What's New In 2013?

the best and brightest new Christmas releases

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I think I'll call this year "The Mixed Bag Christmas" - not too good, not too bad. Nothing to get too excited about, but some very solid releases, nevertheless. Several significant reissues - both as compact disc and digital download - even as the CD struggles to remain relevant in the marketplace. Regardless, I, like you, love Christmas music. And, rumor has it, Christmas comes every year. Let's do this.

This page includes a long list of the year's most notable Christmas albums (see below), but you should bear in mind that, thanks to the advent of digital technology, some of the most exciting releases are announced very close to the 25th. So, check back often - I'll be updating constantly throughout December!

New Music

As a card-carrying old fart, new Christmas music has limited appeal for me. The years's biggest releases - including best sellers by Kelly Clarkson, Susan Boyle, former X Factor contestant Leona Lewis, and, believe it or not, Duck Dynasty - leave me as cold as Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining. Other prominent releases include albums by country singer Trace Adkins, Toni's sister Tamar Braxton, American Idol contestant Tim Halperin, 90's icon Jewel, Voice contestant Chris Mann, legendary crooner Johnny Mathis, country band Restless Heart, vocal group Straight No Chaser, video princess Elizabeth Chan, and redneck girl Gretchen Wilson, plus soundtracks from Angels Sing, The Best Man Holiday, Glee, and Mad Man.

Perhaps the most promising "big name" release of 2013 is A Mary Christmas from the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul," Mary J. Blige. Sadly, while it's immensely soulful - and Blige has blossomed into a fine, mature vocalist - the album neither hips nor hops. In fact, the most memorable cut is the hyperactive big band arrangement of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer." Overall, A Mary Christmas turns out to be a rather staid and predictable affair - fine if you like very, very smooth R&B, but positively snooze-worthy if you were hoping to "get down on it." Speaking of which, I was also hoping to recommend the Kool For The Holidays by funk and disco pioneers Kool & The Gang. Considering the advanced age of the band, it sounds a lot more contemporary than expected - and that's not a good thing. That is, there's not a lot of funk or disco here, I'm afraid, just tepid grooves and sleepy ballads. Founding member Robert "Kool" Bell remains in charge, but the band is a ghost of it's former self - more like Bell Biv Devoe on an off day than the powerhouse that gave us "Jungle Boogie" and "Celebration."

So, unsurprisingly, the new Christmas music I like the most is made by old farts like me. First on that list is Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection For All The Family, the first-ever holiday recordings by venerable English rocker and power power pop icon Nick Lowe. I'll admit, he sounds a lot creakier (and a lot less excitable) than he did when he was cutting sharp-tongued classics like Pure Pop For Now People and Labour of Lust -  "Jesus of Yule," this is not - but there's a lot to recommend Quality Street. As you might guess from the title, it's not your typical Christmas album. The covers are a little off-the-beaten-path, including Eddy Arnold's "Christmas Can't Be Far Away" and Roger Miller's "Old Toy Trains," and the traditional songs are similarly obscure - "Children Go Where I Send Thee" and "Rise Up Shepherds." But, most impressively, roughly half the album is comprised of Nick's original songs, including the sardonic "Christmas At The Airport."

Much, much louder, but far more predictable, is Bad Religion's Christmas. These elder statesmen of punk - their first album came out over 30 years ago - recorded a fair number of positively scornful holiday songs during their tenure at Atlantic Records in the 1990's. Most were recorded live at promotional radio events, but none of them were released commercially. (Look for a rare, promo-only 1997 CD called Holiday Sampler.) The songs on Christmas have all the sound-and-fury of those early tracks, but very little of the scorn. Rather, the band simply blasts through eight traditional, royalty-free Christmas carols, plus a new mix of "American Jesus" from Recipe for Hate (1993). Listen closely, though, and you'll hear singer Greg Graffin mangle a few of the lyrics in the manner that gave rise to "God Rest You Gerry Mentleman" and "Leon" (that is, "Noel") back in the day.... In much the same vein, we also have the Misfits' three-song digital EP, Horror Xmas, which includes the seldom-covered "Island of Misfit Toys" from the old, claymation Rudolph TV special, plus punk parody albums by the Missile Toads and Angry Snowmans.

