Carol of the Ukrain

Carol of the Bells is a well-known Christmas carol, based on a Ukrainian folk chant. Synth lord David Sprinkle (from Washington, Vancouver) decided to have that sung in the original language by a synthesizer plug in called Megurine Luka. And that goes something like this:

Comment

Nine brand new x-mas tracks by A Balladeer!

Well, not yet that is... For now they're still at a crowdfunding stage. But you can already pre-order or make your donation. All songs are originally written by A Balladeer, so no commonplace covers. Get ready for 25 minutes of melancholia (Let It Snow), cynicism (Christmas From Hell) and some everlasting hope (Not Only During Christmas).

This project will not only be available on vinyl and CD, but also on tape cassette!
Not familiar with A Balladeer? Check out these two fine playlists.

==
Update: Mission accomplished! 
==

Comment

Eckhardt & The House

One-man project Eckhardt & The House is lead by Rik Elstgeest. If you're a connaisseur of Dutch leftfield pop, you know Rik of Alamo Race Track, Mass Electric and various projects. In 2015, this blog missed his WONDERFUL christmas single, based on a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke. Singer is Marleen Scholten, who has a gorgeous hoarse voice. It has a 60s vibe, with modern touches. Love this beauty.

Comment

Bloodshot Christmas

This looks promising folks, a compilation by Bloodshot Records, your to-go-to-label when it comes to roots music. They're teasing with a fine track by James Elkington, below, but PLEASE put that Barrence Whitfield track online asap!

Comment

Synthmas

Total sucker for this:

Comment

Headache 24

An X-Mas Tragedy, sung with distorted vocals over guitars with fuzzboxes and an Oompah Loompah-drumbeat. We're all up for that, no? Canadian quartet Headache 24 released this single on January first of this year. Time to re-discover, we say.

Comment

X-Mas Donkey

I like everything about this, the bandname, the Fountains of Wayne-ish sounding song, the synth, the lyrics.

Comment

A Rock by the Sea #8

The eight volume of Rock by the Sea annual Christmas comp is on Bandcamp, money goes to charity as always. To be honest, the songs are a bit bland, you should check out for yourself of course, but nothing really stood up. 'Cept maybe for this rocking rendition of Stevie Wonder's Christmas classic:

Comment

Aaaaand we're back

It's almost that time of the year again folks, so CAGG Team is (slowly) starting, posting the bestests oddest weirdest greatest seasonal tunes we can lay our hands on. We kick off with this power pop tune by Italian/American all-female band Shantih Shantih, released on Bandcamp in January of this year.



And yes, our good friends over @ SAnowflakes Singles Club are at it again also. Feast your eyes on the upcoming vinyl HERE. Liminanas & Pascal Comelade?! WOWZERS

Comment

Happy '17!

We wish you a happy new year, thanks for visiting this blog, commenting, all your tips, and to all artists featured here, thank you for the music. We see back in November. Have a great year.

Comment

Sunny xmas

In the Netherlands we have a second Christmas day, though not really a boxing day. At the moment it's quite sunny here. That reminds me to post this sunny Xmas tune. Major Lazer is the project of the well known American producer Diplo (Thomas Wesley Pentz). On this reggae like song, his MC is Protoje, an artist from Jamaica. Happy sunny Christmas!

Comment

All I Want For Christmas Is Therapy

The lyrics might a bit depressing, but damn this Holiday Song by Norwegian singer Okay Kaya is beautiful. Someone please give that girl some therapy!

Comment

Xmas Hospital

I hope you're all feeling better than I am, stuck with the flu over the Holidays. Maybe I should consider checking into the Xmas Hospital. This song by Dutch band Lovebombers II could be just the right medicine to get me going again.

Comment

The Blues Are Still Blue Christmas Compilation 2016

For the 12th year in a row The Blues Are Still Blue Presents:
The 2016 Christmas Compilation (download here)

01 My Bubba - Champagne Drops
02 Lisa Hannigan - Snow
03 Coeur de Pirate - Last Christmas
04 The Hidden Cameras - Log Driver's Waltz
05 Best Coast - Christmas And Everyday
06 The Pooches - New Years
07 Reindeer Tribe - Mistletoe Christmas
08 Clean Pete & Marien Dorleijn - Gaan We Kerstmis Samen Vieren
09 Howe Gelb - Severe Season
10 Billie Marten - White Christmas
11 The Avonden - IJsbloemen
12 Candy Cigarettes - A Whale's Christmas In Childress, TX
13 Charlotte Carpenter - Cheer
14 Lydia Liza & Josiah Lemanski - Baby It's Cold Outside
15 Marika Hackman- Winter Wonderland
16 Robert Rex Waller Jr - Walking Through Your Town In The Snow
17 Joe Purdy - New Year's Eve
18 Trampled by Turtles - Christmas In Prison
19 The Dyer Spawn - Wild Christmas
20 She And Him - All I Want For Christmas Is You
21 The Grapes & Friends - Christmas Crush
22 Nim Chimpsky - Avocado For Christmas
23 TaxiWars - Death Ride Through Wet Snow

Comment

city of breda chooses best christmas song

The recordshops of the Dutch town Breda compiled a top eleven list with their favorite Xmas tracks. You can find it on the site of the local newspaper BN De Stem. Not surprisingly 'Happy X-mas (War Is Over)' takes the top position with Slade and Band Aid completing the top three. We here at Christmas A Go Go are more charmed by the list from Grey Store one of the most unique recordstores from Holland. In their Xmas Top 10 you'll find songs from The Fall, The Yobs and our favorite Sleigh Shakeris. The Grey Store number one Xmas tune is this punky, almost 40 years old, Kinks classic:

Comment

Electronic xmas

Aaron Funk aka Venetian Snares is a well known name in the experimental electronic music scene. The Canadian is signed to the label Planet Mu. But he released the first Venetian Snares holiday track, the analogue sounding 'Xmas Song', on his own Bandcamp.

Comment

Scarlett & Disher

Laura Scarlett is blessed with a great, nostalgic sounding voice, great for Christmas songs. If you let that voice float on psychedelic fx, you'll get one of the bestest new Christmas songs of the year. Think St Etienne, think A Sunny Day in Glasgow, think Free Design. It's in that range of quality. The cover version on S&D's Christmas EP are cool too, like Jolly Old St Nicholas.
Scarlett & Disher's earlier Xmas song was on this blog before, in Check the Cool Wax's Christmas mix for 2014. If you want to hear it, go HERE.

Comment

Chris Tavener

If you look like a young 50s crooner, write upbeat, funny songs, you belong on this blog. Thanks Chris, for reaching out.

Song is also on Bandcamp

Comment

christmas comes down

A year without a Sufjan Stevens holiday song! But in comes indie-folk singer-songwriter Josh Garrels from Portland, USA. His beautiful album 'The Light Came Down' counts fifteen folky and soulful songs, almost all unknown. But also 'Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel' and 'Silent Night'. Beautiful!

Comment

Shitty Christmas

I was on Dutch Radio 1 to talk about alt.christmas songs, and after I got an email from Rob saying he wrote an anti-Christmas song (well, sort of) too. It's a free download on Soundcloud, and he made a nice video for it. Charming.

Comment