Top 5 Favorite Original/Non-Traditional Christmas Songs

Hey everyone! Believe it or not, I’m still alive and finally writing another post. You can chalk up that lengthy hiatus to having lots of stuff to do for school. I had a whole bunch of papers to write and several exams to prepare for and I just wasn’t in the mood to write after all that. And I’d wanted to write a commemorative post celebrating the one-year anniversary of this blog, too (I registered with WordPress on New Year’s Eve 2008). I’d also planned on writing this post a lot sooner, since the holiday season only lasts so long.

But here I am, late to the Christmas party… and the New Year’s party, for that matter, but I’ve never done much for New Year’s anyway. The most I ever do is watch a movie or that Three Stooges marathon on AMC, then switch over to Dick Clark and the Times Square ball drop, have a glass of Bailey’s Irish Cream, and then it’s right back to the Stooges for a little bit longer. In the immortal words of James Blunt, “My life is brilliant.” (No links for those of you who are still traumatized by “You’re Beautiful.”)

In this episode, Curly goes crazy and asks Moe and Larry to rip his ears off after being subjected to James Blunt a few times too many.

So in the spirit of the season that has officially passed us by (my mother actually just took down our Christmas decorations today), here’s my Top 5 Favorite Original/Non-Traditional Christmas Songs. No “Frosty The Snowman” or “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” here, folks. All those songs have been done to death, but people keep doing them anyway. If I have to listen to one more version of freaking “Jingle Bell Rock,” I’m going to lose my mind.

See, back when I worked in a supermarket during high school, they played nothing but Christmas music during the holiday season. Because they apparently didn’t want to offend any non-Christians by playing songs about Jesus, that meant the soundtrack was pretty much limited to every version of “Frosty” and “Rudolph” and “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” that has ever been recorded. I still haven’t quite recovered from this.

So today we celebrate artists who dare to write their own Christmas songs — and actually succeed at it!

The 2009 “Listen Up!” Awards

Well, with 2009 approaching the ol’ finish line, you’ll start seeing lots of year-end wrap-up lists and things. And since it’s the end of the Double-0 Decade, you’ll be seeing lots of decade recap lists as well. (Some early spoilers: Pitchfork has crowned Radiohead’s Kid A the best album of the Double-0s, while the NME favors Is This It by the Strokes.)

But you won’t find that here, and not now. No, here you will find a year-end recap that dares to be somewhat different. This is the first-ever Listen Up! Year-End Awards ceremony – or you can just name them the Harleys after the adorable little trophy I’m giving out to the winners.

Let's see the Academy beat THIS one.

The fun begins after the jump!

World Series 2009 Preview!

Hi everybody! Now that the World Series matchup has been set, it’s time for everyone to start making predictions and talking some smack, I figured I would throw my name into the hat. Yes, I know this is supposed to be a music blog. But since it’s my blog, I figured I’d have a little fun with this — especially since the Phillies are back in the Fall Classic.

I guarantee you’re not going to get a more thoughtful and in-depth analysis of this year’s Major League Baseball championship series than you’re going to get right here. The fun begins after the jump…

POTW #5: Wolfgang Amadeus Frattura

Yeah, that’s right. This is now a classical music blog! And we’re going to start this new era of blogging by celebrating the life, music, and all-around awesomeness of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the greatest child prodigies ever known to man. The guy had such a good ear for music that by the time he was, like, five years old he could listen to someone play a piece on the harpsichord and then sit down and play it himself note for note. That’s pretty remarkable talent, man.

Plus, you know a classical composer is awesome when he’s got movies, ’80s one-hit wonders, and Simpsons parodies of said ’80s one-hit wonders inspired by his greatness.

I LOVE YOU, DOCTOR ZAIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so I’m not actually going to start writing about classical music on this blog. It’s still the same rock/indie/metal/etc. blog as always. I’m just in a goofy mood at the moment. Not that you’d know this from looking at me, because I am sitting alone in my apartment on a Saturday night typing all this while the rest of the world is having fun without me. I’m 23 years old and I’ve already apparently forgotten what it’s like to be young… or maybe I just don’t feel like cramming into bars that are already so stuffed with people that I can’t get from point A to point B without taking a detour through points C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z, not necessarily in that order and also allowing for possible repeats.

