Archive for the 'christmas' Category

Julian Casablancas covers an SNL Classic

This is what happens when you get Jimmy Fallon, Horatio Sanz, and Julian Casablancas all on one stage at the same time.  Really.  Click over and watch the video.  If this doesn’t make your heart ready for Christmas I don’t know what will.

And apparently Jules has gone one better and recorded the perennial SNL favorite sketch as a bonafide single.  Enjoy and Merry Christmas.

mp3 : Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Was Christmas Today

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Gossip Girl vol 11 and 12

That’s right, two volumes {aka two episodes} of Gossip Girl recap in one little post. This will get me all caught up on the drama that unfolds every Wednesday on the CW here in the states {and on various other affiliates on various days elsewhere}. This first episode aired quite awhile back and was the episode during which Christmas was celebrated, Rufus and his no-name-good-for-nothing {and not too attractive} wife hit splitsville, and Serena {with a ton of help from Vanessa} finally gave Dan her Christmas present {if that’s what the kids are calling it these days. And speaking of that particularly cheeseball love scene, does anyone know where Serena got all those projectors, where the were positioned in the room, or how she happened to cover three walls with video with nary a piece of equipment or cable in sight? On to the music.

All the files {both episodes} in one zip : here {zshare = left click}

mp3 : Band of Horses - The General Specific
mp3 : McGuire Sisters - Christmas Alphabet
mp3 : The Dan Band - Christmakwanzakah
mp3 : The Weepies - All That I Want

Obviously I’m a huge fan of Band of Horses so I figure any inclusion of their music on this show is well deserved {and no, it’s not selling out to put your tunes on television}. The rest of the tracks were holiday specific with McGuire Sisters providing a nice classic sound, The Dan Band apparently was chosen because the instrumental segment of this song was catchy {even though the entire song as a whole is kinda weak, especially the chorus}, and the Weepies track is a wonderful inclusion. I’ve long loved the Weepies and I applaud almost every song I’ve heard by them.

This is the latest episode of Gossip Girl {that being episode 12}. In this episode Rufus was turned down, again, by Lil, but this time she was running from love {to money} at the behest of her daughter whereas before it was at the prodding of her uber manipulative mother. It appears as if Dan and Serena made it through their most recent rough patch {usually dealing with the tension between the haves and the have nots} except at the end we found that Serena only escaped a real punishment, which should have been well deserved, because {as Dan predicted} someone donated enough money in her name to get her out of trouble. Does that make Serena the OJ Simpson of the show?

All the files {both episodes} in one zip : here {zshare = left click}

mp3 : LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
mp3 : One Republic - Come Home
mp3 : Oppenheimer - Breakfast in NYC
mp3 : The Filthy Youth - Come Flash All Your Ladies
mp3 : The Filthy Youth - Orange

If you haven’t heard this track by the now infamous LCD Soundsytem you’ve either been living overseas {think remote parts of Tibet} or you haven’t been to a real party in the last nine months. It’s a great song with a slow build from start to finish, but I swear, sometimes when I listen to LCD I just can’t help saying “I liked it better the first time I heard it, when it was called Moby.” Next up is another solid track by One Republic {whom I insist must have a space between the words in their title} and although it’s not as popping as the Timbaland remix of Apologize {what could be?} it’s still a solid song. A song that reminds me a lot of Jon McLaughlin with a little slice of John Lennon’s Imagine piano line thrown in. Next in the mix is Oppenheimer, a little duo out of Nothern Ireland that I’m currently fascinated with. I feel like this song is The Flaming Lips filtered through the best Swedish pop you’ve ever heard. It’s all warm and fuzzy and local. Last in the mix is The Filthy Youth, a band who creates dirty punk infused post modern rock akin to Kaiser Chiefs or a slightly less swagger filled Strokes. Orange is clearly the better of the two tracks.

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Scott Boehner

Labelling yourself a new wave artist basically means I have no idea what you’re attempting to sound like. In the case of Scott Boehner, also known as Maple Plain or Scotty and the Help, new wave music sounds very glitchy and beep laden while maintaining a strong melodic narrative. Think the Killers meets Dntel meets Joy Electric meets a Commodore 64. If that’s not confusing you enough then I need to try harder in my future reviews of new wave musicians.

