Mistletunes

This Pittsburgh-based act dropped for 2023 this lo-fi indie power pop number about shopping for the holiday at thrift stores and wrapping the gifts in newspaper, although the dearth of newspapers out there nowadays suggests the singer would have to scavenge them from the neighborhood recycling bins on trash day. Nevertheless, a cool number with a bit of XTC-style riffage and prominent bass to recommend it. Just noticed while checking out the Bandcamp page there's another song from 2021, "When Santa's Here," a more midtempo Kinks-styled number, and it's a free download. Grab these for your holiday fun.

Another act I haven't encountered before is this seven-piece Southern California band that has been around since 1992, jamming together Latin alternative, ska, rock and reggae. In 2020 they dropped the EP in the title, and in 2023 they dropped another titled East Bakersfield Christmas II, and between them we get a boisterous Christmas party experience. The first EP gives us knock-down versions of "Donde Esta Santa Claus" in English and Spanish, "Jingle Bell Rock," "What Child Is This," "Feliz Navidad," and a slow reggae take on "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts)." Version two gives us a cool original, "Christmas Time In Bakersfield," a ska take on "Run Rudolph Run," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "Mi Burrito Sabanero," and "Winter Wonderland" backstopped with "Llego La Navidad," the same song in Spanish. Grab both and playlist them as an album.

Speaking of synth-pop, this 2023 album is essentially a holiday romp through a really well-stocked keyboard sales showroom. Never heard of this act, it appears to be a one-man band who tours Europe with his music and whose website is full of geeky wirehead-speak about building synthesizers and systems out of equal parts commercially available modular synths and Arduino hobbyist computing components. As for the music, it's more progressive-symphonic instrumental and less to do with rhythm sections and such, though it begs to have the volume slider pushed to the max. Song choice is familiar things like "Carol of the Bells," "Deck the Halls," "Sleigh Ride," "Little Drummer Boy," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Mary Boy Child," "The Holly and the Ivy," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Silver Bells," "Greensleeves," "Winter Wonderland," and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." There's also a version of the John Lennon classic titled here "War Is Over," and "Do They Know It's Christmastime." The whole thing is sort of a cross between Kraftwerk and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

This Missouri-based group has been around for five years and has two albums of modern-era synth-pop-rock out. In 2023 they dropped this EP featuring a faithful take on the Wham! classic and two other songs: "It's Christmas," a similarly upbeat synth-popper, and "Snowflake Music," a short instrumental featuring digital chimes and old-school 808 drum/bass machine. Cool stuff.

Bananarama were queens of the British New Wave starting in the early 80s, with multiple hit singles and collaborations with such folks as Fun Boy Three. Over time they evolved into a cabaret disco act with lesser, though not insignificant, chart success in Europe. In 2010 they dropped this EP, which is just five mixes of the same holiday song. I probably wouldn't have chanced upon this if I hadn't seen that a career retrospective is dropping in March 2024 including this song. But if you've got a theme playlist for 80s new wave stars, you might want to add this to it.

This San Antonio, TX band has a strong reputation in that part of the country, occasionally being called "the Tex-Mex Beatles." This 2023 album makes a great case for that, as these guys are a polished, power pop rock outfit. Don't know why the title song plays with genders, but it doesn't hurt anything on this strong album opener. Another great song is "Christmas With My Dad," a tour down memory lane with a backbeat. They cover "Run Rudolph Run" and also give us a "Tex-Mex Rudolph" version of the familiar carol featuring Tex-Mex celebrity keyboardist Augie Meyers, and parody the Ramones on "I Wanna Be Your Santa." Two other originals, "Home" and "She So Baby" are great tunes though not exactly Christmas oriented, and there's nothing holiday styled about their cover of "I Hear You Knocking." The album wraps with acapella versions of the title song and "I Wanna Be Your Santa," and I will tell you straight up that this is a minor rock Christmas classic even if you just distill it down to the most holiday oriented tunes. Click the cover to grab it from Amazon. Shouldn't leave without noting that this compiles some tunes from previous years, and you can get a better picture of that by browsing their Bandcamp page.