And yes, I only named all the letters between C and Z for additional effect. Just be glad I didn’t start getting into the Greek alphabet, or all those letters Dr. Seuss made up in On Beyond Zebra.

Not pictured: Spazz, Floob, Zatz, Jogg, Flunn, Itch, Yekk, Vroo, Hi!, and that one that combines all 26 "normal" letters.

Anyway, now that I’ve gotten my little mini-rant about the College Park bar scene off my chest, it’s time for my not-so-weekly Picks Of The Week! You can find them all after the jump.

Keep Your Baseball Cards — I’m Collecting Music

Look everyone! I’m still alive, and I haven’t completely forgotten about this blog!

Sorry I’ve gone an eternity or two (closer to two at this point) without updating anything. I’ve kind of been busy — papers to write, midterms to prepare for… you know, college stuff. As a result, I haven’t really been in the mood to write much lately. College would be so much better without all that crap, wouldn’t you agree? (And yes, I know that would completely defeat the purpose of college. This does not change the fact that midterms and essays suck ass.)

Anyway, my birthday was a few weeks ago and I turned — gulp — 23. (My youth is all but officially over and I don’t even feel like it’s started yet. Can I get a do-over on this whole “life” thing? No? Well, that sucks.) I got some presents — as of September 27, 2009, I officially became multi-instrumental when I got a bass guitar — and some money to spend. Which means it’s time for another Colin’s Collection post! Yay!

I don't know how to use Photoshop, so just pretend this is my face and "COLIN FRATTURA" replaces "JIM CARREY" and the tag line reads "HOLY CRAP, THAT'S OLD."

All the albums I’ve recently added to my collection can be found after the jump. Check it out! THAT’S AN ORDER, DAMMIT!

Sept. 25, 2009: Show #25

Hey everyone. I know I’ve really been slacking with the blog lately — not that anyone would notice, since I haven’t had a double-digit hit count since September 24 — but I just haven’t really felt like blogging for whatever reason. I’d like to say I had a better excuse than that for slacking off with this thing, but that’s just how it is.

Anyway, here’s the playlist from the 9/25/09 show. Hopefully one of these days I’ll actually write something more substantial than one of these playlist posts. That, however, would require me to stop being a lazy slacker.

1. Radiohead, “Bangers & Mash” (In Rainbows bonus disc)

2. TV On The Radio, “Golden Age” (Dear Science)

3. Arctic Monkeys, “Fake Tales Of San Francisco” (Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not)

4. Cave In, “Lost In The Air” (Antenna)

5. Band Of Horses, “Is There A Ghost” (Cease To Begin)

6. RX Bandits, “Tainted Wheat” (…And The Battle Begun)

7. At The Drive-In, “A Devil Among The Tailors” (In/Casino/Out)

8. Kings Of Leon, “Notion” (Only By The Night)

9. Interpol, “Slow Hands” (Antics)

10. Deerhunter, “Saved By Old Times” (Microcastle)

11. The Clash, “Lost In The Supermarket” (London Calling)

12. British Sea Power, “Down On The Ground” (Do You Like Rock Music?)

13. Thrice, “As The Crow Flies” (The Alchemy Index: Vol. 3 — Air)

14. Foo Fighters, “Cold Day In The Sun” (In Your Honor)

15. Spoon, “Jonathon Fisk” (Kill The Moonlight)

16. My Morning Jacket, “Thank You Too!” (Evil Urges)

17. Minus The Bear, “When We Escape” (Planet Of Ice)

18. The National, “Secret Meeting” (Alligator)

19. R.E.M., “Near Wild Heaven” (Out Of Time)

20. Pavement, “Major Leagues” (Terror Twilight)

21. Radiohead, “Lucky” (OK Computer)

22. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “She’s Only 18″ (Stadium Arcadium)