All that aside Scott Boehner writes vignettes about being kidnapped for love, what Robinson Crusoe would do if he was on Mars, pleading with Jesus to save us as Santa is dead, or other such slightly off kilter storylines. Although it would appear on the surface that he doesn’t take his music very seriously I would say it is anything but silly computer blips a kid looped together with Acid Pro. Granted, Scotty and the Help isn’t a sound for everyone in the world, but there is a maturity of composition and melody mixed in with his sense of humour. Three of the tracks below appear on Scott’s 2006 release Creature or Companion (iTunes).

mp3 : Scotty and the Help - Santa Claus is Dead
mp3 : Scotty and the Help - Kidnapped For Love
mp3 : Scotty and the Help - Mr. Atomic
mp3 : Scotty and the Help - Robinson Crusoe on Mars

Recently a friend of mine who maintains a video blog {not the traditional ’save britney’ or ‘this is my life every day… it’s dull’ type of vlogging. more of a video archive} took the trailer for I Am Legend and put Scott’s song Last Man on Earth {written and recorded in 2006} to it. It’s gotten a bit of attention over on YouTube. You should check it out here. It’s strange how perfectly the song fits the premise of the movie.

For those of you who still aren’t sold on Scott Boehner you can check out his side project, Maple Plain, which he describes as “a very Eels/Pedro/Okkervil River-inspired thingy.” I’d say that description pretty much hits the nail on the head. With this outfit Scott creates a slightly melancholic brand of folk music filled with simple, but somehow tragic, layers of sentiment and longing.

mp3 : Maple Plain - On The Inside
mp3 : Maple Plain - What I Came Here For

Personally I feel as if What I Came Here For is the best track of the bunch I put up here. At times I could see this track even reflecting the modern day resurgence of gypsy, carnival, eccentricism found in acts like Beirut.

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Chris Garneau

Chris garnered a bunch of press about eleven months ago when his debut full length, Music for Tourists (iTunes), dropped.  It even led some people to predict Chris’ rise into many of the ubiquitous best albums of 2007 lists on every blog and website.  While I have yet to see Chris appear on a single top album list it doesn’t detract from the quality of his music.  If anything I would attribute his Houdini act to timing as opposed to talent.  I mean honestly, who remembers albums from almost a full year ago?

Recently he has been touring to help promote his new EP called C Sides (iTunes).  I’m not entirely sure if this is just a cheeky play on the phrase b-sides or if it actually references the ocean theme apparent in The Island Song.  Or maybe his mates all call him C, so he thought that titling his EP C Sides would really be self titling this little five song ditty.  What I do know is that the track below, It’s Almost Christmas, hails from this new EP and is both elegant and perfectly timed for the holiday season.  The other two tracks can be found on the aforementioned Music for Tourists.

mp3 : Chris Garneau - It’s Almost Christmas
mp3 : Chris Garneau - Black & Blue
mp3 : Chris Garneau - Relief

While much attention has been drawn to the similarities bewteen Chris Garneau and Rufus Wainwright the real similiarty I hear when I listen to Chris has my brain alinging him in the camp of Regina Spektor.  Have a listen and be your own judge.  Chris makes solid music.

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Harry Connick Jr

What would the holiday season be without the modern day counterpart to Bing, Andy, and Frank?  I label Harry Connick, Jr. as a contemporary counterpart to those classic three because he tends to create in a timeless style.  He’s not as present-day-centric as Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes, or Sufjan.  He plays jazz with some swing {and swagger} and he doesn’t care who knows it.  Personally I find some of his songs a bit too much, and I prefer Harry’s acting career to his music, but it still wouldn’t be a true holiday season without some of Harry for the Holidays (iTunes).

mp3 : Harry Connick Jr - Frosty The Snowman
mp3 : Harry Connick Jr - Jingle Bells
mp3 : Harry Connick Jr - The Christmas Waltz

I chose these three tracks because they showcase the breadth of Harry’s trademark swing.  This will be one of the last remaining Christmas posts I do as I’m working on BOTM vol 3, BOTR vol 1, and my year ending list of best albums {you’ll probably be surprised what my top ten are} for next week.

