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Four (Christmas Songs) for Friday

I say four, but since Christmas is about giving, I’m choosing to [give more] than the usual amount. Needless to say, this is Christmas music in the key of Chino.

Sleeping at Last – Christmas Is All Around // Do you remember the movie Love Actually? Of course you do.

Seryn – Go Tell It On The Mountain (feat. Mark Apel) // Some Seryn nearly made it on my “Best Of’s.” Love what they have done here.

Beta Radio – The Song the Season Brings // “Ring your bell now / Hear the swell now / The Christ is come a child our king!”

Andrew Belle – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas // I’m not really a huge fan of this song in its original form, but somehow Belle makes is sound so good.

The Civil Wars – O Come, O Come, Emmanuel // One of my favorite Christmas songs sung by one of my current favorites.

Quiet Company – O Holy Night // I should mention that several of these songs come from Fuel/Friends’ 2011 Midnight Clear December Mix that my good friend Bryan made me aware of.

Red Mountain Church – What Child Is This? // Goodness.

Sufjan Stevens – Silent Night (with Bryce and Aaron Dessner of The National and Richard Parry of Arcade Fire) // No Christmas is complete without Sufjan. Add some The National and Arcade Fire and it is enough to make your head explode.

Should you desire all the songs in a handy .zip file, HERE it is.

Merry Christmas!

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Four (More Daytrotters) for Friday

A while ago, I mentioned this great music site. If I only had one source for music greatness, this would be it for all kinds of reasons.

But instead going into all that, I’ll just share four artists I really like who have done sessions with Daytrotter recently.

Andrew Belle – The Ladder (Daytrotter Session)

Seyrn – River Song (Daytrotter Session)

The Head and The Heart – Sounds Like Hallelujah (Daytrotter Session)

James Vincent McMorrow – Follow You Down to the Red Oak Tree (Daytrotter Session)

Later.

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Four (more downers) for Friday

Ok, first thing to notice. I got a new look. I know, it’s fly…  like a G6.

Now, down to business. Last week, I promised to offer up some tunes that weren’t of the the “sad b%$#@*&” variety, but I just wasn’t able to pull it off. What you see before you is the best I’ve got to offer from the previous week.

Get excited.

William Fitzsimmons – The Tide Pulls from the Moon // Folks, this one is worth the price of admission alone.  You did pay to get on my site, right?

James Vincent McMorrow – If I Had a Boat // “I’d row in the morning. I’d row in the evening.  All over this land.” If you missed out on the somewhat obscure Peter, Paul, and Mary reference, that’s ok.  It was pretty lame.  Great song though.

Andrew Belle – The Ladder // Somehow I missed out this guy’s music last year.  Criminal.  If you close your eyes, you would think you are listening to Greg Laswell’s long lost twin.  I guess you don’t really have to close your eyes.  It doesn’t make any difference. My good friend Bobby threw a couple of his tunes up yesterday.  By the way, Bobby does have twitter.  @bharrison24.  You should flood him with twitter messages until he caves and joins the #twitterevolution .

The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow // So I thought these guys were pretty cool. Then I went to their myspace page, and saw that they played The Tonight Show. I guess that’s forgivable. Maybe. By the way, their theology is pretty spot on. No preacher man can save their soul. 

And that’s a wrap my friends.

Be safe.

And don’t listen to crappy music.

Words to live by.