Early 2017 Releases, Phoebe Bridgers, The National and more...

Hey everybody,

Yeah were back with our all too casual approach to blogging the best indie and alternative Chrsitmas songs. It's been a slow start to the season but we are hopeful the usual rush of radio show appearances will give us something to add to my playlists. So far we've had some little nuggets of Christmas peaking through the British rain. Maybe it'll turn to snow but I doubt it.

Gregory Porter got in early throwing a classic version of The Christmas Song onto his Nat King Cole covers album. It's silky smooth, probably not different enough to get onto one of our playlists but It's lovely all the same. Here's a live version the studio version is available on album "Nat King Cole & Me" out now. 



This next song was out last year but I didn't really pick up on the band until this year. Not until they released Moonshine Freeze and I heard it on BBC 6 Music. Anyway it's the Charlie Brown song they covered last year. It's in much the acoustic vein as Mark Kozelek's (Sun Kil Moon) version however there is just a bit more hope in this version.





Back to this year we got a single from Girl Ray. Another lo-fi female fronted band. Also another band who came to me this year through BBC radio. The woozy reaching vocals took some getting used to at first but it's a perfect fit for this story of longing.




We get quite a few messages asking us to include songs here. Some of it is really awful and I'll admit I know nothing about this dream pop duo, and I didn't think I wanted to 20 seconds into this track they sent me (they actually sent me a broken link, I had to find it myself!!!) however as the guitars got scuzzier towards the end I realised i really liked this. At least someone sounds like they are enjoying the season among all these sad songs. Better still the track is free! go get it. 


After that we have the much tipped Phoebe Bridgers doing a suitably sad version of the Garland classic "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" too many covers this miss the sadness of Meet Me In St Louis but it's right here. It's not exactly like any of the songs on  
her recently released debut album but it's definitely going to make one of my playlists. 




And finally for this post, the National have been quietly becoming one of indies biggest bands, they have released a cut from Bob Burger's. It's all sort of Christmas Melancholy which is something I can relate to. It's been around since the original episode but only now has it seen a proper release on a compilation of music from the series. 

Comments

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl23WhQIhfs On Christmas Day by Erik Koskinen

    Hey, good to see you back.
    I saw the Low Christmas gig in Bristol in December last year and Erik Koskinen supported and played with them. His Christmas single had just been released and it's a cracker....it deserves a wider audience. Low played it on their BBC 6 Xmas show when they were here.
    Looking forward to further Xmas tune recommendations from you!

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    Replies
    1. I'm straight off to check that out. The Low Christmas album on vinyl remains on my Christmas wishlist to this day.

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