Speaking of predictable, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's It Feels Like Christmas Time marks their third holiday release in a catalog that totals just nine albums. As swing revival bands go, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is one of the best, and they're certainly one of the most determined, having outlasted just about every act that rose to prominence during the lounge craze of the late 20th century. It Feels Like Christmas Time will thrill their faithful followers, but it won't win any new converts. Personally, the Daddies have always been too smooth for my taste - I prefer more rambunctious revivalists like the Brian Setzer Orchestra - and It Feels Like Christmas Time only really catches fire on the New Orleans-styled "Frosty The Snowman," the rocked up "Run Rudolph Run," and the peppy original "Christmas Is Starting Now" (originally recorded in 2009 for Phineas And Ferb's Christmas Vacation).

UK dance pop divas Erasure are neither loud nor predictable - but they are definitely growing long in the tooth. That said, they've retained much of the patina that made them all the rage back in the 80's among gay boys and college girls who like to hang around gay boys. Erasure has, in fact, already recorded a couple of Christmas songs - most notably "She Won't Be Home" (1988), which stands up to their very best work - so a full-length Christmas album like Snow Globe seems like the next logical step. The original songs generally stick to the buoyant formula that made them famous ("Bells Of Love," "Loving Man," "There'll Be No Tomorrow"), but Vince Clarke and Andy Bell also have a mordant streak a mile wide ("Blood On The Snow"). The covers include very English choices like "Gaudette" and "Bleak Midwinter" as well as popular favorites like "Silent Night." For me, Erasure was always a bit too fey - I prefer manly men like the Pet Shop Boys (ahem). On Snow Globe, Erasure stays true to themselves, so they didn't change my mind. That said, it's a singular accomplishment, and gay boys and college girls will dig it, as usual. (A deluxe version is available at the Erasure Snow Globe website.)

Now, having said all that.... Despite my encroaching decrepitude, I still look forward to that one "Eureka!" moment of discovery each Christmas - that moment when an artist I'd never heard of pulls out a drop-dead holiday classic. Last year, it was probably Stephie Coplan's blunt "No Assholes At Christmas"; the year before it was Jacob Lyda's neo-country classic "'Tis The Season To Be Lonesome"; and the year before that it was Dustin Kensrue's stunning LP This Good Night Is Still Everywhere. This year it's England's Kate Nash. Her EP Have Faith With Kate Nash This Christmas is a real treasure, mixing touching moments of quiet holiday sentiment ("Silent Night," "Auld Lang Syne") with over-the-top, in-your-face, post-riot-grrl attitude. "It's Christmas once again, but you're fuckin' one my friends!" snarls Kate in the lead-off track, "I Hate You This Christmas," and it just gets nastier from there.

Kate Nash, I have learned, is a pretty big deal in the UK, having won Best Female Artist at the 2008 BRIT Awards when she was all of 21 years old. She sings, writes, plays multiple instruments, and even acts a little. Nash is opinionated and outspoken (about art, politics, and sexuality), and her music is characterized, more than anything, by the sort of confrontational lyrics that distinguish "I Hate You This Christmas." Her best known songs are littered with choice bon mots like "Then you call me a bitch, and everyone we're with will be embarrassed, and I won't give a shit." I think we dated in a past life.... Anyway, on Have Faith With Kate Nash This Christmas, the artist is accompanied by a young, all-female band called The Tuts who make the project "rock" a bit more than Nash's usual fare, which is often compared to Lily Allen's. The Tuts handle one track, "Christmas Is In The Air," by themselves, and their own music can be found on Bandcamp.

