Readers who have been here in the past know that I occasionally nudge folks to patronize Amazon and iTunes because this site has an affiliate relationship with those two companies that yields a bit of cash toward the site's hosting fees. In recent years, the site has been making it easier for folks to do this by linking album art to one of those two places, at least for stuff that is actually sold there. Well, recently the iTunes store changed its affiliate service provider, and through preoccupation with other matters I let the deadline slide by without re-upping. So as of Oct. 1 this year, Mistletunes only has an affiliate relationship with Amazon, and I think I'll leave it that way going forward, as there's so much stuff for sale there that it's easy for readers to click through from here and leave a tip for the site on pretty much anything that comes to mind. Unfortunately, some of the album art links are still pointing at iTunes, and I'm pretty sure that means the links are busted. Where I find them, I'll fix them, but if you discover one, feel free to come back here and click through the Amazon logo for whatever you're looking for. Oh, and let me know so I can re-link to Amazon.
October 2013 Archives
A good number of years ago, can't remember how long but it was before I put this site on a content management system, so it was well before 2009, I heard from a guy who wanted to make a documentary about Christmas music collectors. I gave him a few links I had to folks I had encountered via this website, and ever since then word of the documentary's eventual release has been pinging around the Yuleosphere. Actual facts about the project were few and far between until last year or so, when the "Jingle Bell Rock" website went up. Since I haven't had much to say about it in the interim, I thought I'd point out to you that it's finished and is being shown in special screenings around various English language venues this fall and winter, with an American release expected but not yet announced. Along with several collectors and dealers, there are appearances by Clarence Carter, John Waters, Run-DMC, El Vez, Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips and Dr. Demento himself. So bookmark that website link, and you can watch the trailer here.
UPDATED POST. I'm guessing some of you know Nick, but for those who have let him slip off their radar, well, he's way different than he was in the Brinsley Schwarz, Stiff Records, Rockpile or 80s solo days. He's adopted a style that straddles country, old-school rock, blues and even sometimes pop jazz, with him crooning Nat King Cole-style over top. If you've been listening since the mid-90s, this will be no surprise, and thus you already know what the sound of this album is going to be. But as the comments at the YouTube site reveal, a lot of folks were hoping for a Rockpile reunion or a Stiff Records revival instead, and folks, this ain't that. As sedate as the album is compared to all that, it's still an excellent piece of work, just not a power pop masterpiece. Nick provides three new originals, including a jazzy ballad co-written with Ry Cooder called "A Dollar Short of Happy," which could exist happily on one of Nick's recent non-holiday outings. Nick also writes the bouncy "Christmas at the Airport" and the stark acoustic ballad "I Was Born in Bethlehem." Ron Sexsmith contributes a new original, "Hooves on the Roof," in which Nick exercises his higher vocal register and his snapping fingers, and Nick adds such out-of-copyright favorites as the folky "Rise Up Shepherd," the rockabilly-infused "Children Go Where I Send Thee," the kiddie favorite "The North Pole Express" in a vintage rock treatment, and a Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns arrangement of "Silent Night." Covers of more recent vintage include Boudleaux Bryant's "Christmas Can't Be Far Away," a hit for Eddy Arnold (!), Roger Miller's "Old Toy Trains," a samba version of Ross Bon & the Mighty Blue Kings' "Just To Be With You (This Christmas)," and the album closer, Roy Wood's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day," stripping away the Spectorisms in favor of an arrangement that owes equal parts to Nashville pop and Jamaican ska. I'm a Nick Lowe fan, so I don't want to recommend this too highly to those who prefer to hold me to the Mistletunes motto of rockin' Christmases for all. Nevertheless, I suspect I'm going to be listening to this a lot on the holidays. Order from Amazon (CD & LP) by clicking the cover, or go to Yep Roc's site for package deals that include swag like snow globes, greeting cards, wrapping paper and such.
For all the grief I give to pre-fab stuff like "American Idol" and other so-called reality show stuff, I have to give this young lady, a media management cube rat and a cast member of Yahoo's "Failure Club," serious props for this cool 2012 pop holiday EP. Five original tunes, all modern pop radio confections and all about Christmas, comprise this collection. Apparently writing a world famous Christmas song was her "Failure Club" assignment. "A Christmas Song" appears to be getting the buzz, a clever holiday ballad quoting famous carols that could very well be the fulfillment of her assignment. "Santa If You Would" is a request for the jolly elf to play eHarmony for the narrator, "Only On Christmas Time" is a synth-pop number, "Vixen" is one for the dance floor about "Santa's favorite girl," and it "Wouldn't Be a Merry Christmas" without a significant other, says the EP's closing ballad. Not for the unrepentant rockers among us, but considering the project's origins, a good final product. Click the cover to grab it from Amazon, it's also on iTunes. By the way, it appears the girl's got more up her sleeve, as her Tumblr page features videos of holiday songs that aren't part of the EP. UPDATE: For 2013, Elizabeth has expanded the EP to a full album titled Everyday Holidays. All of this EP is included, and additional songs include "Resolution," "Tis the Season," "Fa La La," "Try To Have a Merry Christmas," "Hey Santa," and a double additional dose of "A Christmas Song," one acoustic, one remixed. (If you download from Amazon, only the new songs from the album are offered; to get them all, download the EP too.) Here's the latter song in visual form:
I'm way overdue to note this passing, but Stubby's House of Christmas has apparently ended its run as an active Christmas music site. Longtime readers of Mistletunes will recall Stubby was a frequent visitor offering what, I am not ashamed to admit, was his frighteningly superior knowledge of Christmas music, providing tips to great new stuff and acting as a fact-checker when one was necessary. The site will remain up, and as it still features a fairly strong preview of this year's upcoming new Christmas music across all the popular genres, I recommend you stop over there. Stubby notes where he'll be hanging out online in the future, and I hope he will feel free to stop by here occasionally as well. (Regular Christmas posting will start up again soon here at Mistletunes, I promise.)