Kinks guitarist and occasional writer for the band Dave Davies dropped a live EP in 2023 that includes a verstion of the band's 70s classic "Father Christmas," as the title will no doubt inform you. Three additional live cuts are non-Christmas, but Kinks completists will want this, especially as there's vinyl available in addition to downloads and streaming.

This hard rock band from the 90s has been on the Christmas bandwagon before, and they're back for 2023 with this solid old-school hard rocker that'll remind you of the pre-disco 70s. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am, and they rhyme "Christmas" with "wish list." Download or stream this at your leisure.

George Nipson is actually Mark Horn, a guy with a long history in the music business that includes albums of kids' music as well as a 1978 solo album called Someday that sells for stupid money in collectors' circles. The PowerPop blog notes that Mark changed his name because his real name belongs to a stupefying array of other artists who would likely appear before him in searches of streaming sites. At any rate, feel free to download or stream this from any of the usual sources, as it's a neat year-end power pop tune. (I believe the crowd noises are added on and that this is a studio recording, btw.)

Last year we posted a bootleg video of Billie doing this, but for "Saturday Night Live" in 2023 she performed it again, with much better sound quality and arguably a better performance. Enjoy.

Not too much to say about this one, these Detroit folks put together this Christmas song and video for 2023, with a young Kym Ward on backing vocals. A bit on the amateurish side, but if anybody with chops wants to cover this in the future, they should by all means, because it would make a great power-pop holiday ode. No independent audio I'm aware of.

Following a tip on a Christmas album, I ended up disappearing down a rabbit hole. This album, for 2023, is a CD containing 14 tunes recorded at various times over the past few years. English rockers Don't Call Me Ishmael appear to have a history with this time of year, with several past EPs and albums of holiday-themed indie rock. Meanwhile, they dropped a fresh set of tunes on the EP Ghost of Christmas Past for 2023, which is download only, as three of these four songs are on the CD -- "The Ghost of Christmas Past," "Christmas In July," and "Jaded to Merry." The fourth song, "Clementines," is described as a reimagining of their past song "It's Christmas (Let's Pretend We're Fine)," which is on the CD. Meanwhile, back on the disc, we also have "I Won't Hesitate (This Christmas)," "Big Kid at Christmas," "My Christmas (Is Better Than Yours)," "From Lapland (With Regret)," "Morning December 25," "Mary and Joseph," and covers of "White Winter Hymnal," "All Alone at Christmas," and "Pipes of Peace." Grazing the Bandcamp page will allow you to pick and choose among these songs, or collect the full set.

Somehow missed this dropping in November 2023, the long-running 80s rockers from Jersey giving us a solid new Christmas song with the flavor of long-running favorite "Please Come Home For Christmas," not to mention similar lyrical content. Download or stream it at your leisure. 

I just heard about this Philadelphia band's cover of Counting Crows' "A Long December," which apparently only dropped two days before Christmas 2023. I discovered that this is just the latest in an ongoing series for this band, which has previously dropped new original Christmas songs in each of the last four years and is compiling them under the title For the Holidays. All these tunes are pensive mid-tempo indie-rock numbers and each of the originals is a gem.They include "Is It Snowing, Wherever You Are?," the lengthy "Christmas Lullaby," "Peace In Winter" and "Love Lives In Our Hearts, At Christmastime." Nice work, and 100 percent of the earnings from this go to Broad Street Ministry, which provides food and clothing to Philadelphia's homeless. Should make a note to check back each year for as long as this goes on. Visit them on Bandcamp.

Hey, remember Christmas Jollies? The Salsoul disco Christmas album from the late 1970s produced by Vincent Montana of MFSB fame? It's been reissued and remastered a number of times over the years, but for 2023 it's gone full box set edition, a 3-CD set featuring the original album, some outtakes, and an entire second album called Christmas Jollies II done by a different producer, but definitely in that 70s disco realm. I consider it a niche interest item myself, considering how cornball the original album was to my less mature ears, but given how the popular music scene of the last 20 years has consisted of young artists slicing and dicing various versions of past musical genres, maybe we're due for a suburban couples-swapping soundtrack revival. Your call.