Another exciting discovery is the Whiskeybelles, a female country vocal trio from Milwaukee whose album Nothin' Says Christmas Like Whiskey is postively intoxicating. I think of them as this year's Sweetback Sisters, a not-at-all-dissimilar female country vocal duo from Brooklyn, New York. I discovered the Sweetback Sisters very late last season, and their Country Christmas Singalong Spectacular turned out to be one of the best holiday albums of 2012. The Sweetbacks and the Whiskeybelles both specialize in close, tight harmonies, and both groups are, well, full-figured. Thanks to a backing band with serious chops, the Sweetback Sisters are a little higher octane than the laid back, mostly acoustic Whiskeybelles, and they crank the kitsch up a little more than their unassuming mid-American counterparts. Regardless of their relative strengths, both bands glow with creative energy.

Finally, let's talk about several very hip "various artists" collections - all of them wholly non-traditional, though each of them is part of a tradition of sorts. Black Hole Records' Cashing In On Christmas Vol. 5, in fact, threatens to outstay its welcome, since it's the fifth in the series and the fourth volume in just four years. It is, to its credit, the most non-traditional of the bunch, featuring such lovely seasonal odes as "Fuck Your Christmas," "All I Want For Christmas Is The Stanley Cup," and "The 12 Steps Of Christmas." Cashing In On Christmas is available as a digital album from Bandcamp, as are the previous four ear-splitting volumes.

Nearly as loud, but more family-friendly, is Punk Goes Christmas, part of the extensive Punk Goes series on Fearless Records which features modern punk bands covering various strains of music - e.g. Punk Goes 90's, Punk Goes Metal, Punk Goes Pop, and even Punk Goes Crunk, Here, we have bands like New Found Glory, Yellowcard, and Crown The Empire covering Christmas songs. To my ears, Punk Goes Christmas sound more emo than punk, but the song choices are quite surprising - really, Ray Parker, Jr.! That said, there's also a cover of the Kinks' "Father Christmas," which is almost standard issue for this sort of project. Suitable for ages 16 to 25, but likely to induce rage, coma, or both in more seasoned punk rockers.

Last, but hardly least, is Festivus 2, the not-quite-as-delightful follow-up to last year's delightful collection of indie pop from London-based Highline Records. Several acts make a repeat appearance - including Christmas enthusiast Piney Gir - but the roster is mostly fresh, including stand-out tracks from The Lilys, Darling Boy, and Ulysses. I should point out, however, that two of the best songs - by the Priscillas and Glam Chops, respectively - were released well into the last decade. Collections like Festivus 2 are way too common these days - and often offered for free at websites like Noisetrade - but the Festivus series stands a wee bit above the crowd, even if this year's edition doesn't sparkle quite as brightly as last year's.

Reissues

So, if I'm an old fart, then I must love old music, right? Guilty as charged. But, as Christmases go, this has been a particularly old and farty one, with a lot of the action going on in the realm of easy listening. Now, I've developed a certain grudging respect for Christmas music of the non-hip variety - after all, you can't slaughter sacred cows if nobody's raising them - but I have my limits. Take Perry Como, for instance. His Christmas music is certainly iconographic and expertly executed - but it borders on somnambulant. And one of this years most notable reissues is his Complete RCA Christmas Collection, RCA's new version of last year's CD version by Real Gone Music. It's notable, of course, because it's a finely curated collection of historically significant music. It's more notable, however, because it's only available as an MP3 download - easily one of the biggest sets of music to be made available this way by the label that owns the rights to it. RCA could issue a CD - they just don't think they'll make enough money to warrant the paltry investment.

Welcome to the 21st century, I suppose. Even geezers who like Perry Como are abandoning the compact disc! Adding to this argument are a host of other easy listening MP3 reissues including Christmas classics by John Gary, Eydie Gormé, Dean Martin, Norman Luboff, The Moog Machine, Sandler & Young, and Frank Yankovic - as well as country crooner Ray Price.