23. Muse, “Muscle Museum” (Showbiz)

24. Snow Patrol, “Shut Your Eyes” (Eyes Open)

25. Bloc Party, “Signs” (Intimacy)

26. Weezer, “El Scorcho” (Pinkerton)

27. The Beach Boys, “Wendy” (Endless Summer)

28. The Decemberists, “O Valencia!” (The Crane Wife)

29. Elvis Costello, “Veronica” (Spike)

30. The Beatles, “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” (Abbey Road)

Sept. 18, 2009: Show #24

All right! The new semester is well underway, and I’ve got another playlist to post here for you all. Twenty-four shows, man. And I somehow still haven’t completely run out of ideas for Top 5 lists! Which reminds me… it’s been a really long time since the last time I posted a Top 5 writeup. Maybe I’ll get around to doing it this weekend. It would make more sense for me to post the next one some time in December, seeing as how it was a Christmas special, but I’d rather just post them in the order they were aired. Makes it easier for me to keep track of which ones I’ve done and which ones I haven’t done. I might get around to finally posting it here soon… but until then, sit tight.

Also, before I begin, I would like to dedicate this playlist to the one and only Jack Bauer, what with this being the 24th show and all.

Jack Bauer is the only man to have ever survived a roundhouse kick to the face from Chuck Norris. True story.

And now, on with the playlist!

1. Foo Fighters, “In Your Honor” (In Your Honor)

2. Radiohead, “Just” (The Bends)

3. The Fall Of Troy, “Oh! The Casino!” (Manipulator)

4. We Are Scientists, “Lousy Reputation” (With Love And Squalor)

5. Pavement, “Passat Dream” (Brighten The Corners)

6. Interpol, “Rest My Chemistry” (Our Love To Admire)

7. Modest Mouse, “Florida” (We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank)

8. Arctic Monkeys, “Brianstorm” (Favourite Worst Nightmare)

9. Early Man, “Four Walls” (Closing In)

10. High On Fire, “Cometh Down Hessian” (Blessed Black Wings)

11. Metallica, “For Whom The Bell Tolls” (Ride The Lightning)

12. Mastodon, “Naked Burn” (Leviathan)

13. Slayer, “Reborn” (Reign In Blood)

14. Gojira, “Backbone” (From Mars To Sirius)

15. The Sword, “Under The Boughs” (Gods Of The Earth)

16. Minus The Bear, “Women We Haven’t Met Yet” (Highly Refined Pirates)

17. The Whigs, “I Got Ideas” (Mission Control)

18. Kings Of Leon, “Pistol Of Fire” (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

19. Cave In, “Anchor” (Antenna)

20. Deerhunter, “Focus Group” (Weird Era Continued)

21. The Decemberists, “Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)” (The Crane Wife)

22. U2, “Staring At The Sun” (Pop)

23. Muse, “Supermassive Black Hole” (Black Holes & Revelations)

24. The National, “Slow Show” (Boxer)

25. Bloc Party, “Pioneers” (Silent Alarm)

26. Queens Of The Stone Age, “Go With The Flow” (Songs For The Deaf)

27. My Morning Jacket, “One Big Holiday” (It Still Moves)

28. Radiohead, “There There (The Boney King Of Nowhere)” (Hail To The Thief)

One last thing: I’d like to thank my parents for sending me a copy of the new RX Bandits album Mandala for my birthday. I’d been looking all over for that album, having just gotten into the band over the summer, and couldn’t find it. Oh, and thanks to everyone who listened to the show tonight as well. Keep tuning in every Friday from 4-6 p.m. on WMUC2, and keep watching this space.

When Bad Songs Happen To Good Bands #4

I suppose it’s fitting that Pop is the album where U2 embraced irony the most, because it’s perhaps U2’s least popular album ever. I say “perhaps” because at least people might still be able to name a song from it. Quick — name a song from October. Any song from October. You have ten seconds and you’re not allowed to look at iTunes, Wikipedia, Amazon, or any other site that would give you the answers. Oh, and the title track doesn’t count.