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Arcade Fire

In 2002, yes long before their debut was released, Arcade Fire sat down with some friends and guest musicians and sang some ditties.  An important addendum to this recording is that front man Win has claimed he doesn’t sing on any of the tracks.  The rumour is that the vocals are from a variety of sources all attempting to imitate Win Butler’s characteristic wobble.  Regardless of the actual history the tracks are a gem for any true fan of Arcade Fire.

mp3 : Arcade Fire - A Very Arcade Xmas
mp3 : Arcade Fire - Chestnuts Roasting
mp3 : Arcade Fire - Oh Holy Night

I’m not sure if anyone really wants this version of Chestnuts Roasting as it honestly sounds as if there was a bit to much of the good stuff passed around Win’s apartment that night.  All three tracks I’ve posted here sound a bit like a joke or parody of Christmas music and I take it that was the sound these cheeky Canadians were aiming for.  Easily the one you need to hear is A Very Arcade Xmas.

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Bright Eyes

In 2002 Conor Oberst got together with a load of friends and recored an album simply entitled A Christmas Album.  The album is only available for purchase from Saddle Creek and all profits of the album sale go to benefit the Nebraska AIDS Project.  If you would like to buy the album you can go here to order a copy or you can go straight to the Nebraska AIDS Project website for more information on their organization.   Below are three tracks from this album which is a nice modern Bright Eyes style take on a lot of traditional Christmas fare.

mp3 : Bright Eyes - God Rest Ye Merry Gentelmen
mp3 : Bright Eyes - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
mp3 : Bright Eyes - The Night Before Christmas

The last track, The Night Before Christmas, is a dramatic reading of the classic Christmas poem set to a plinking piano track.  It’s a wonderful way to hear The Night Before Christmas.  Guests on the album include Jake Bellows, Gretta Cohn, Armand Costanzo, Denver Dalley, Stephanie Drootin, Orenda Fink, Neely Jenkins, Jiha Lee, Andy Lemaster, Mike Mogis, Matt Oberst, Stephen Pedersen, Blake Sennett, Macey Taylor, and Nick White.

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Seriously West Coast vol 02

Back in September the Vancouver Sun released their first compilation album with the help of a decidedly Canadian cast of musicians.  The songs on that compilation were a solid gathering of sounds and with a little digging they can still be found on the interwebs.  This time around the Vancouver Sun released yet another completely free digital download filled with amazing artists.  And, this time, there is a holiday theme that runs through all the music.

Enjoy the tracks below.  For a limited time you can download the entire compilation in high quality mp3 format direct from the Vancouver Sun here.  The tracks below comprise the entire album and I’m making them available as not everyone in the world has broadband or the desire to hear each and every track that ever found a website.  Cheers.

All the tracks in one zip : here {zshare = left click}

mp3 : Barenaked Ladies - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
mp3 : The Weepies - All That I Want
mp3 : Sarah McLachlan - Silent Night
mp3 : Matt Wertz - What Child Is This
mp3 : Liily Frost - Skating On The River
mp3 : Oh Susanna - Go Tell It On The Mountain
mp3 : Medieval Baebes - The Holly & The Ivy
mp3 : The Be Good Tanyas - Rudy
mp3 : Barenaked Ladies - Elf’s Lament
mp3 : Melissa McClelland - O Holy Night
mp3 : Jars of Clay - Hibernation Day
mp3 : Jenny Owen Youngs - Things We Don’t Need Anymore
mp3 : Martha Wainwright - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
mp3 : Kyle Andrews - Under The Mistletoe
mp3 : Leigh Nash - The First Noel
mp3 : Sarah McLachlan - The First Noel (DJ Shah Remix)

Standout tracks on this mix include the songs by Medieval Baebes, The Be Good Tanyas, Melissa McClelland, Jenny Owen Youngs, and Kyle Andrews.