That said, rumors of the death of the CD are, as yet, greatly exaggerated. Many independent labels are taking one last, heroic stab at reissuing a lot of things, from relative obscurities like The David Rose Christmas Album to unprecedented "complete" packages like the aforementioned Perry Como album and similar sets from Doris Day and James Brown (strange bedfellows, I know). This year, the recipient of such archival largess is Andy Williams. Real Gone Music's The Complete Christmas Recordings would be more accurately titled "The Complete Columbia Christmas Recordings" since it includes only his three albums for that label - Christmas Album (1963), Merry Christmas (1965), and Christmas Presents (1974) - plus a few rarities. It does not include I Still Believe In Santa Claus (1990) or any later recordings, anything by the Williams Brothers, nor any live recordings or music from his long-running Christmas TV specials. Just so you know.... Anyway, other important easy listening CD reissues include a long out-of-print Patti Page album, a two-for-one New Christy Minstrels disc, Al Hirt's 1965 record, and Bobby Darin's lone Christmas album in stereo for the first time.

For the second year in a row, Sony's Legacy division has compiled a series of Classic Christmas Albums that bring together highlights from throughout an artist's career - sometimes including non-LP singles and other stray cuts, even those recorded for labels outside of Sony's mighty grasp. This year those artists include Alabama, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Martina McBride, Barbra Streisand, and, again, Andy Williams. Usually these discs are good introductions but nothing more - great for the neophyte, pointless for the experienced collector. One volume this year is an exception - and maddeningly close to essential: The Classic Christmas Album by country royalty George Jones & Tammy Wynette. While Wynette recorded her own Christmas album in 1970 (Christmas With Tammy, generously sampled herein), Jones never did - but he waxed a number of singles and compilation tracks for a variety of labels between 1957 and 1996. All of them are included except one - "My Mom & Santa Claus," the b-side "Lonely Christmas Call" (1962). Such a glaring omission almost spoils the stew, especially considering that the track would have easily fit on the short, 16-track disc. Still, The Classic Christmas Album is a valuable addition to any collection - and an invaluable purchase for country fans.

Across town, Universal Music has a series called Icon Christmas which is far more generic than Sony's Classic Christmas Album series. This year's installments spotlighting James Brown, Merle Haggard, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Motown, and A Very Special Christmas are worthwhile purchases only if you own nothing by those artists - and are unfazed by the miserly track count (usually ten). But, again, one volume stands out: Glen Campbell. His Icon Christmas represents the first-ever American CD reissue of his 1968 LP That Christmas Feeling - even if it doesn't say so. I should add, That Christmas Feeling isn't up to the standard set by Campbell hits like "Wichita Lineman" or "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," but Glen's fans will love it.

Much like the Classic Christmas Album or Icon Christmas series, you probably won't need to buy John Fahey's Christmas Soli if you are already familiar with his beautiful, brittle music. Fahey recorded five albums of Christmas songs on acoustic guitar, and Christmas Soli includes tracks from four: The New Possibility (1968), Christmas With John Fahey, Vol. 2 (1975), Christmas Guitar, Vol. 1 (1982), and Popular Songs of Christmas & New Year's (1983). Only The John Fahey Christmas Album (1991) is excluded, in part because it's the only onewhere Fahey is backed by something resembling a band. Highly recommended as an introduction to this important, enjoyable body of work.

Not much, I'm afraid, has been reissued this year in the rock arena, and what has been reissued can't be classified as rare. Most of it, however, is pretty great. Our favorite Christmas surf band, The Hollyberries, have released a 7-inch vinyl EP compiling four songs previously released only as MP3 downloads. It's called I Wanna Go Surfin' With Santa! and it's available for a limited time only in lovely blue vinyl. The Gripweeds have released their terrific 2011 album Under the Influence of Christmas on CD for the first time, while fine albums by Paul Revere & The Raiders and They Might Be Giants are newly available for download.