Just how un-beloved is Pop? Even U2 themselves have all but abandoned this album. Only five of its 12 songs have been performed live since the PopMart Tour in 1997. They even stopped playing a few songs from Pop during the tour that was meant to promote it! The only Pop song they’ve played live in full since 2001 is “Discotheque.” And before they released All That You Can’t Leave Behind, the “comeback” album that “brought them back to their roots,” they said, “We’re reapplying for the position of best band in the world.” Translation: “Hey guys! Sorry Pop sucked so much! Our bad! Here, look, we’re going to stop all this wacky experimentation now! It’s okay to like us again!” Cue the opening chords of “Beautiful Day.”

Of course, when an experimental album contains the worst song of said band’s career, it’s easier to understand when people condemn them for stepping out of their comfort zone. That’s the kind of thing that happens… When Bad Songs Happen To Good Bands.

Damn It, Kanye!

By now everyone knows about Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, right? Right. Seriously, man… just when you think Kanye can’t be any more of a douchebag, he finds a way to out-douche himself. Taylor Swift went from looking like she’d just seen the world’s cutest puppy dog (after hearing them announce her name) to looking like she was about to burst into tears right there on the stage (after Kanye did his thing).

And for the record, THIS is the world's cutest puppy dog. His name is Harley and he's all mine.

But fear not, Miss Swift, for the entire Internet has seen fit to avenge you by tearing the asshole a new asshole. The result is I’mma Let You Finish, which has yielded some pretty hilarious results (and some not-so-hilarious results involving 9/11 and the recently departed Patrick Swayze). I’ve been having some fun with this one over the past few days. The fruits of my madness after the jump!

Sept. 11, 2009: Show #23

I know what you’re thinking. “Hey, what the hell is this? Two 9/11 posts in a row? Wasn’t this blog supposed to be about music or something?” Well, don’t you worry your pretty little heads. This is a totally different kind of post relating to 9/11. I did my first show of the fall semester yesterday, and here’s the playlist…

1. Bloc Party, “The Marshals Are Dead” (Silent Alarm B-sides)

2. Cave In, “Come Into Your Own” (Tides Of Tomorrow EP)

3. Spoon, “The Way We Get By” (Kill The Moonlight)

4. Band Of Horses, “Weed Party” (Everything All The Time)

5. Pavement, “You Are A Light” (Terror Twilight)

6. Radiohead, “These Are My Twisted Words” (Wall Of Ice EP — just kidding, it’s a single)

7. Blur, “M.O.R.” (Blur)

8. Arctic Monkeys, “When The Sun Goes Down” (Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not)

9. The Fall Of Troy, “I Just Got This Symphony Goin’” (Doppelganger)

10. Titus Andronicus, “My Time Outside The Womb” (The Airing Of Grievances)

11. Green Day, “Murder City” (21st Century Breakdown)

12. Minus The Bear, “Memphis & 53rd” (Menos El Oso)

13. My Morning Jacket, “What A Wonderful Man” (Z)

14. The National, “Available” (Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers)

15. RX Bandits, “One Million Miles An Hour, Fast Asleep” (…And The Battle Begun)

16. Dead Confederate, “Shadow The Walls” (Dead Confederate EP)

17. Queens Of The Stone Age, “Tangled Up In Plaid” (Lullabies To Paralyze)

18. Kings Of Leon, “Soft” (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

19. Radiohead, “Subterranean Homesick Alien” (OK Computer)

20. Nirvana, “Stay Away” (Nevermind)

21. British Sea Power, “Trip Out” (Do You Like Rock Music?)

22. White Rabbits, “Percussion Gun” (It’s Frightening)

23. Green Day, “21 Guns” (21st Century Breakdown)

24. Muse, “Uprising” (The Resistance)

25. Silversun Pickups, “Panic Switch” (Swoon)

26. Thom Yorke, “The Present Tense” (live @ Latitude Festival)

27. Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks” (Veckatimest)

28. The Beatles, “Taxman” (Revolver) — played to fill dead air

Well, that covers it for my first show of my last semester here at the University of Maryland. As always, keep tuning in every Friday from 4-6 p.m. on WMUC2 and keep watching this space for more updates and fun stuff.