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Damien Rice

Damien Rice is an amazing artist with great talent.  His voice and his style stand in a class of their own.  Another great thing about Damien is that he’s worked closely with Lisa Hannigan on a lot of his tracks.  Putting these two artists in the same room is like putting early Simon and Garfunkel together.

I’m not sure if these tracks, like yesterday’s post about Simon and Garfunkel, actually qualify as Christmas music but seeing as how this is my blog, and I don’t really care, I can post whatever I feel like.  So here’s some tracks from Mr. Rice.  Enjoy the tunes.

mp3 : Damien Rice - Happy Christmas (War Is Over) (Live on KCRW)
mp3 : Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan - Silent Night

This reworking of Silent Night is particularly amazing.  Definitely give it a listen if you haven’t already.

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Simon and Garfunkel

Although this track doesn’t technically qualify as a Christmas track it also doesn’t technically not qualify as Christmas music.  Regardless of where this song should be lodged in the flowchart of musical data it is still worth a listen.  And on a side note it’s one of the earliest mashup songs I’ve ever heard, even if the two tracks mashed together are a news broadcast and the song Silent Night.  I also find it amazing that even after all these years, this song was recorded in 1966 and appeared on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (iTunes), this track still speaks mightily to the modern day political and cultural atmosphere we live in.

mp3 : Simon and Garfunkel - 7 O’Clock News (Silent Night)

This version of the song comes from an older compilation set called Collected Works which is no longer in production.  It can now be found on another compilation album entitled Tales from New York.  It’s one of my favorite tracks by this legendary duo and as politically charged as it is, I still think of this song around Christmas time.

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Frank Sinatra

I don’t think any Christmas collection could be considered complete without a little Frank Sinatra in the mix.  His style, his voice, and most of all the particular way that he phrases classic songs set Frank apart.  There’s something ultimately cool about everything he’s ever touched.  We all still love the mob {in a weird way} and on some level each and every one of us has wanted to roll with a cocked fedora on our head {even though Britney tried her hardest to reverse that trend}.

These tracks come from the Sinatra album simply entitled The Christmas Collection (iTunes) and I believe this selection not only showcases him at his finest but also at the peak of what I would refer to as Sinatraness.

mp3 : Frank Sinatra - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
mp3 : Frank Sinatra - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
mp3 : Frank Sinatra - Silent Night
mp3 : Frank Sinatra - The Christmas Song
mp3 : Frank Sinatra - White Christmas

You can’t ever go wrong with Frank.  He was the epitome of style before we even cared what style was.

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Seven Days of Sufjan Stevens part 2

Ah, is it really part 2 in this series already? Time flies when you’re listening to Sufjan. For those first time readers this is a series where I will post tracks by Sufjan Stevens seven days in a row. The more positive votes I receive {vote here, click on the blue ‘rate it’ button in the upper left} and the more comments you leave here on the blog, the more tracks I will put in the following posts. It’s up to you.

These tracks come, again, from Songs For Christmas (iTunes), which is the first legitimate modern answer to the ages of Christmas music in the assumed Christmas Music Canon. I’m not sure if such a canon actually exists, but if I was in charge I would put this box set alongside the Christmas work of Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra. It is really that good. My favorite of the set is the fifth disc, entitled Peace, and it is from this disc that the first two tracks listed below are taken. The other songs come from the third and fourth disc in the set and are tagged appropriately.

mp3 : Sufjan Stevens - Once In Royal David’s City
mp3 : Sufjan Stevens - Star of Wonder
mp3 : Sufjan Stevens - All The King’s Horns
mp3 : Sufjan Stevens - That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!
mp3 : Sufjan Stevens - Did I Make You Cry On Christmas? (Well You Deserved It!)

Listen to every single track by Sufjan Stevens that you can find. The man has the Midas touch {and all other sort of appropriate metaphors as well}. Also, I seem to be honoring requests, if I can, so that is why Once In Royal David’s City was included today.

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Bing Crosby

Second only to the aforementioned Andy Williams, Bing Crosby sits undeniably upon the top of the veritable heap of Christmas music available today. His smooth sound is a Holiday classic that, hopefully, will forever be associated with all things December. Only Frank Sinatra remains to flesh out the trifecta of Williams, Crosby, and Sinatra that comprise the greatest Christmas classics of all time.

