A JOVM annual tradition: DMX performing “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and some thoughts on the holiday season.
Tag: Christmas music
Throwback: Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis”
Another annual JOVM tradition: Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis — and some reflections on the season,
New Audio: Kelly Finnigan Returns with Two Christmas Time Originals
Acclaimed San Francisco-based singer/songwriter, musician, producer and Monophonics frontman Kelly Finnigan has proven himself to be rather prolific over the past couple of years. Last year, Finnigan released his sophomore solo album, A Lover Was Born, which featured album singles “Be Your Own Shelter,” and “Love (Your Pain Goes Deep).”
This year, Finnigan followed up with two standalone singles:
- A cover of Buffalo-based duo Samson & Delilah‘s 1967 song “Keep Me In Mind,” which saw him teaming up with Chicago‘s Renaldo Domino and an All-Star cast of some of the contemporary soul scene’s best players on a take that rekindled memories of Sam and Dave and the like.
- “Say It Again,” a breezy and soulful tune with with acclaimed Wichita-born, London-based producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and Young Gun Silver Fox co-founder Shawn Lee that seemingly channelled 1970s Isley Brothers — in particular, think of “Summer Breeze Pts. 1 & 2,” “That Lady,” and the like.
Finnigan closes out the year with two new, self-penned Christmas tunes —
“I Can’t Wait (For Christmas Time)”/”Snowy Night In Ohio.”
“I Can’t Wait (For Christmas Time)” is a straightforward pop/soul arrangement that features labelmate Kendra Morris and her band on backing vocals. “I the Can’t Wait (For Christmas Time)” channels some of Finnigan’s previously released work, while reminding the listener that the holidays are about the excitement, anticipation and longing for reunions with loved ones.
“Snowy Night In Ohio” is a meditative tune that sounds as though it could have been previously unreleased track from the A Joyful Sound sessions that evokes the nostalgia and comfort of being with your dearest ones and looking out the window to see the snow gently fall outside.
“I Can’t Wait (For Christmas Time)”/”Snowy Night In Ohio” are out now as 7″ 45RPM single and on digital platforms through Colemine Records.
New Audio: Parlor Greens Share Two Covers of Christmas Soul Classics
Organ trio Parlor Greens features a collection of grizzled veterans and incredibly accomplished musicians: The trio close out 2025 and celebrate the holiday season with the recently released “Auld Lang Syne”/”Every Day Will Be Like […]
New Audio: Trentemøller’s Atmospheric Take on “Silent Night”
Copenhagen-based producer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, electronic music artist and Trentemøller creative mastermind Anders Trentemøller has a long-held reputation for creating extraordinarily memorable melodies paired with brooding and dark soundscapes. Throughout his career, the Danish artist’s work has frequently explored contrasts, paradoxes, reminiscence and remembrance — but while eschewing overt nostalgia.
Trentemøller’s sixth album, last year’s 10-song Dreamweaver saw the acclaimed Dane meshing elements of shoegaze, darkwave, komische musik and noise rock with somber, introspective takes on dream pop — but in a decidedly immersive and psychedelic fashion that’s perfect for repeated listens on headphones. Icelandic vocalist DiSA contributes vocals on nine of the album’s 10 tracks.
His first single since the release of Dreamweaver sees the Copenhagen-based tackling the classic and beloved Christmas carol, “Silent Night.” The Trentemøller rendition of “Silent Night” features his girlfriend Lisbet Fritze, whose ethereal delivery sings the song’s beloved melody paired with a wintry arrangement of churning guitar, twinkling bells, drum machine-driven beats and atmospheric synths. The song evokes both Christmas time generally and what Christmastime would look like and feel in his native Denmark — cold winters, fireplaces, ice skating, carolers, Christmas markets and the like, but with mix of gentle, sepia-toned nostalgia and a modern sensibility.
The cover is extremely fitting. The acclaimed Danish artist has always loved Christmas. Since childhood. the season has held a special place for him, and for years he wanted to record his own version of one of the great Christmas songs. He chose Silent Night for his timeless melody, which for him captures the essence of Christmas.
Originally written as a lullaby, the song took on new meaning after Trentemøller became a father. Lisbet Fritze’s vocals and the single’s cover art, a Christmastime photo of a young Anders Trentemøller with his mother give the single a deeply personal yet universal touch. After all, with the coming of a new year, many of us look simultaneously back into the past remembering moments with loved ones no longer with us and into the future, hoping for long-lasting peace, love and understanding for all.