Bunnygrunt is a St. Louis-area band that's been around for a couple of decades, and this 2023 collection purports to be "Thirty Years of Holiday Hits By the Grand Elves of Midwest Twee Core." I do know a couple of the cuts here were a single in 2022, for the rest I'll have to take their word. "Twee core" would be a good term to describe this, mostly upbeat rock music in which female vocals and enthusiasm overwhelm typical commercial production values. The previous single included "The Twelve Words of Christmas," a very short rocker, and "Merry Christmas, I DO Want To Fight Tonight," a rejoinder to the Ramones holiday classic. "Season's Freaklings" is an upbeat number with simple lyrics, "Blue Christmas" is an amateurish cover of the familiar tume, "The Hanukkah Scoot" is an instrumental, "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" is a romantic tune with minimal backing, "All I Got For Christmas Was This Lousy Boy" has a slight flavor of 70s glam rock, and "11:59," credited to "Blondiegrunt," is a cover of the Blondie tune that starts with a countdown to tie it to New Year's. Not bad, but more for people with a particular taste for this sort of indie-pop-rock. Grab it from the Bert Dax Cavalcade page at Bandcamp. I will note that the label has nine volumes of this sort of indie rock holiday music, though the newest one is approximately from 2011; maybe someday I'll give them some additional coverage.

Still more surf-styled instrumentals for 2023 from this band located in Bruce Springsteen country, Freehold, NJ. In this case, we get the surf treatment for a familiar Christmas song, mildly influenced by the Phil Spector arrangement of this song. Click the cover for Amazon or go to Bandcamp and get it.

More surf music from this Cambridge, UK instrumental band for 2023. Original instrumentals often have the disadvantage, in the Christmas sphere, of lacking anything that points toward the holiday, and this one falls into that classification, at least until it sneaks in a little Christmas riffing and jingle bells at the end. Grab it from Bandcamp.

Photo Ops is a one-man band out of Los Angeles, and back in April 2023 he issued a full album called Burns Bright that includes this mellow bit of folk-chamber pop that expresses holiday verities but is somehow a little, shall we say, off. On Amazon or Bandcamp.

Solid power pop-rock from this Washington, D.C. band talking about the desire for some sort of New Year's revolution but doubting that it will actually come. A subversive rejoinder to "Auld Lang Syne" for the modern era. From 2023. Click the cover to get it from Amazon or visit their Bandcamp page.

English female trio Peaness has only been around a few years but they seem well on their way to popularity if not stardom as we think of it nowadays. For 2023 they dropped this sweet power pop ode to kissing on the holiday. Flip side is "Sad Season," a weepy ballad complete with violin accompaniment, but it's a nice song that might catch on with more midlle-of-the-road listeners and performers. Download or stream both of them.

This is a Daptone supergroup featuring vocalists Ron Preyer of the Younghearts, Torrence Brannon of the Delfonics, and Clarence Matheney of Los Yesterday. Daptone stalwart Bosco Mann produced and co-wrote this cool vintage soul number that will bring folks out on the dance floor. Gotta have. The label offers vinyl, but download and streaming are the more common ways you'll grab this. The flip side, as was common practice back in the day, is an instrumental of the song.

This prolific Indiana punk band has a history of cutting Christmas records that I wasn't aware of until now. For 2023 they dropped this EP with four tunes, "It's Christmas Time," "What Are You Gonna Get?," "Christmas Every Day" and "The Rain Washed the Snow Away." All are cool pop-punk numbers you should like. Having enjoyed this, you should head over to Bandcamp and check out A John Waters Christmas Tribute, in which they cover four tunes found on the classic Waters Christmas compilation, Nobody Told Me It Was Christmas, The Carols That We Sing, and Christmas Sounds. Further on, you might also be interested in their side project, Ralphie's Red Ryders, in which all the songs relate to the popular movie "A Christmas Story." However, I would note that despite the association, the songs actually don't come off as Christmas songs to my ears. Still, you might have a movie-related playlist or two that these songs would work with.

