Post by tombitd on Dec 24, 2008 16:14:33 GMT -5
betterinthedark.podomatic.com/enclosure/2008-12-24T13_13_09-08_00.mp3
Click here and receive a special Christmas 2008 mixtape of over thirty minutes of music from me to you as a token of my appreciation for listening to and following Better In The Darkand DJ Comics Cavalcade .
It does reflect my own views on Christmas music--namely, that so much of it has become cliched and follows rigid lines as to what you can and cannot include. What you're getting here is some Christmas music that you may or may not have heard before, but all of which speaks to me on some level.
This mix will be up until December 26th. I hope you enjoy it, and that you'll be back on January 4th for episode 48!
Here are the liner notes:
Valley Winter Song by Fountains of Wayne: Not technically a Christmas song, its Wintery taste and feel makes it a Christmas-y song to me. That it's done by The Fountains of Wayne, one of the true great practioners of power pop in the modern age--as well as one of the absolute masters of depicting life in the New York Tri-State Area--is icing on the cake.
Sometimes You Have To Work On Christmas (Sometimes) by Harvey Danger: And on the other side of the country, we have Seattle's Harvey Danger, a band that I fear will always be looked upon as a one-hit wonder with "Flagpole Sitta." But this band produced three great albums and various singles, including this amazing little number that was presented to the band's fans one holiday season. A devastating song fraught with longing about what it's like to have to work on the Greatest Holiday Of All, it's one of two Christmas songs that make me want to cry through the smile....
Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto by James Brown: Here's my idea of a classic--James Brown back when he was James Brown telling a story with political elements while still being sweet and and cheerful...just like Christmas is supposed to be.
Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland by Granddaddy: Why this continues to make me laugh, turning a cliched Christmas song into one about the misguided ego of a pretentious 'prog rock' musician from the 70's is beyond me. But it just does.
Just Like Christmas by Low: God, do I love the melody of this song. It's just a song that makes me feel good hearing it--and it's one of a handful of Christmas songs that I honor by listening to it when it's not the holiday season.
Away In A Manger by Paul Westerberg: The holiday EP that this came from literally showed up in my e-mail about forty minutes ago--and considering how much I love Westerberg and the Replacements, I felt it necessary to include this fuzzed-out version of a holiday classic on the tape.
Give The Jew Girl Toys by Sarah Silverman (Mash-Up with Trio): This one is for Derrick Furgeson...he and I both have an unholy love for the foul mouthed, skinny Silverman, and I know we'd both like to give the jew girl lots more than toys...
Fairytale of New York by The Preistess And The Fool: And here is the other song that I will admit to crying behind the smile over...the original version by the sadly-no-longer-with-us Kristy McCall and The Pogues was such a wonderfully bittersweet story of the immigrant experience and the way we allow ourselves to dream beyond our means. This version is a little more upbeat and celtic-tinged by a band that Brian Ibbot at Coverville turned me on to (You should check out their version of Squeeze's 'Tempted' as part of Brian's Coverville compliation Take Them, They're Yours).
Always Touched By Your Presents, Dear by Syd Straw: And here's a holiday spin on a cliched love song by the criminally underrated Syd Straw. It even includes a shout out to Michael Stipe and a disturbing moment where Syd thanks Daddy for her pony....
God Rest Ye Weary Shoeless Joe by The Rabid Fans: And finally, for the sports fans...I was tempted to put on Frickin' As' "Have A Merry Freakin' Christmas," which celebrated the Red Sox's legendary 2004 World Series win, but I have to give The Rabid Fans credit for rewriting this old-style song and repositioning it as a memorial for one of the now-forgotten greats of baseball.
Click here and receive a special Christmas 2008 mixtape of over thirty minutes of music from me to you as a token of my appreciation for listening to and following Better In The Darkand DJ Comics Cavalcade .
It does reflect my own views on Christmas music--namely, that so much of it has become cliched and follows rigid lines as to what you can and cannot include. What you're getting here is some Christmas music that you may or may not have heard before, but all of which speaks to me on some level.
This mix will be up until December 26th. I hope you enjoy it, and that you'll be back on January 4th for episode 48!
Here are the liner notes:
Valley Winter Song by Fountains of Wayne: Not technically a Christmas song, its Wintery taste and feel makes it a Christmas-y song to me. That it's done by The Fountains of Wayne, one of the true great practioners of power pop in the modern age--as well as one of the absolute masters of depicting life in the New York Tri-State Area--is icing on the cake.
Sometimes You Have To Work On Christmas (Sometimes) by Harvey Danger: And on the other side of the country, we have Seattle's Harvey Danger, a band that I fear will always be looked upon as a one-hit wonder with "Flagpole Sitta." But this band produced three great albums and various singles, including this amazing little number that was presented to the band's fans one holiday season. A devastating song fraught with longing about what it's like to have to work on the Greatest Holiday Of All, it's one of two Christmas songs that make me want to cry through the smile....
Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto by James Brown: Here's my idea of a classic--James Brown back when he was James Brown telling a story with political elements while still being sweet and and cheerful...just like Christmas is supposed to be.
Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland by Granddaddy: Why this continues to make me laugh, turning a cliched Christmas song into one about the misguided ego of a pretentious 'prog rock' musician from the 70's is beyond me. But it just does.
Just Like Christmas by Low: God, do I love the melody of this song. It's just a song that makes me feel good hearing it--and it's one of a handful of Christmas songs that I honor by listening to it when it's not the holiday season.
Away In A Manger by Paul Westerberg: The holiday EP that this came from literally showed up in my e-mail about forty minutes ago--and considering how much I love Westerberg and the Replacements, I felt it necessary to include this fuzzed-out version of a holiday classic on the tape.
Give The Jew Girl Toys by Sarah Silverman (Mash-Up with Trio): This one is for Derrick Furgeson...he and I both have an unholy love for the foul mouthed, skinny Silverman, and I know we'd both like to give the jew girl lots more than toys...
Fairytale of New York by The Preistess And The Fool: And here is the other song that I will admit to crying behind the smile over...the original version by the sadly-no-longer-with-us Kristy McCall and The Pogues was such a wonderfully bittersweet story of the immigrant experience and the way we allow ourselves to dream beyond our means. This version is a little more upbeat and celtic-tinged by a band that Brian Ibbot at Coverville turned me on to (You should check out their version of Squeeze's 'Tempted' as part of Brian's Coverville compliation Take Them, They're Yours).
Always Touched By Your Presents, Dear by Syd Straw: And here's a holiday spin on a cliched love song by the criminally underrated Syd Straw. It even includes a shout out to Michael Stipe and a disturbing moment where Syd thanks Daddy for her pony....
God Rest Ye Weary Shoeless Joe by The Rabid Fans: And finally, for the sports fans...I was tempted to put on Frickin' As' "Have A Merry Freakin' Christmas," which celebrated the Red Sox's legendary 2004 World Series win, but I have to give The Rabid Fans credit for rewriting this old-style song and repositioning it as a memorial for one of the now-forgotten greats of baseball.
