The Kooks hail from Brighton, United Kingdom. They only have one record out so far with another one out perhaps early next year. They also have a ton of B-Sides, but only a few of them are readily available to a bloody Yank like myself. Anyway, the point is that they're a really good band. They write mostly catchy pop songs, kind of like a 4th generation Beatles, but they also show the influence of things like folk, blues, and even a little reggae sort of. Their heavy English accents are infinitely endearing and their songs of heartache are infinitely believeable. I first heard them working at Old Navy; it seems like a lot of music I start to like these days comes from where I work. So anyway, check them out, becaus they are good, I promise.I also made myself a Christmas playlist on my iPod, because lately Christmas has kind of been sneaking up on me, and I figure listening to music early on will help force me into the Christmas spirit. The warm weather doesn't help. I made it from a few songs I already had, plus a few I bought on iTunes. Hopefully I can add to it if I think of more Christmas music that isn't lame.
1) Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Death Cab For Cutie (much better than the U2 version if you ask me, and I only just learned that song wasn't originally by U2 anyway, so I don't feel too bad saying that)
2) Santa Claus Is Coming to Town by Bruce Springsteen (It's the Boss)
3) Christmas Must Be Tonight by The Band (One of my absolute favorite Christmas songs - it's one of very few recently-written non-standard Christmas songs that I think captures the spirit without being embarrassingly lame - it's pretty touching really)
4) Christmas Must Be Tonight (Early Alternate Version) by The Band (I play the playlist on shuffle, so these won't play together - it's interesting to hear this more upbeat take on the song)
5) Christmas Time (Is Here Again) by The Beatles (every year The Beatles released a Christmas record to their fanclub and I think this is the last one - the song is very weird and you can tell they're just having fun with it - I believe this is the only Christmas fan club record to have been released on CD as the B-Side to "Free As A Bird")
6) The Twelve Days Of Christmas by Taking Back Sunday (this is okay, it's a dialogue between Adam and Fred while Fred sings the twelve days of Christmas on the acoustic guitar, it kind of drags on though)
7) 2000 Miles by The Pretenders (this is a really good song, and it stands as it's own apart from being a Christmas song)
8) A Great Big Sled by The Killers (I hope the Killers release a new Christmas song every year, they have the past two and they've both been interesting - this one's pretty good at capturing a genuine Christmas spirit without being lame and still being identifiable as a Killers song)
9) Don't Shoot Me Santa by the Killers (this song is really, really weird, but really entertaining - more proof that the Killers don't always have to take themselves seriously, which I think is important for a band)
10) Winterlude by Bob Dylan (I don't think this is really a Christmas song, but iTunes had it on this essential classic rock Christmas list and I already had the song, so I figured why not add it to my playlst - it is a winter song, so I guess it's as much a Christmas song as something like Let It Snow and it's a nice waltzy song from Dylan's home by the fire period)
11) Blue Christmas by Johnny Cash (normally I don't really care for this song, but Johnny Cash can make any song good, if you don't believe me, ask Drew)
12) Merry Christmas Baby by Otis Redding (this song is so good, I just love Otis Redding's voice)
13) Merry Christmas Baby by Bruce Springsteen (cover of the above song, again, it's the Boss)
14) Little Drummer Boy/Silent Night/Auld Lang Syne by Jimi Hendrix (this is okay, it's pretty much a guitar solo by Hendrix where he quotes all these songs a la his Star Spangled Banner)
15) Silent Night by Stevie Nicks (this version of the song is pretty good, it's not the best thing on the playlist but it's nice to listen to)
Make your own Christmas playlist to force yourself into the Yuletide Spirit
Also, buy records like Inside In/Inside Out by the Kooks.
Hugz 'n' kissiz,
Sean
2 comments:
Yeah, the Kooks are pretty good. They seem like music one would hear at Old Navy.
I'm very disappointed that you left out some very excellent Christmas songs.
1) Baby Please Come Home, Anberlin (I think they're better than Death Cab, but I haven't heard their version)
2) Last Christmas, Jimmy Eat World (classic for so many reasons)
3) All I Want For Christmas is You, Mariah Carey (Best song, Christmas or otherwise, ever)
4) Wizards in Winter, Trans Siberian Orchestra (Eh, I like it)
5) She Came Home for Christmas, Mew (they're Old Navy type music)
6) Santa Can You Hear Me, Britney Spears (Come on, it's Britney!)
7) Holiday in Spain, Counting Crows (not really a Christmas song, just a good one about vacations)
And there are many more, but I guess it's a personal thing, right?
Even more Christmas songs you carelessly overlooked:
1)God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Bright Eyes (actually that entire album, A Christmas Album, is really good but that's probably my favorite song on it.
2)Last Christmas, Wham! (I love the Jimmy Eat World version, but rather than sing the second verse this just sing the chorus like 4 times...lazy)
3)St. Stephen's Day Murders, Elvis Costello & The Chieftains (it's actually more Christmas-y than the name sounds)
4)Last Christmas, Jimmy Eat World (I lied about the Wham! thing...extra verse aside it really isn't worth listening to the original)
5)I Won't Be Home For Christmas, Blink 182 (carolers get hit with bats...classic)
6)Yule Shoot Your Eye Out, Fall Out Boy (perhaps the most depressing Christmas song around, but still really good)
7)Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24, Trans-Siberian Orchestra (it's essentially just the Carol of the Bells and it's awesome)
8)Happy Xmas (War Is Over)- John Lennon (how am I the first person to have this?)
9)God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Barenaked Ladies
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