There was once a wise man who said, it is not the holidays without a holiday song from My First Earthquake. As you might imagine, that wise man is me. Their videos are as strangely enchanting as ever, and I will be sure to post last year’s holiday song on Christmas. As always, you can download the song freely, so have at it! But watch the video first, because otherwise it is for naught!

Holiday Sweaters – (MP3, 5.2 MB)

Now, apparently there are bands that I think everyone has heard of, but that idea does not mesh with reality! At least that is the case when I referred my good buddy Hughster to the lovely tones of Nouvelle Vague. Granted, people out there in blog land may say otherwise, but I don’t really know them so it means NARY A THING.

Anyhoo, Nouvelle Vague are a great French outfit who take a bunch of old, popular and seemingly random tunes and cover them. The frosty thing about it is though is that the singers they get onboard to cover the songs have never heard the songs they’re covering before, which, instead of ending in a complete disaster , actually sound great! It’s rare I’ll find a cover version to be better than the real song, but Master & Servant on their latest album, 3, completely beats out the Depeche Mode original. Sorry guys! As well as that, there’s a brilliant version of the Violent Femme’s famous Blister in the Sun, which is a heck of a lot funkier than the original.

From 3
Master & Servant – (MP3, 3 MB))

Though they seem to be the biggest thing since sliced bread over in England, if you ask nearly anyone in America about Madness, they will probably respond, “Oh, they are that poppy English band that did our house!” This is extraordinarily unfortunate, as they have quite a significant body of work, spanning various genres and being generally awesome. I know I was personally a bit surprised when I first realized their association to 2nd wave ska, but after I had finally been introduced to One Step Beyond, it was pretty obvious that any hype about them has been completely deserved.

They had a few less interesting releases in the few decades between their ska era and now, but with 2005’s Dangermen Sessions, they not only had brought back the ska, they also brought back to quality, reviving my excitement in the band. And if anyone knows me (though you wouldn’t know it from my posts on here), I am all about the ska, so it makes even more sense that I’d give such a hoot.

And then they come up with a sprawling concept album, bereft of ska (except for a few moments where it sort of seeps in the cracks) — and wouldn’t you know it, I like it even more. The Liberty of Norton Folgate is a fantastic piece of work, full of unexpected genre changes (pop, polka, rock?) and more energy than can strictly be accounted. And even if the thing was awful, the beautiful ten-minute-long title track alone would carry the record. Of course, it doesn’t have to, with tracks like On the Town and NW5.

From The Liberty of Norton Folgate
Clerkenwell Polka

While I may have mentioned Jessica Fichot’s music two years ago, that is practically an eternity in the world of blogging. And considering I mentioned her on a mix, the mention consists of roughly “oh wow, this song is good, please listen to it.” I can do better than that! Ms. Fichot was born in the US, the product of French and Chinese couplings. She was then raised in France, which is a good thing for music fans. She later graduated from two music schools, one in Paris and one in Boston, and even wrote a lot of children’s songs, including gems such as The Recycling Rap. These are no simple pop songs, either – she had over 20 musicians playing on her songs. It’s pleasantly surprising that they aren’t muddled by noise. In any case, if you are in the mood for impeccable French music sung by a lovely chanteuse, you simply cannot go wrong with these songs.

From Le Chemin
Le Grenier – (MP3, 4.1 MB)
Un Deux Trois – (MP3, 3.7 MB)

You weren’t expecting me to write another post so soon, were you, curious visitor? Hah! As luck would have it, I’ve made the mistake of telling a few bands that I’d write about their music. The Happy Hollows aren’t one of these, but that’s OK. They are basically a somewhat crazy indie-rock band from Los Angeles, with a crazy lady for a singer. I recently noticed yesterday that nary a band with a male singer has been posted on this site since December, so I also figured I’d keep the streak going strong. Anyway, I’m quite certain you indie-rock hipsters out there will love their song Lieutenant, and while Tambourine isn’t as noisy or crazy, it’s still damned good. And if you like what you hear, you can grab the rest of the EP from their website for free if you sign up to their mailing list. I think it’s pretty well worth it!

And it has come to my attention that the guy who provides our hosting, well, it’s his birthday. So happy 21st birthday kol, may there be much whiskey and many wenches in your immediate future.

