We'll throw this out there and see who salutes. The label is Emotional Response and they've done some interesting things in the past. I like people who play by their own rules and Jen & Stew are very much committed to saving the 7" vinyl single. So they play with vinyl, they play with colors, they play with music, and they play with matches. That last one may not be a good thing. Oh, they also do CDs and downloads. The music is largely DIY Alt Rock, Indie Pop and Punk. But, you know, they're up for just about anything. Jen is Jen Turrell and Stew is Stewart Anderson and, between them, they've been involved in more bands and with more labels than I care to list (I just don't have that kind of time). But I'll mention Boyracer, a band Jen was in for a decade and Stew was in for two (well, it was Stew's band, afterall).
"Hey! It's Christmas!" is the Emotional Response Christmas comp for 2016. I know there are lots of Christmas music people looking for the stuff that's out there, more than a little, and decidedly not mainstream. "Hey! It's Christmas!" will appeal to those collectors, certainly, as well as fans of Punk, Post Punk and DIY. Parental Advisory on some of the tracks. I only gave it a quick once over and about half I really liked and another quarter I'd probably like if I listened straight through. That leaves about 3 or 4 tracks that don't appeal to me at all, but that's still a pretty good percentage of good. And it's just me. Remember, I grew up on the Ohio Express and the 1910 Fruitgum Co., and I'd guess that most people who didn't would hate that stuff. Taste is a personal thing. Your mileage will vary.
The best tracks of the set, for me, were the opening cover of "Father Christmas" by The How and the title track, an offering from Jen, Stew and Myffy. Father's "Christmas Now" is right there, too. I also very much enjoyed the tracks from Kids On A Crime Spree, Ashtray Boy, The TVC15's, and Monnone Alone. A Shoegazzy "Holy Night" by Lonna Kelley seems to have potential. And I need to linger longer with "Your Disgusting Hands" by Bad Guys (Australia) but the bit I sampled reminded me of "Spill The Wine" (that old Eric Burdon & War chestnut). I'm sorry, but I've got no use for "Donald Trumps Christmas" from Bad Guys (USA). But that's mainly because I've got no use for Donald Trump and I'm already sick of hearing the name. I suspect he'll do for America what he did for the USFL. Musically, it's not a bad bit of DIY Punk.
OK. Here's the cool stuff. "Hey! It's Christmas!" is available on CD with attractive packaging for $5 (plus postage). I always get a kick out of having CDs like this one in my collection, just because so few others do. AND, if they haven't already reached their limit, the first 50 December orders over $15 will get the Christmas CD for free. That's pretty nice, doncha think? Place your hard copy orders here. The digital version is available through Bandcamp but ONLY until December 25th, after which it vanishes quicker than Frosty in the Arizona sun. Feel free to preview the tracks on Bandcamp or Soundcloud.
"Hey! It's Christmas!" is the Emotional Response Christmas comp for 2016. I know there are lots of Christmas music people looking for the stuff that's out there, more than a little, and decidedly not mainstream. "Hey! It's Christmas!" will appeal to those collectors, certainly, as well as fans of Punk, Post Punk and DIY. Parental Advisory on some of the tracks. I only gave it a quick once over and about half I really liked and another quarter I'd probably like if I listened straight through. That leaves about 3 or 4 tracks that don't appeal to me at all, but that's still a pretty good percentage of good. And it's just me. Remember, I grew up on the Ohio Express and the 1910 Fruitgum Co., and I'd guess that most people who didn't would hate that stuff. Taste is a personal thing. Your mileage will vary.
The best tracks of the set, for me, were the opening cover of "Father Christmas" by The How and the title track, an offering from Jen, Stew and Myffy. Father's "Christmas Now" is right there, too. I also very much enjoyed the tracks from Kids On A Crime Spree, Ashtray Boy, The TVC15's, and Monnone Alone. A Shoegazzy "Holy Night" by Lonna Kelley seems to have potential. And I need to linger longer with "Your Disgusting Hands" by Bad Guys (Australia) but the bit I sampled reminded me of "Spill The Wine" (that old Eric Burdon & War chestnut). I'm sorry, but I've got no use for "Donald Trumps Christmas" from Bad Guys (USA). But that's mainly because I've got no use for Donald Trump and I'm already sick of hearing the name. I suspect he'll do for America what he did for the USFL. Musically, it's not a bad bit of DIY Punk.
OK. Here's the cool stuff. "Hey! It's Christmas!" is available on CD with attractive packaging for $5 (plus postage). I always get a kick out of having CDs like this one in my collection, just because so few others do. AND, if they haven't already reached their limit, the first 50 December orders over $15 will get the Christmas CD for free. That's pretty nice, doncha think? Place your hard copy orders here. The digital version is available through Bandcamp but ONLY until December 25th, after which it vanishes quicker than Frosty in the Arizona sun. Feel free to preview the tracks on Bandcamp or Soundcloud.
RSS Feed