New Audio: St. Franck Shares a Buzzing, Christmas Season Original
Franck Lada is a Bordeaux-based producer, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and creative mastermind behind the emerging psych pop, solo recording project St Franck. Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site for some time, you might recall that the French producer, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s career started in earnest through his participation in a number of UK-baed projects, including sitting in on bass with Saint Leonard’s Horses for a few shows.
Lada stepped out into the spotlight with his debut EP, 2018’s Gamma Wave and a handful of singles that saw him establish a DIY/bedroom pop-meets- electro pop-meets psych pop sound, which he developed with some barebones equipment during flat shares in London: a computer, an 808, an MS20 and Ableton.
Since his humble beginnings, the French artist has upgraded to a professional studio in Bordeaux’s bohemian La Bastide neighborhood, where he worked on his full-length debut, last year’s Hard Drive Oddities. The album showcased a producer and artist, who’s part of a new generation of producers and artists, who are searching for meaning in a mad, mad, mad world. Sonically, the album’s material is anchored around lush, sculpted arrangements paired lyrics that encourage the listener to explore the inner world of their dreams and the subconscious.
Hard Drive Oddities featured the MGMT and Tame Impala-like “Dream Trap,” a song that evoked the blissful nostalgia of a gorgeous summer afternoon — and the warm buzz of a half-remembered dream.
Lada’s latest single, the Christmastime/Holiday Season-themed song “It’s Christmas Time” is a slickly produced yet retro-feeling tune, anchored around buzzing bass synths, chiming bells, twinkling keys that simultaneously showcases the French artist’s uncanny knack for catchy hooks paired with earnest songwriting about the holiday season. At it core, the song warmly reminds the listener that the season is for loved ones who are here, and remembering the ones who aren’t — without resorting to the familiar, worn-out cliches.
New Audio: Silk Daisys Shares A Shimmering Christmastime Original
Atlanta-based dream pop/post-punk duo Silk Daisys — James Abercrombie and romantic partner Karla Jean Davis — have been making music together for some time, but their Silk Daisys and Damon Moon co-produced debut will be their first, official release. Interestingly, the Silk Daisys name has been around even further, with Abercrombie using the name on Soundcloud for about a decade to upload random covers and the occasional original song.
“We recorded our album over two weeks with Damon Moon (Bathe Alone, Sleepers Club) at this studio Standard Electric Recorders in Atlanta. Damon was awesome to work with,” the duo says. “We spent a ton of time just talking about music the three of us love and sharing songs back and forth. We’d name some obscure part of a song as a reference and he’d get it immediately, and dial in the tones perfectly. Damon also played drums and percussion on the album. The three of us produced it together, and it was all really collaborative and fun.”`
The Atlanta-based duo’s full-length debut is slated for a Friday release, and will feature the previously released Halloween-themed “Haunted House,” a track that seemingly channels Pygmalion and Souvlaki-era Slowdive, and “honeymilk,” a contented sigh of a tune that’s one-part 90s shoegaze fuzz and one-part 60s bubble gum pop.
Just before the release of their self-titled debut, the Atlanta-based duo release a Christmas season original and standalone track, “it’s just like xmas,” an effortless blend of old-timey holiday tunes and Cocteau Twins, anchored around shimmering guitar and the timeless hope for a better, more peaceful world for all of us.
“I wrote this one on Christmas Day last year. There’s always a moment of calm in our house after the initial excitement of Christmas morning, and I find myself playing guitar or piano during those moments and thinking about the year we left behind and the year ahead,” the band’s James Abercrombie says. “I thought a lot about our kids, and I thought a lot about the kids who were currently living in countries that were being torn apart by war. The song ended up being a simple wish for peace, a calm all over the world like the ones I so often take for granted on Christmas afternoon.”
Throwback: DMX Performs “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”
A JOVM annual tradition: DMX performing “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Throwback: Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis”
A JOVM annual tradition: Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis.”
Throwback: DMX Performs “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”
A JOVM annual tradition: DMX performing “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Throwback: John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)”
A JOVM annual tradition: John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas (War is Over).”
Throwback: DMX Performs “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”
A JOVM annual tradition — DMX performing “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Throwback: Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis”
The annual posting of Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis.”
Throwback: John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)”
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms offers some thoughts on the holiday season.
Silversun Pickups — Brian Aubert (vocals, guitar, keys). Nikki Monniger (bass, vocals), Chis Guano (drums, percussion, programming, vocals) and Joe Lester (keys, samples, sound manipulation, guitar and vocals) — released their Butch Vig-produced, sixth album Physical Thrills earlier this year. The album’s material came together serendipitously during a particularly dark period: The acclaimed Los Angeles-based outfit started 2020 touring to support 2019’s Widows Weeds. The pandemic halted the rest of their tour and forced the band to retreat to their homes.
