I always enjoy a new jingle-jangle classic and The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club has a shiny new single that’s ready to be unwrapped. It’s a free download and it has a pretty neat-o B-side “Never Be Big Stars,” which reminds me a lot of Cheap Trick. Thanks for present guys!
Ray at Kool Kat Musik did so well with last year’s Christmas compilation that we now have “Vol.2.” The 13 tracks include some exclusive ones. The Pencils actually re-formed to contribute their track plus other power pop bands like The Honeymoon Stallions, The Split Squad, The Bottle Kids (featuring Captain Storm), The Connection, Shake Some Action, and others are included. Some of the proceeds will be donated to The Susan Giblin Foundation for Animal Wellness and Welfare which was formed to honor the memory and continue the work of the late Susan Giblin (wife of Parallax Project/Split Squad bassist Mike Giblin). So you get great music and contribute to help cats in need.
The opener “Christmas is Coming Again” is a new classic, and we hope The Pencils stays together for more music. Other standouts include the soulful ballad “You Always Come Back Home” by The Genuine Fakes, “Beatles Vinyl” a fantastic jangling single by The Tor Gudes and “Glad Its Christmas” by fan favorite Stephen Lawrenson. Another favorite of mine is Wyatt Funderburk’s “Cold” with its slow deliberate falsetto, which captures the mood perfectly. Highly Recommended.
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Since we are talking about cats… I won’t talk about the movie, other than this internet star’s debut is vilified by critics, therefore its sure to be a smash hit amongst kids and Cat people. There are 14 full tracks and 3 bonus tracks on this CD, a combination of original and classic tunes (most not part of the movie). We then get the best stuff early on, KT Tunstall doing a “Sleigh Ride,” Brian Setzer’s “Jingle Bells” and the ever commercial Pomplamoose’s “Up On The Housetop.”
Most of the originals are done by House of Breaking Glass, done in a style very similar to Tom Waits. “A Very Grumpy Christmas” is the highlight here, a light rant about the holiday. There is a lot of filler in between, but other highlights include the jazzy Johnny Reid doing “White Christmas” and the cool “All I Want for Christmas (is My Two Front Teeth)” by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Also worth noting is the bonus tracks featuring other internet cat memes Keyboard Cat and Nyan Cat. Worth adding to your Xmas Music collection, even if you are kind of grumpy.
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“A Pop Garden Christmas” Adam Waltemire the host of WMEL’s Pop Garden Radio brings us this basket of Christmas cheer in the form of 23 truly great holiday songs. He’s gathered tracks from power pop musicians including Lannie Flower’s “Chritsmas With Out You” we featured last week. It’s an all-star cast: Lisa Mychols, Timmy Sean, Mimi Betinis, Vegas With Randolph and many more. Worth every shiny penny on Bandcamp.
“The Christmas Waltz” If you’d like a more traditional holiday approach towards music. Eric Crugnale and a group of musician friends (including Kevin Bents) and family made this album as a way to christen his new home studio, Fairway Sound. Check out the angelic harmonies on “The Christmas Song.” Get it at a “Name your own price.”
Enjoy this Monday Freebie! Just three more days til you can open your presents and my top 25 albums of 2013 comes out. Spoiler alert! Timmy Sean is on that list.