27.12.11

Occupy Pop Songs


So, 2011 has just about ended and I inevitably made up a mix of some stuff I liked this year. I tried to keep it short, but it just ended up ballooning into what it is now, 50 tracks that clock in at 3+ hours. I actually started working on this in September; tweaking, tweaking, tweaking.

25.12.11

Baby, please come home

Darlene Love's Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home), from A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, which is arguably the best Christmas album ever. If you don't have it, seriously, order a copy now and thank me later.

Merry Christmas, peeps!

Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)

19.12.11

Free Christmas

The legendary Johnny Marr posted a free Christmas song, an instrumental with the imaginative title of Free Christmas. Way to really put your heart into it, Johnny. Just kidding, it's actually kinda cool. You can listen to it below or download it from his site, here.

Johnny Marr & The Healers - Free Christmas

17.12.11

Baby, I'm done

Aimee Mann's I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Christmas appears to tell a story from a drug (heroin?) addict's point of view. She wants to kick her habit and then end her life. Bittersweet, in true Aimee Mann fashion. Funnily enough, this is not on her Christmas album, One More Drifter in the Snow; it can be found on 2005's The Forgotten Arm.

Aimee Mann - I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Christmas

15.12.11

Come on, girl, let's go

I'm posting another Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler song just because I really like this album. Just because it's so freaking cold outside. I mean, I know it's not that cold compared to, say, the east coast, but it's been pretty damn cold for San Francisco. Nights have been in the high 30s and low 40s. Days haven't been too bad when it gets up to 55ish. I just don't like it, and I'm totally feeling the sentiment in this song right now.

Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler - Christmas Day (I Wish I Was Surfing)

13.12.11

You're pissing me off

Mayer Hawthorne's The Walk has hooks for days and days and days. Fantastic song and an amusing video, to boot. I finally got around to listening to his new album, How Do You Do, and it's really, really good.

8.12.11

Yuletide advice from Johnny Cash

Gasoline and Christmas trees don't mix. Truer words were never spoken. I think this is a radio spot, but I'm not sure. It's on a compilation called Xmas is Cancelled; it's labeled only as "Interlude."

6.12.11

Xmas Twist

I don't really know much about the Twistin' Kings, but everybody is doin' the Xmas twist and it's pretty awesome!

Twistin' Kings - Xmas Twist

I will love you on your birthday

From ROBOT HERO

Taking a quick break from the Xmas songs. I sometimes try to do a self-portrait on my birthday, but I forgot. Instead, here's a pic I took tonight while I was standing on the corner of Sacramento and Front streets, waiting for a friend. I was only trying out the camera on my new phone. Truly, the height of birthday excitement.

The Bird and the Bee - Birthday

4.12.11

Someone stole my record player

Okay, on to better songs. I thought I posted this one before, but I can't seem to find it. In any case, here is the always wonderful Neko Case covering the Tom Waits' 1978 classic, Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis. You can find this on the Tom Waits tribute album called New Coat of Paint. Ms. Case takes on an already great song and makes it her own. It's definitely worth seeking out.

Neko Case - Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis

This could be the worst Xmas song ever

I never thought I'd post something by Toby Keith, or even Sammy Hagar. I'm just not a fan of either. This is just so cringe-inducing, I can't even like it ironically. I bet this will be a big hit in the midwest and the south, you know, where they thank God that Santa Claus is white and that Toby Keith is an American.

PS - Make sure your pop-ups are enabled for this page, I had to grab an embed code from Mspxxx. I oddly couldn't find any mp3s or videos for this track.

Toby Keith & Sammy Hagar - Santa's Goin' South

Santa's Going South

Christmas Wish

It's been a long, busy week, but we're still here. This time, bring you Christmas wishes from the super cool, Takako Minekawa. Sadly, it doesn't look like she'll be gracing us with new music anymore. At least we still have the gifts she has given us, including her Xmas EP, (A Little Touch of) Baroque in the Winter, upon which you can find this track.

Takako Minekawa - Christmas Wish