Good jazz reissues are even harder by to come in 2013. One that leaps out is Anita O'Day's Have A Merry Christmas, which was recorded in 1984 with a trio anchored by pianist Joe Castro, but remained largely unreleased until now. The venerable singer is a little past her prime on Have A Merry Christmas With Anita O'Day, but she's still a supple, strong interpreter of classics like "The Christmas Song" - plus one heretofore unheard song, "One More Christmas." Another jazz highlight is Slow Jams Jazz Christmas, a Concord Music Group collection drawn from the rich vaults of Fantasy, Milestone, Prestige, and Telarc Records.

In the rhythm & blues arena, however, several genuinely delightful reissues dropped this Christmas. First and foremost is Funky Christmas, a classic 1976 Cotillion LP. While it was reissued just last year as an MP3 download, it had never been reissued on CD until now, courtesy of Real Gone Music. I must point out that, ironically, Funky Christmas isn't very funky - not in the same way that bands like Parliament or Funkadelic are. Rather, it's soulful, and pretty smooth, too. Preeminent balladeer Luther Vandross, in fact, made his debut on Funky Christmas. Other standout tracks include the Impressions' disco interpretation of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and Margie Joseph's stately "Christmas Gift."

Almost as impressive, and even more obscure, are the rare tracks collected on the second volume of Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party, an anthology from Austrian label Tramp. Like the first volume (released in 2011), this edition of Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party includes some amazingly scare recordings. I mean, I study this stuff obsessively, and I've never even heard of most of these tracks! But, like the last volume, which included Count Sidney's "Soul Christmas," this volume includes at least one record I spent years tracking down and many, many dollars purchasing - "Gee Whiz, It's Christmas" by the Beginning Of The End. But, Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol. 2 is also admirably eclectic, including songs by mainstream vocalist Pearl Bailey (her hilarious "Five Pound Box Of Money," which riffs on the same theme as Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby") and comedian Martin Mull (his funk parody "Santafly").

Document Records' double-disc series called Blues Blues Christmas, meanwhile, has reached its third iteration. Whereas the first volume and second volume stopped in the 1950's, this one extends to 1962 - right to the edge of the European copyright on public domain recordings. Despite having already published four discs packed with blues, jazz, gospel, and R&B classics, Document was able to find 40 more classics ranging from utter obscurities to stellar tracks from Victoria Spivey, John Lee Hooker, Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, Amos Milburn, Freddy King, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Duke Ellington - and they dabble in country (Davis Sisters), doo wop (Penguins), and rockabilly (Groovey Joe Poovey). Blues Blues Christmas Vol. 3 may not be easy to track down - but it's worth it!

And then there's Salsoul Christmas Jollies: Deluxe Edition. Quite a few Christmas disco albums were released back in the 70's, most of them recorded by nameless studio hacks (e.g. The Mistletoe Disco Band) on labels marketed exclusively at supermarkets and truck stops. The Salsoul Orchestra, led by Vince Montana, was a real band with real hits ("Salsoul Hustle," "Tangerine"). That said, their two Christmas albums - Christmas Jollies (1976) and Christmas Jollies II (1981) - are no masterpieces, but they're a whole lotta fun - designed, as the Salsoul slogan proclaimed, to make you "dance your ass off." Christmas Jollies: Deluxe Edition includes both albums in their entirety but is, sadly, available only as an MP3 download. Both albums have previously been reissued on CD - the first one several times - but never with much of an eye on quality. This edition - remastered with lovely cover art - would have made an ideal compact disc, but it was not to be. Maybe next year.

So, if 2013 is "The Mixed Bag Christmas," let's finish up with a brief discussion of the most mixed-up bag of the year, Psych-Out Christmas from Cleopatra Records - a label known for wildly unpredictable quality control (their 2009 CD All Star Salute To Christmas is one of the oddest compendiums of artists I've ever seen). At first glance, Psych-Out Christmas would appear to be a top-notch collection of rare Christmas psychedelia. It is, beyond question, beautifully packaged and, surprisingly well annotated - everything but when the tracks were recorded, and therein lies the problem. Most of Psych-Out Christmas, you see, is by all appearances newly recorded - good stuff, generally speaking, though it's closer to garage rock than psychedelic rock.