From Imaginary EP
Lieutenant – (MP3, 4.6 MB)
Tambourine – (MP3, 3.7 MB)

Leerone is another lady I’ve posted about before, but she’s easily one of the nicest people I’ve met through this accursed blog so hey, why not write about her again? To quote from what I said back then:

“She’s from California and mixes her slightly unpredictable piano ballads with her lovely voice. That voice will help for those among you who don’t like or can’t get into songs that surprise you with the musical turns that they make. For instance, her song Care For Some Whiskey? has the catchy pop vibes that would make it on mainstream radio, but it is nowhere near formulaic enough.”

She’s going to be at SXSW this year, and is performing tomorrow, so in case you’re down at SXSW and reading this from your laptop, you can go see her too. Here’s the details for her show:

Friday, March 20th @ 5pm
Vintage Lounge
504 B Trinity
Austin, TX 78701

If you haven’t heard any of her songs, I’ve posted one of my favorites, and her new video as well. Now go see her, and tell her Hugh sent you, damnit!

From Imaginary Biographies
Care For Some Whiskey? – (MP3, 3.4 MB)

Jeez, it’s been five days since I’ve written on here already. No wonder I have such a hard time keeping up. St. Vincent is a gal I’ve been meaning to talk about for a while, but haven’t, until now. Oooh! I’m not really sure what to say about her, but if writing a music blog has been any indication, people don’t really read this anyway. Paris Is Burning is a great song with a bit of a cabaret vibe to it, and that is all the description necessary. The Strangers is from her new album, Actor, that’s out in May, so keep your eyes peeled if you like it.

From Actor
The Strangers – (MP3, 5.8 MB)

From Marry Me
Paris Is Burning – (MP3, 4 MB)

Inertia really seems to control my blogging, and since it turns out I have not blogged since freakin’ December, happy 2009, hope you’ve had a good one so far. I realize I haven’t posted my best of ‘08 list still, but at least I know what artists will be on it, so how about them apples? Hopefully the inertia will stay in high gear for at least a few more posts, eh?

First up for ‘09 is Lex Land, who you may have heard on Grey’s Anatomy a few months back. She’s only got about 11k plays on last.fm, though, so she has not taken off yet, as it were. On Could’ve Had Me she sounds much like Beth Ditto (from The Gossip) or whatever that girl’s name is from The Duke Spirit. In other words, sexy and soulful. As Much As You Lead is, well, just a good song. The inertia hasn’t made me good at blogging again yet. In either case, enjoy the songs!

From Orange Days On Lemon Street
Could’ve Had Me – (MP3, 4.8 MB)
As Much As You Lead – (MP3, 6.4 MB)

That double posting didn’t last long, did it? My laziness impresses me most of all. Oh well. Alex & Sam are a twosome from California that make enjoyable pop songs, which are always nice to hear when the weather’s getting cold. Not that this music is particularly summer-y, as it is indeed quite mellow. However, it’s pleasant, and not at all depressing, which itself is a rarity on this site. Heck, it might still get you out of some winter doldrums. Buy Your Side reminds me of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound Of Silence, which is alway a compliment. Found Our Way is another mellow pop number, and well worth your time.

From Sounds Like This: Volume One
Buy Your Side – (MP3, 2.8 MB)
Found Our Way – (MP3, 3.8 MB)
Land Of The Free – (MP3, 3.6 MB)

And next up is My First Earthquake! I hope you enjoy newly-minted holiday songs as much as I do, or you may not enjoy their amusing holiday song, Fa La Freezing. It is based off of a song their singer remembered from her 5th grade holiday concerts. Awww, nostalgia! I’ve only heard it a few times and I’m already singing along. It’s ca-ca-ca-ca-cold outside…

The other song I’ve posted, Sack Lunch is not holiday-themed, but it is rather catchy. It has the distinct honor of being the only song I’ve ever heard to say “pre-pube,” or refer to “the pizza boxes of his heart.” It’s also one of the very few songs I know about statutory rape! That is probably not a great selling point, but hey, it’s still a great song.

From Fa La Freezing
Fa La Freezing – (MP3, 4.6 MB)

From Tremors
Sack Lunch – (MP3, 4 MB)