt Christmas songs from Reliant K, The Fine Lines, The National Splits, Milton DeLugg & The Little Eskimos and The Used.

There are also xmas tunes from Alien Sex Friend, Sandry Mooy, Gatsby's America, Arcade Fire, Kirsty MacColl and The Pogues.

Enjoy the songs, and if you dig something a lot, help support the artists - buy some of their music, get tickets and share with friends.

Alt Xmas Songs - Mix Five

1. Alone This Holiday - The Used
2. Angels We Have Heard on High - Reliant K
3. Stuff The Turkey - Alien Sex Friend
4. O Santa - The Fine Lines
5. Christmas Time - Gatsby's America
6. O Little Town of Bethlehem - Belle & Sebastian
7. Get Behind Me, Santa - Sufjan Stevens
8. Holiday on the Moon - Love and Rockets
9. Hooray for Santy Claus - Milton DeLugg & The Little Eskimos
10. Star of Wonder - Sufjan Stevens
11. Let's Wrap Each Other - The National Splits
12. Holy Night - Sandra Mooy

Bonus Tracks
/ Yeah Toast - Arcade Fire / Silent Night - Belle & Sebastian / Fairytale of New York - Kirsty MacColl and The Pouges

Labels: Alternative Christmas Songs, Alternative Xmas Songs, Best of Indie Rock, Christmas, Indie Christmas Playlists

The 12 Playlists of Alt-Indie Christmas - Mix Four

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Note: I have fixed all of the links for Mix Two of the alternative Christmas songs series. My apologies and thanks for your patience.

Do you have egg nog-tummy, Christmas-time fatigue, coffee-infused insomnia or instant vertigo every time you hear Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas"?

No? What about a hangover from the Christmas party last night? Who was that passed out under the Christmas tree with the Santa hat on?

In any case, with Dec. 25th only seven days away, I am admittedly a day behind in keeping with the 12 days of Christmas goal - one playlist a day. Doh! (hoh hoh hoh).

Due to the unprecedented number of worthy alternative Christmas and holiday songs discovered during the Big Search, each subsequent playlist will now contain 15 or more tunes each. Eventually, all of these playlists will be wrapped into a special edition.

Sufjan Stevens' famous box set Christmas Songs is a hit once again this year, and two of the songs from the set are included here for sampling.

Glasgow, Scotland's pop geniuses Belle and Sebastian (named after a French children's show) performed a now semi-classic set for the BBC's legendary Peel's Sessions on Dec. 18, 2002, of which two songs are featured below. More tracks from that show will be included with subsequent playlists.

For other songs on this playlist, The Fray jumps in to the mix and serves up their own respectable cover of John Lennon's classic Christmas/anti-war song "Happy Xmas (War is Over)".

Other cover songs include A Band Called Quinn's version of "It's Christmas Time" and a modern and dreamy rendition of "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by In Memory, plus The Format's delirious take on the classic "Holly Jolly Christmas".

Mix Four kicks off with the first-ever original and popular true punk rock (now more commonly referred to as alternative) Christmas song by who else but The Kinks.

Simply titled "Father Christmas" (1977), the song lashes out at the commercialism of Christmas and yet ironically encourages disenfranchised youth to beat up Santa Claus if he doesn't give them "some money" and "the toys to the little rich boys." *

On a lighter note, Beulah, Michigan indie pop musician Andrew Dost delivers an original and cynical view of the season in "Yeah, I Know, It's Christmas Time." The Matches serve up their own brand of bitter cynicism about Christmas, "December is For Cynics".

1 - Father Christmas - The Kinks

(contains 'offensive' lyrics)
2 - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - In Memory
3 - The Chestnut Times - Ex-Otago
4 - Christmas Reindeer - The Knife
5 - Yeah, I Know, It's Christmas Time - Andrew Dost
6 - Happy Xmas (War is Over) - The Fray
7 - Noel Song - Animaniacs
8 - It's Christmas Time - A Band Called Quinn
9 - Saving Up Her Wishes (For Another Christmas) - Celestial
10 - Holly Jolly Christmas - The Format
11 - Santa, Bring My Baby Back To Me - Belle and Sebastian
12 - It's Christmas, Let's Be Glad - Sufjan Stevens
13 - Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin Stevens
14 - I'll Be Home for Christmas - Matchbook Romance
15 - Come On Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance - Sufjan Stevens

Bonus Tracks
+ Every Day Should Be a Holiday - Dandy Warhols
+ Jonathan David - Belle and Sebastian
+ December Is For Cynics - The Matches

(During the next couple of months, some of the 'surprise unknowns' contributing to this first-ever extensive collection of alternative, indie and rock Christmas songs, will be profiled on IRC. Subscribe to the Feed Me Indie feed. )

* In the UK, Europe and Australia Santa Claus is commonly referred to as "Father Christmas". Ray Davies, The Kinks' lead singer, and now considered by many rock critics to be one of the best rock and pop songwriters of all time, hails from a working class suburb north of London called Muswell Hill.

Andrew Dost has more Christmas songs to stream on this MySpace Page, and his work is impressive, and a great discovery.

Labels: 12 Plays of Xmas, Alternative Christmas Songs, Best Christmas Songs, Indie Christmas Music, Indie Christmas Playlists, Indie Xmas