And yet two songs on Psych-Out Christmas are very old and beyond obscure: "Frosty The Snowman" by The Candy Store and "Here Comes Santa Claus" by The He 5, both released in 1969. The former track is from a bizarre Decca LP called Turned On Christmas (newly reissued on MP3, by the way), while the latter is by a Korean instrumental band (and is incorrectly identified as "Jingle Bells" on the CD). Topping it off is an excerpt from Len Maxwell's 1964 novelty LP A Merry Monster Christmas and a new mix Iggy Pop's goofy reading of "White Christmas," first released on All Star Salute To Christmas - now with "Stooge" guitars! Like I said, quality control is not Cleopatra's strong suit, and Psych-Out Christmas is a case study.

And then, finally, I wanted to mention several notable collections I ran across that while diggin' the crates, all of which fall outside the scope of this website: Christmas Songs, a sterling collection of classical and pop standards on Decca; A Christmas Caper, which collects holiday songs recorded down through the years by Maddy Prior; and A Christmas Carol/A Child is Born, a limited reissue of two Bernard Herrmann soundtracks from boutique label Kritzerland.

Singles

Like most people these days, I suffer from a creeping case of media-induced Attention Deficit Disorder. Maybe that's why singles are so much fun. It's so much easier to decide if it rules or if it sucks. This year has brought a cornucopia of hip treats - and I suspect a few more will arrive as the 25th approaches.

Antigone Rising, Santa You Owe Me
This was a big year for this all-female country rock band with the unfortunate name. First, guitarist and songwriter Kristen Ellis-Henderson was pictured on the cover of Time Magazine kissing a girl (her wife, to be exact). Then, they cut an ass-kicking Christmas single. Hot lesbians making hip Christmas music - my fantasy made real!

The Bell Peppers, I Can't Wait for Xmas
An indie rock band from Manchester, England, the Bell Peppers have released a lot of music through Bandcamp, but this is their first formal commercial release. According to their Facebook page, they "half planned" a holiday EP - even releasing a video of Merry Xmas (War Is Over) - but this irresistible slice of glam is all we ended up getting.

Joe Bonamassa, Christmas Date Blues
Premier modern blues artist Joe Bonamassa is offering this chestnut, originally waxed by Big Joe Turner in 1948, for free on his website. Fair warning: It starts playing very loudly the moment you load the page, and there's no "off" button.

Cat Power, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
With her hypnotic vocal style, Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) is made-to-order for presenting this melancholy, yet hopeful holiday classic. Debuted in an Apple advertisement (and subsequently offered exclusively through iTunes), the song certainly begs the question of what a full Cat Power Christmas album might sound like....

The Connection, Christmas Time Again
I passed on a single called Rock 'n' Roll Christmas this power pop band released last year because, well, it looked stupid. Turned out, it was awesome, and they've followed it up with another hard-drivin', jangly gem. I won't make the same mistake twice.

Deacon Blue, You'll Know It's Christmas
This too-cool-for-school UK art pop outfit have recorded a couple of minor Christmas tracks in the past, but this one feels like they really meant it. The lead track is great, but I think I like one of the b-sides, "Twelve Nights," most of all.

Diabolical Machines, Drinking Alone On Christmas
A moody bit of garage rock, Drinking Alone On Christmas is one of 2013's happiest, booziest surprises. The Machines are an indie rock band from Ft. Worth, Texas, and this track is a freebie from Bandcamp - where you can also purchase their debut EP, Drag You Away.

Dollyrots, I Saw Mommy Biting Santa Claus
I can't say I like this track as much as previous efforts Messed Up Xmas, Because I'm Santa, or Santa Baby. But, I love the fact that it accompanies the book A Zombie Christmas Story written by Matt Mogk and illustrated by Chad Lewis. You can download an MP3 for free, buy a high-def version, or watch the video.

