James Brown - Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto

Hey boys and women, I disappeared for a couple days.  I, Spike D. Eggnog, drank a whole bunch of my namesake on Friday, smoked some nutmeg, and fell asleep for THREE DAYS!  It felt like four, but I'm all good now.  I got an IV and everything.

Anyway, I got this song here by this cool cat named James Brown.  He's so friggin' cool that he tells Santa what to do and he gets away with it!  Sometimes I wish Santa was just James Brown in that red suit.  He'd be the greatest ever, except he'd probably make too much noise.  Yeeeaaaah! 

Download it over at Too Much Happiness with bonus picture of Mr. T

Sufjan Stevens - O Come O Come Emmanuel

Thank you C-Money for the heads up on this little gem...


Sufjan Stevens seems like the kind of guy that wears a lot of wool.  He's a Winter Man.  A man of many ice storms.  And here he has presented us with a Fuzzy-Sweater rendition of "O Come O Come Emmanuel."  What do I mean?  It's well worn, it's an old item, but it's familiar and warm.  The song is about the anticipation of Jesus, which is why it should be sung with hope as opposed to joy.  'Rejoice' is sung without enthusiasm, it's sung wistfully.  The recorder brings the song back to its 15th century roots without making it too stuffy for the listener.  Sufjan nails it better than most.

Ingrid Lucia - Christmas In New Orleans

New Orleans is my kind of city.  Greasy, spicy, dirty (the good kind) food is available for the common man.  The cadence of the entire city rocks and marches to blues, jazz, zydeco, and funk.  I'd love to see those wrought iron balconies strung up in Christmas lights as I sip a chicory coffee and munch on a beignet.  A light flurry would make the city even more magical than it already is.  Even without winter precipitation, Nawlins is a town that brings out the best in musicians.  Ingrid Lucia and her backing band swing us down to New Orleans for a quick Christmas stroll.  New Orleans music and Christmas music combined really makes my day.  Don't forget to support the artists that make these tracks available.  Pick up a track or two.  Take it away, Ingrid!

The Darkness - Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)

The Darkness are absolutely one of my top five favorite bands of the last 10 years.  There is a large group of people that thought The Darkness was a joke band because their video for "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" focused around a frisky Justin Hawkins in a spandex leotard and a cuddly purple alien.  They were DEAD serious.  Dead serious.  And they killed it with their only two albums, Permission to Land and One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back.  Like a typhoon full of AC/DC, Queen, and GnR, the band hit hard and fizzled fast due to alcohol and heroin.  In between albums they were smart enough to record a smashing rock Christmas hit that peaked at #2 on the UK charts. 

Exohxo - All I Want For Christmas Is You

Exohxo, an offshoot of the band Speaker Speaker, whips out a steaming version of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" complete with violins, glockenspiels, and a bassline that carries the song all the way through.  It's upbeat and positive without being too saccharine.  Make sure you're passing these songs on to your friends or posting them on your facebook feed.  These are for EVERYONE!  Not just you, you selfish animal. 

Free Download Here

Bella Ruse

Bella Ruse, a self-described minimalist folk duo, did work (as in "do work, son") putting together this 4 song EP to send out as a Christmas card/gift.  It was such a hit that they offered it up to us, the plebeians.  Recorded in their living room, this album hits all the right places with me.  It's soulful, elegant, and unobtrusive.  They didn't fudge with the original songs too much either.  Great versions of Christmas classics.  I might even buy their Stocking Stuffer Download cards for friends and family.  

Eux Autres

Eux Autres is a fantastic sibling band with quite the indie sound.  (I don't speak French.  What does Eux Autres mean?)  Their homestyle singin' and strummin' is well suited for fun, Christmas music.  I'd never heard of these guys before I heard their Christmas tunes so I'm not sure how this compares to their other music, but you best bet I'll be checking it out soon.  Please leave a comment if you enjoy Eux Autres too and don't be too shy about supporting artists.  Buy the track if you dare!  I definitely will.  In fact I think I'm going to buy their red vinyl single.