Happy Holidays, and a definite Merry Christmas, even if it’s not entirely time for those sentiments. These tracks hail from the time tested album, The Very Best of Bing Crosby Christmas (iTunes) and are a must have for any true Christmas collection.

mp3 : Bing Crosby - Adeste Fidelis
mp3 : Bing Crosby - It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
mp3 : Bing Crosby - The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
mp3 : Bing Crosby - White Christmas

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Seven Days of Sufjan Stevens part 1

Welcome to the second annual Seven Days of Sufjan here at The World Forgot.  For those of you who are new to this concept let me explain the rules.  I will be posting Sufjan tracks, some rare and some more commonplace, each and every single day for the following seven days.  The more comments that each post gets the more tracks I will post.  Also, this year, the more positive votes I get for my blog {vote here} the more tracks I will be posting.  And I’ll go ahead and say that I have a ton of great music from Sufjan Stevens including an entire concert and a load of tracks you might not be able to find anywhere but here.   So go leave comments, vote for the blog, do whatever you want to do if you think it will garner more great music from Sufjan.

To get it started I’ve taken some tracks from Sufjan’s Christmas compilation entitled, simply, Songs for Christmas (iTunes).  I hope you enjoy the music, there’s plenty more to come.

mp3 : Sufjan Stevens - Amazing Grace
mp3 : Sufjan Stevens - Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
mp3 : Sufjan Stevens - It’s Christmas! Let’s Be Glad
mp3 : Sufjan Stevens - Only At Christmas Time
mp3 : Sufjan Stevens - Put The Lights On The Christmas Tree

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Ho Ho Ho, Vote Vote Vote

Hey everyone. As you may know my little blog here as been nominated for Hey!Nielson’s and Billboard.com’s Best Music Blog award. I would appreciate it much if you could take a minute, head over there, and give a little vote for The World Forgot. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the music.




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Andy Williams : The Christmas Album

For as long as I can remember Christmas in my life has been allowed one album and one album only. That being the quintessential Andy Williams Christmas Album (iTunes). In all the vast reaches of this great universe no other single voice sings Christmas songs in the way that Andy can. And when he wasn’t singing Christmas songs he was doing some other notable work. He’s preformed with Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Mama Cass, Michael Jackson, and Simon and Garfunkel. His talent had such depth that President Ronald Reagan declared his voice a national treasure. Although I’m not entirely sure what that is worth considering he old Ron also created ‘Reaganomics.’

I’ll let you decide. Here are my favorite tracks off of what is, to me, the only Christmas album worth owning. Maybe his voice really is a national treasure.

mp3 : Andy Williams - Happy Holidays, The Holiday Season
mp3 : Andy Williams - It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
mp3 : Andy Williams - Kay Thompson’s Jingle Bells
mp3 : Andy Williams - O Holy Night
mp3 : Andy Williams - White Christmas

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{stay tuned, starting tomorrow, as I unleash the fury that is “Seven Days of Sufjan Stevens” as well as a veritable cornucopia of essential Christmas music}.

Zune 80GB for Preorder

If you haven’t checked out the Zune you need to look again. The new Zune, which many are calling the Zune 2, will hit shelves and websites in just about two weeks and it’s better than ever. It has a killer screen for video and this little model comes with an 80 GB hard drive. To be honest I really do love iPods because of their simplicity, but their bloody, bloated, system resource devouring, price monopolizing, drm whoring iTunes has got to go. Granted Zune Marketplace might not be the saviour of digital downloads, but the Zune is a much more hackable device allowing clever users to use it in a variety of ways to play almost any type of media format including: wmv, wrm, avi, mp3, etc. I think the ability to play avi files alone is a big enough advantage to choose a Zune over an iPod, let alone the fact that you can share music wirelessly with other Zune users, sync the new Zune to your computer wirelessly, and watch video in wide screen mode on a display larger than the iPod’s.

Anyway, enough of that, just check the preorder site on Amazonand you’ll see that the new generation of Zune is looking good.

And if you want a quick comparison chart just check over here on Zunescape.

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