A long time ago we were constantly posting punk-rock Christmas parodies by this group, and then they released an album they billed as their greatest hits and we forgot all about them. Appears they've been sneaking tunes out all along, and in 2023 they dropped two new ones, a cover of "Last Christmas" and this tune, a parody of Blink 182's "All the Small Things." Head over to Bandcamp and graze their discography page.

Another Boston power-pop ensemble checks in for 2021 with this cool 70s-inspired pop rocker, starting out quiet and delaying the rock 'n roll explosion to the second verse. A fine piece of work, and if the song on its own doesn't tempt you, perhaps you haven't glommed on to several past Christmas singles of the Rum Bar label that are included for the price of a single. They are "Classic Ruins" by Scrooge's Body Shop, "What Will Santa Bring" by Heatwaves featuring Freddie Dilevi, "Some Kind of Christmas" by Stop Calling Me Frank, "Christmas Time Again" by the Connection, and "X'mas Time (It Sure Doesn't Feel Like It)" by The Dogmatics. For some reason "Peppermint" appears twice in this collection, and there appears to be no difference in the two versions. Anyway, you'll pay more for a beer than for this collection, so what are you waiting for? Get it on Bandcamp. UPDATE: For 2023 Rum Bar added two songs to this collection, "Maybe This Christmas" by the Gypsy Moths and "Effin' Dreidel Song" by Jay Allen and the Archcriminals. Still a "name your price selection" at Bandcamp.

Long-running indie outfit Phantom Planet has broken up and reformed a couple of times over the past couple of decades. For 2023, they dropped this midtempo reflective tune that builds to a strong rock climax while expressing a unique view of the holiday.

Long-running hip-hop artist Kweli dropped this joint for 2023, which addresses a war on the holiday that is much different than the one that is frequently claimed to exist in right-wing media.  It's worth hearing, and worth reflecting upon as well.

The official Christmas single of this Colorado Americana group for 2023 is this rather doleful take on a classic carol that is normally rendered as a joyful party song. It's good though, and for those  who are having a downtempo holiday, it may be just what they need.

The actual title of this comedy EP is Merkel and the Merkelettes Sing One Half of a Christmas Classic and a Couple of Songs You've Never Heard Before, but it was too unwieldy for the title field. For 2023, this Philly comedy ensemble only managed to squeeze out four tunes, a fairly smarmy version of "Silver Bells," a weak takeoff on the Beatles "Her Majesty" called "Saint Nicholas," and two originals. "Don't Get Caught Under the Mistletoe" is rendered as some sort of lost World War II pop song and "Christmas Eve in a Communist Bookstore" is a Sixties folk revival satire. They've done better work in previous years, but the latter two songs deserve a hearing. Pop over to Bandcamp and see for yourself.

I've historically done a Christmas Eve letter to the readership, but as with last year my real-life plans will have me far from the Mistletunes workshop on that day, so I'm going to get it in now. Thanks everybody for continuing to read this site, hope I've pointed you to some great music to soundtrack your holiday celebrations, or at least gave you some fodder to frighten your friends, relatives, or work party colleagues. Mistletunes continues to exist in a 2002 version of the internet where there's no social media and not enough bandwidth to host downloads, mainly because the software undergirding this endeavor is stuck in approximately 2009 and no longer allows me to do anything more than make new posts. (Updating the software will take much more money than I make from the Amazon affiliate fees I get from you nice folks who start your Amazon sessions by clicking a live link hosted here.) While streaming cuts into the aforementioned affiliate fees I might otherwise garner, the Mistletunes mission is still useful to folks trying to compile the most up-to-date Christmas season playlists, so I persist for as long as I'm able. So once again, happy holidays of all the various origins, religious or otherwise, that you celebrate, and enjoy this little present below.