With touring on hold, Silversun Pickups’ Brian Aubert channeled his energy into taking care of his son. Although his focus initially shifted from the band to domestic affairs, he found that he couldn’t escape the new melodies that had been germinating in his head. “I would sneak off and start writing these songs, and I didn’t know what they’re for because I didn’t really think about Silversun on any level. I was just doing it to keep myself calm and keep myself company,” Aubert explains. The songs were so different from what he’d previously written for Silversun Pickups that he initially thought he might have been writing a musical. He would describe them as “dream shanties” with gentler vocals, horror-inspired sounds and newer elements coming to mind. But the material isn’t meant to be somber; instead, Aubert manages to explore his own comfort — and discomfort — in seemingly indefinite, newfound isolation.
When Aubert presented the new material he had been working o to his bandmates, they readily embraced what would be a new direction for the band. They decided to continue their collaboration with Butch Vig, who had produced and recorded Widow’s Weeds at his Wisconsin home studio. Once Aubert made plans to visit Vig and play him what he had worked on, more music came. Aubert immediately began recording material with Vig, with the rest of the band joining later.
When Aubert revealed the new material to his bandmates, they readily embraced the new direction—and so did producer Butch Vig. The band reunited with Vig, who first worked with SilversunPickups on Widow’s Weeds, recording the album at the famed producer and Garbage-member’s home. Once Aubert made plans to visit Vig and play him what he had, the music began pouring out. He immediately began recording with Vig, having the rest of the band join later.
With the album arguably being the most exploratory of the band’s catalog, each of the band’s members felt much more free to explore and traverse new ground: Guanlao, who usually shies away from drum fills, took inspiration from The Beatles documentary Get Back and Ringo Starr’s drum work on Let It Be threw some in on the album. Monniger’s vocals were showcased much more than on their previously recorded material. And Joe Lester took on a larger writing role, writing the piano part for “We Won’t Come Out,” which became the backbone of the song.
Although the album features an eclectic mix of sounds and melodies, each song on the album is interconnected with each other, and meant to be experienced as a whole body of work. “All of our records are designed for people who want to listen to them all the way through and hopefully stick around with it,” says Aubert. “After a while, maybe you’ll catch on to the little things—not just the [pattern of] the dream songs, but maybe you’ll hear that, and you’ll hear a melody from the first song in the last song. There are crossover things happening.” Monninger adds, “We’ve been together for twenty-two years; it’s really interesting that we still love doing this. We know that we’re fortunate to still be together after all these years, seeking out the silver lining. I feel like we still have many more things to say, and we’re so happy with how this album turned out.”
Silversun Pickups close out 2022 with a slow-burning and shoegazey, Butch Vig-produced cover of Low’s “Just Like Christmas” that pulls out the gentle yearning and wistfulness out a bit further to the forefront. All proceeds from the song will be donated to Union Gospel Mission, a charity of Alan Sparkhawk’s choice — in Mimi Parker’s name. Silversun Pickups suggest that you should consider directly supporting and listening through Bandcamp — and based on the fact that it’s worthwhile cause, you should.
We’ve been fans of Low’s beautiful music for a long time now. When we heard the news about Mimi’s passing, we were incredibly sad. With Alan’s blessing, we decided to cover one of their Christmas songs, with hopes of raising money for a cause dear to Alan in Mimi’s name. Low’s Christmas is a classic. It was the first one I ever heard that made me feel holiday music could be cool.”
The band will resume touring to support Physical Thrills in 2023. Check out the tour dates below.
Tour Dates
Fri, Feb 17, 2023 Birmingham, AL Iron City
Sun, Feb 19, 2023 Knoxville, TN Mill & Mine
Mon, Feb 20, 2023 Asheville, NC Orange Peel
Tue, Feb 21, 2023 Louisville, KY Mercury Ballroom
Thu, Feb 23, 2023 McKees Rock, PA Roxian Theater
Fri, Feb 24, 2023 Cincinnati, OH Bogarts
Sat, Feb 25, 2023 Chicago, IL Radio Show
Tue, Feb 28, 2023 Little Rock, AR The Hall
Thu, Mar 2, 2023 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
Sat, Mar 4, 2023 San Antonio, TX The Aztec Theatre
Sun, Mar 5, 2023 Ft Worth, TX Tannahill’s
Mon, Mar 6, 2023 Dallas, TX House of Blues
Tue, Mar 7, 2023 Houston, TX House of Blues
Thu, Mar 9, 2023 Austin, TX Emo’s