Foghat, Winter Wonderland
I'd like to say something witty or insightful about this track, but it is what it is. It sounds exactly like Foghat playing the living shit out of a Christmas standard at maximum fucking volume. Imagine that.

Lita Ford & Cherie Currie, Rock This Christmas Down
These two gracefully-aging babes used to be in a band called the Runaways that also, by the way, spawned the great Joan Jett. Maybe you saw the movie. After all these years, Ford and Currie finally got back together and, in their own words, "We so rocked it!"

Happy Fangs, All I Want For Christmas Is Halloween
I troll through Amazon and iTunes obsessively, looking for odd and unusual Christmas music. Mostly, I find crap like this. And this. And especially this. But, once in a while it pays off. Not sure who the Happy Fangs are, but their single is like the great lost Christmas song that Siousxie & The Banshees never recorded.

Richard X. Heyman, I Can't Wait
I bought a book about one of my favorite genres, power pop, a few years ago - Shake Some Action by John Borack. It made me realize how many artists of great repute I had never collected, and, sadly, probably never would. Richard X. Heyman was near the top of that list, but I least I have this great track.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Big Bulbs
Neo-soul queen Jones is back from a triumphant battle with cancer, so I couldn't be happier to download this free track from Google Play (account required). Unfortunately, it's priced appropriately. True, it's a funky good time, but in terms of songwriting, Big Bulbs is barely there. Certainly, it's no Ain't No Chimneys (In The Projects). Big Bulbs is just one of six tracks available for free through Google's Holidays Uncovered promotion.

The Killers featuring Dawes, Christmas in L.A.
Once again, Las Vegas rockers the Killers grace us with a holiday track in support of the (RED) foundation, which fights AIDS worldwide. This song is almost normal compared to some of their previous efforts (c.f. Don't Shoot Me Santa, 2007), owing perhaps to the sobering presence of Dawes - which also explains the change in locale.

The Klitz, We'll Always Have Christmas
Singer and guitarist Lesa Aldridge is the most famous aspect of this all-girl group from Memphis: she inspired some of Big Star leader Alex Chilton's best songs, and then broke his heart. But, the Klitz are musically significant as one of the city's first punk bands. Back in the day, they barely recorded a thing, and so their 2011 album Glad We're Girls, recorded by Alridge and fellow founding member Gail Clifton, represents their functional debut. Later that year they released a 7-inch Christmas single (We'll Always Have Christmas b/w Noel Motel), and the country-flavored a-side has been reissued this year with new cover art.

Lots Of Love, Lover Man For Christmas
Singer/songwriter Jessica Fleischer released her debut LP this year - From The Start, produced by Rooney frontman Robert Schwartzman. Her holiday freebie (available at Soundcloud) retains the classic pop feel of the album, plus a titillating dollop of cheekiness.

Melody Michalski, New York Snow
According to the "lamestream" media's unending War on Christmas (no, really), we're supposed to say "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas," right? Well, the logical conclusion to that line of thinking may be the "seasonal song." This effervescent pop song falls squarely into that category - no mention of the holidays, just a lot of winter weather and sweet, sweet love.

Rhett Miller, Christmas Is Coming
As frontman for the Old 97's, one of Texas' finest alternative country bands, Rhett Miller waxed a couple of Christmas songs including the lovelorn original Here It Is Christmas Time (2007). He recorded this new track under his own name along with emerging singer/songwriter Sydney Wayser. Free through Noisetrade - but leave a tip, Scrooge.

New Mendicants, A Very Sorry Christmas
This one nearly slipped by me because I, like most of you, hadn't heard of the New Mendicants. Turns out, they were one of my favorite bands! You see, this oddly-named outfit consists of Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake, the Pernice Brothers' Joe Pernice, and the Sadies' Mike Belisky. Quite the pegigree.... The digital single also includes "A Very Sorry New Year's" (which rocks harder than its jangly a-side) and it precedes the band's debut album, Into The Lime, due in 2014.

