Monthly Archives: December 2009

Flaming Lips Festivities

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flaming_lips_1-bio

Yup, today’s festive treats come from the Pride of Oklahoma City, the Flaming Lips.

This is from the legendary (and I can’t get my hands on) It’s A Cool, Cool, Christmas various artists compilation:

Flaming Lips -‘White Christmas (demo for Tom Waits).’ mp3

From 1995’s Clouds Taste Metallic:

Flaming Lips -‘Christmas At The Zoo.’ mp3

…and from 2003’s Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell EP:

Flaming Lips -‘A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn’t So).’ mp3

While driving around edinburgh the other day with scott who works for the label, he reminded me that the Lips had done a Christmas film last year. I have yet to see it – but this is the trailer:

Louder than…?

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mogwai2003bw

OK< so I've posted some of these around Christmas before, but I think it's worth reiterating that not all Christmas related tracks are twee and chirpy. Mogwai's 'Xmas Steps' originally appeared as the lead track on their 1998 EP 'No Education=No future (F**k the curfew)'. An ever so slightly shorter version appeared on the following year's Come On Die Young . Finally ‘Christmas Song’ is from 1999’s ‘Mogwai’ EP.

Mogwai -‘Xmassteps.’ mp3

Mogwai -‘Christmas Steps.’ mp3

Mogwai -‘Christmas Song.’ mp3

Meanwhile, for more awesome Christmas stuff, check out Jim over at Aye Tunes, who has posted two excellent tracks I hadn’t heard of; Tart who has posted some stuff I also hadn’t heard at Love Shack, Baby, and finally, Steve over at Teenage Kicks who used to write a second, excellent Christmas-mp3 blog, has also combined the two just for the season of good will.

More goodies tomorrow…some from further afield than Scotland, too!

Meanwhile, I have also finally decided on the songs that make up my Festive Fifty (I know that will be a relief to many people who have been holding their breath) so tomorrow, all will be revealed!

Presenting…Best Coast

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best-coast

If you combine the cool (in both senses of the word) New York winter with the California summertime, what do you think you get? The answer is Best Coast, AKA. Bethany Cosentino. Having spent time living in Brooklyn, New York, she decided to return home to California.

There she took her love of the Beach Boys and the Everly Brothers, and the end result -with a sprinkling of c86 cool – is Best Coast. A handful of 7″s later, she’s wowing folks everywhere. She’s going to be going on tour with the Vivian Girls in the US in February 2010, which on the strength of their two albums sounds like one hell of a night out….if you live on the West Coast of America, that is.

No dates scheduled for her over here in the UK at the moment, worst luck, but for now check out these two tracks and go and befriend her on myspace.

Best Coast -‘When I’m With You.’ mp3

Best Coast -‘Something In The Way.’ mp3

Best Coast blog/Best Coast myspace

A Christmas Perennial (or two)

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cocteau-twins

These two tracks were collectively released together as a single called ‘Snow’ in late 1993. I’ve been kicking myself for not buying it ever since, though you can now find both of them on the From Lullabies To Violaine comps.

Are they classic Cocteaus tracks??? Perhaps not in the sense of anything off Treasure or Heaven Or Las Vegas, my favourite two Cocteaus LPs, but still pretty good, nonetheless.

Cocteau Twins -‘Frosty the Snowman.’ mp3

Cocteau Twins -‘Winter Wonderland.’ mp3