Twenty Twelve

Happy New Year! Here are 30 of my favorite songs from the last one,
streamable via spotify or downloadable via dropbox.

2012: TWENTY TWELVE
01. All Alone - fun.
02. Another Ten Reasons  - Young Fresh Fellows
03. Bait And Switch - The Shins
04. Clear Eye Clouded Mind - Nada Surf
05. Don't Do Anything Tonight - Chris Richards + the Subtractions
06. Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns - A.C. Newman
07. Feels Like We Only Go Backwards - Tame Impala
08. Got You Where He Wanted - David Myhr
09. Here in the Deadlights - Brendan Benson
10. (I Keep Thinking About) A New Thing - Field Music
11. I Thought You Knew - Shoes
12. Keep the Blue Skies - Cliff Hillis
13. Love Is A Cult - Stew & The Negro Problem
14. The Love You Love - The Walkmen
15. Metronome - Archie Powell & The Exports
16. No Matter What You Say - Imperial Teen
17. Nothing Can Stop Me Now - Shake Some Action!
18. One Man Show of Sorrow - Oberon Rose
19. Only In My Dreams - Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
20. The Only Place - Best Coast
21. Presence of Mind - The Fresh & Onlys
22. Record Collection - Dan Miraldi
23. Remember (Falling Off The Sky) - The dB's
24. Soul On Fire - Translator
25. Sweetness In Her Spark - Lightships
26. Throw it to the Universe - Soundtrack of Our Lives
27. Unstoppable - Salim Nourallah
28. We Take Care Of Our Own - Bruce Springsteen
29. Wonderland - Allo Darlin'
30. You're the Gold - Ken Stringfellow

And the meek shall inherit the earth....

We've taken care of everything
The words your read, the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eye
It's one for all, none for one
We work together common sons
Never need to wonder how or why

We are the priests of the temples of Syrinx
Our great computers fill the hallowed halls
We are the priests of the temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within our walls

All I Want For Christmas Is You.

Last Christmas, I finally conceded that Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" had become a holiday standard, and (banal lyrics aside) a fairly decent one as holiday standards go.

Here are two of my favorite versions by two Scandinavian bands, who strip the song to its core without all the bombast.

The Figurines (from Denmark)

The Genuine Fakes (from Sweden)

Christmas Sun

Reposted from last year.
If Badfinger had recorded a Christmas song in 1971, it would've sounded like this..


The song is titled "Christmas' Sun", but I think the apostrophe is unnecessary.

(There's No War On Christmas) If Christmas Is In Your Heart

A new holiday song by The Mockers.

Greatest Time of Year

or how I stopped worrying and learned to love Disney holiday music.
I've been sitting on this song for a few years, and it almost made the cut for this year's holiday mix. Maybe 2013?

Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells

Happy Birthday Andy Williams.

Here are the Williams Brothers doing a holiday medley with the Osmond Brothers
(in what may be the whitest Christmas ever).

After Andy Williams passed on earlier this year, I wanted to pay tribute by starting off my 2012 Christmas mix with one of his songs. I grew up with the 1963 Andy Williams Christmas album, which has become omnipresent over the past 50 years.

You can't enter a store during the month of December without hearing "It's the Holiday Season" or "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" at least a dozen times, but my favorite songs off the record were always "A Song For The Christmas Tree" (his version of "12 Days Of Christmas") and "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells" (which should be called "Andy Williams' Jingle Bells").

Mixtape For Christmas

Happy December..  I'm checking to make sure this blog still works!   Here is my 2012 Christmas mix, such as it is.   I've stopped worrying about fitting my compilations on to 80 minute CDRs, but this one is designed to fit on a 90 minute cassette, divided into two ~45minute sides..

MIXTAPE FOR CHRISTMAS

SIDE A: Chestnuts Pop (http://bit.ly/UUa9u9)
01. Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells - Andy Williams
02. Merry Christmas - The Automatics
03. I Want You For Christmas - Cheap Trick
04. Christmas Sun - Cirrone
05. Merry Christmas, Baby - Crocodiles & Dum Dum Girls
06. All I Want For Christmas Is You - The 88
07. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - The Fall
08. All I Want for Christmas Is You - Figurines
09. For The Holidays - The Grip Weeds
10. Mixtape For Christmas - Hey Monday
11. It's Christmas Time - The Incredible Casuals
12. What Am I Gonna Get? - Jamie & Steve
13. Girl Of My Dreams - Jonas Brothers
14. All I Want Is You for Christmas - Kimberley Rew
15. Bernie's 3rd Christmas - Lisa Mychols

SIDE B: The Smile of Rachael Ray (http://bit.ly/U9PB01)
16. Christmastime In the City - Maple Mars
17. The Smile Of Rachael Ray - David Mead
18. Tinsel & String - Neil Innes
19. Here It Is Christmas Time - Old 97's
20. All Hopped Up On Jingle Bells - Punchline
21. Christmas - Rogue Wave
22. Wonderful Christmastime - The Shins
23. Do You Hear What I Hear? - Spiraling
24. Mr. Frosty Man - Sufjan Stevens
25. Tinsel and Lights - Tracey Thorn
26. It Doesn't Feel Like Christmas - Toad the Wet Sprocket
27. Lagavulin For Christmas - Vegas With Randolph
28. Wombling Merry Christmas - The Very Most
29. Warm Lovin' Christmastime - Wilson Phillips
30. Cold Turkey For Christmas - The JAC


Also on Spotify @ playlist Mixtape For Christmas.

Happy Holiday season!  I'm hoping to come out of blogging hibernation this month to post a few Christmas songs for my enjoyment (and your enjoyment if you're still here).