Night Birds, Less The Merrier
In their own words, this band is comprised of four thoroughly modern morons from Brooklyn and New Jersey who create a surfy punk rock. "Less The Merrier" is part-and-parcel with that mission statement - it just happens to be about hating Christmas. From their album Born to Die in Suburbia.

Lisa Pankratz, Kisses for Christmas
Back when I owned a record store and Charlie Burton worked there, drummer Lisa Pankratz used to drop by once in a while. Always seemed like a lovely person, but when she played her drums she'd give off both a hint of danger and a palpable aura of cool. I've seen her play with bunches of Austin acts, including Charlie, but she's these days she lends her beat to former Blaster Dave Alvin.

Silhouettes, Under The Mistletoe
This neo-garage song by a surf pop band from Amsterdam is the best of four pretty terrific singles released as part of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, which doubles as a pretty terrific blog about Christmas singles past and present. The other three are Everything You Wanted by the Miserable Rich, Christmas Song by The Garlands, and Simple Feeling by Smoke Fairies. Also available on vinyl.

Stratocruiser, Put The X Back In Xmas
Over the years, this North Carolina band has progressed from melodic jangle pop to something darker, denser, and heavier. Their annual free Christmas single mirrors that evolution, with a deep streak of naughty to go with it. Pick it up at Bandcamp, or download nine years worth of singles bundled as Presents.

Yo La Tengo, Toymageddon
I love me some Yo La Tengo. What other indie rock couple has survived so long? (Rest in peace, Thurston and Kim.) Besides, everything they do - from underwater muzak to Beach Boy covers - is just fantastic. Having said that, Toymageddon is, well, unexpected. It sounds about right, but it features comedian Eugene Mirman and NPR host Ira Glass in a song about the "ultimate war on Christmas" that's part of 2776, an upcoming musical about America's first millennium. Maybe the video will make more sense.

Zombies, Christmas For The Free
This song dates back to 1973 when former Zombie Rod Argent's eponymous band recorded it for their album In Deep. This excellent new version was originally released on Breathe In, Breathe Out (2011) by the reactivated Zombies featuring Argent and Colin Blunstone. This year it's been reissued as a single with new cover art.

As I said, stay tuned - more singles will arrive very close to Christmas. For now, other singles of note include:

• All Through the Night (Heart featuring Richard Marx)
• The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) (Johnny Mathis featuring Billy Joel)
  
• Coming Out For Christmas (Crystal Bowersox)
• Deck The Halls (Jewel)
• Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Toni Braxton & Babyface)
• I Can't Help It, I Just Like Christmas (Rick Moranis)
• Little Klinker... The Pup That Woke Santa Up (Tennessee Ernie Ford, 1960)
• The Man With The Bag (Kellie Pickler)
• Please Come Home For Christmas (Heart featuring Aaron Neville)
• Run, Run Rudolph (Whitney Wolanin)
• Silent Night (Manowar)
• Stille Nacht (Manowar)
• This Christmas (Mary J. Blige)
• 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Charlie Daniels)

My Christmas List

Anyway, the list below is a look at the new albums that I think will be of interest to people who love holiday music that rocks, rolls, swings, or twangs - meaning that it is neither a list of my recommendations nor a comprehensive list of new releases. Hope you find it useful. What have I missed? Drop me a line...

Randy Anthony

Previous Years. We've been compiling this "what's new?" list for a while, going back to 2003 (Gary Hoey, Jackson 5), 2004 (Chris Isaak, Dwight Twilley), 2005 (Diana Krall, Brian Setzer), 2006 (Aimee Mann, Bootsy Collins), 2007 (Smithereens, Darlene Love), 2008 (Weezer, Pretenders), 2009 (Bob Dylan, Los Straitjackets), 2010 (James Brown, Shelby Lynne), 2011 (Killers, Carole King), and 2012 (Rod Stewart, Polyphonic Spree).

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