THING THREE 11/18/2011
Still more singles? You betcha. Singles 3: Pop and Rock Edition.  Britain's Occultation label has never before issued a Christmas single, but that all changes this year. Post Punk Alt Rockers Factory Star have recorded the song "Lucybel (It's Christmas Time)" and Occultation will be issuing a vinyl 7" single on November 28. People who order the single, which was recorded during Factory Star's sessions for the album "Enter Castle Perilous", will not only get the 7", but a CD that contains the single and two additional tracks from "Enter Castle Perilous", AND they'll of course get instant downloads. The flip of "Lucybel", btw, is a cover of another song from the Factory Star album--"When Sleep Won't Come" recorded by label mates The Granite Shore. If all you're interested in is the digital single, you can get that at Amazon and other online retailers. But, for the 7" (with CD and downloads), order direct from Occultation.  The Band Perry has had a Christmas kinda year. They made an appearance on Justin Bieber's Christmas record. They recorded a version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" for "The Country Christmas Collection", being sold in this country exclusively by Colonial Candle. And they've signed on to appear on Christmas In Washington, which will air on December 16 on TNT. Now comes word that The Band Perry has recorded a Christmas song for ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas. The song is a Band Perry original and will air on ABC Family on November 20 during the airing of Holiday In Handcuffs. Immediately thereafter, the video for the 60 second spot and the full song "The 25 Days of Christmas" will be posted on the 25 Days of Christmas web site.  I believe the last time we heard a Christmas song from Sara Bareilles was when she recorded the duet with Ingrid Michaelson for Hotel Cafe's "Winter Songs". And that wasn't really a Christmas song so much as a Winter song. Sara has an all new Christmas single due November 21 called "Love Is Christmas". Sara says the song is about what she believes really matters about Christmas: Love.  Colorado Rockers OneRepublic gained their reputation on the Internet, without the publicity of a major label. They were, at one time, considered the most significant unsigned act in America. When they signed to Mosely in 2006, their debut single "Apologize" set the record for most airplay in a single week. That record was later bested by Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love"...which, as it happens, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic co-wrote. So you know these guys know how to write killer tunes. Let's see what they can do with a Christmas record, shall we? On Tuesday, "Christmas Without You" will debut on iTunes. We don't have a link or a song sample to offer you (the band indicated recently that they were still putting the finishing touches on it), but just look at that cover art. You know you want it.  I'm probably jumping the gun on this one, since it's a British single that will be released December 5th and I don't know that much about it. But I dig the cover art. And its a charity gig with the secondary motivation being to take Simon Cowell down a peg. A group of unsigned musicians--mostly from the Blackpool area--have gotten together and written a Christmas song in the grand tradition of Bob Geldof's Band-Aid. They call their effort SandAid and their Christmas song is "We've Still Got Christmas". The money raised from the single will go to the BBC's Children In Need initiative. But SandAid also notes that the the U.K.'s much coveted Christmas #1 hasn't been an actual Christmas song in 21 years. One of the big reasons for that is Simon Cowell, whose shows in England include the X Factor. And for many of the recent Christmases past, an X Factor winner has immediately catapulted to #1...and not with a Christmas song either. That the SandAid artists are unsigned would just make obtaining Christmas #1 that much sweeter. Check the teaser clip below and follow SandAid's progress on Facebook.  How can you pass on a Christmas song with the title "I'm Not A Dang Polar Bear, I'm A Human Being"? How could you? It's some mighty fine Indie Pop Rock besides, but it's just such a great title for a new millennium Christmas song. Rocky & Emily's Christmas single arrives November 21. Find it at Amazon and wherever fine digital downloads are sold.  The Hip Hop Boy Band Mindless Behavior is releasing a Christmas song Tuesday. "Christmas With My Girl" is said to feature a mid-tempo beat, sleigh bells, and some soulful singing and rapping...plus a little xylophone (can't hurt, right?). Look for it on Amazon MP3 and iTunes. I'm not crazy about their other stuff, but then I'm not exactly the target demographic.  Two to avoid. Or at least two that I'll be avoiding. Natasha Bedingfield has covered Train's "Shake Up Christmas" from last year. But, no matter how you shake it, it's still a Coke commercial. And not a very good one at that. Natasha does it better than Train, imho, but that doesn't change what it is. Then there's "Santa's Goin' South", from Sammy Hagar and Toby Keith. This one is so bad, in my opinion, I'd rather listen to the Coke commercial. It's never a good sign when you're cover art is a stock photo that also turns up on generic no name reggae discs.  That last bit left such a bad taste in my ears, I'm going to clean them out with some truly excellent Indie Pop. Greg Sczebel is a singer/songwriter from Canada and he's gotten into the habit of doing Christmas songs on a fairly regular basis. OK, the bow tie throws me a bit. The latest Doctor Who may think "bowties are cool", but the rest of the world knows better. Even George Will gave up the bowtie thing. But, other than that, it's pretty clear that Greg knows how to make infectious pop tunes. This year's Christmas ditty is "Perfect (Merry Little Christmas)". Last year's was even better--"A Little More Time With You". And a few years before that, Greg graced us with "One Starry Night". He kind of reminds me of Elton John, eh? Well, if nothing else, I think you should take Greg Sczebel's Christmas singles for a test drive, kick the tires, look under the hood. You might just drive him off the lot. Here's the video for this year's single to wrap up today's single set. CommentsIan Hooper 11/19/2011 21:12
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