Photo: fanpop.com
Good evening, everyone. And more importantly, merry Christmas all! Or if you must be offended by what is now an overwhelmingly secular day, then I simply wish you a happy holiday!
I want to thank all the writers who've contributed to the site this year. It's been a big change over the past year as I expanded the blog into film and television and without the writers who've kindly come in to give me a hand, I'm genuinely unsure whether this blog would still exist. So thank you Simon, Paul, Kieran, Ced, Alicia, Sid, Matthew, Jake, Josh, Rajan and Emily. For putting up with my nagging, at the very least. Thanks too to guest bloggers like Nina Bhadreshwar, Glen Hunchbakk and Rob from Little Comets. And anyone else I've accidentally forgotten. Hopefully we'll have many more contributions next year from inside the FG family or otherwise. Drop me an email if you'd like to join in the fun.
I also want to thank every one of you who reads this for coming to visit us this year - we basically doubled the number of hits we had and are now well on our way to half a million pageviews. I hope you've enjoyed at least some of the writing on the site, even if you've respectfully disagreed with the reviewer's opinions.
With all that said, have ten decent holiday tunes (in no particular order) that have been recorded this year after the jump. Have a brilliant day everyone and thank you all again.
1) It's pretty weird to hear vocals from Kim Campesinos! instead of the now departed Aleks but I'm not sure that's quite the awful outcome. If you can imagine what a Christmas song from Los Campesinos! would be like then you're pretty much bang on the money.
DOWNLOAD: Kindle A Flame In Her Heart by Los Campesinos!
2) A rather wonderful and faithful version of a Christmas classic here from Matthew And The Atlas. If it ain't broke/isn't broken, then don't fix it.
DOWNLOAD: Matthew And The Atlas - Fairytale Of New York
3) A Paul McCartney cover from one of the fine members of the Big Scary Monsters roster. Features sleigh bells and everything. Download it for the price of your email address here.
STREAM: Hold Your Horse Is - Wonderful Christmas Time
4) The Maccabees offer their somewhat desolate take on 'Walking In The Air'. Guessing they were prepping themselves for a rubbish Christmas. Hope you had a good one lads.
5) A return to form for Hurts. More on this in my final monthly singles round up for the year whenever that appears....
Hurts - All I Want For Christmas Is New Year's Day on Vimeo.
6) You may well read more about Scottish quartet Call To Mind from me in the future, if this ethereal Chrimbo offering is anything to go by.
DOWNLOAD: Learning Alone Again (Merry Christmas) - demo by calltomind
7) I'm not convinced at all that "Christmas was better in the eighties" but having only existed in half of that decade, I can't really prove otherwise. This is worth it just for the occasional burst of characteristic harmonies from The Futureheads.
8) This song a bit like Alexei and Kelly from Johnny Foreigner have come over to yours at Christmas and you're all falling asleep but are trying to stay awake by whispering things into each other's ears. Maybe.
DOWNLOAD: santa fucking claus by johnny foreigner
9) This'll be the hipster Christmas anthem then. Ahh, whatever, it's still good. Best Coast and Wavves join up for 118 seconds of breezy, somewhat lo-fi pop. Download at Target
STREAM: Best Coast & Wavves - Got Something For You
10) I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed the new Sufjan Stevens (Christmas) album when it was put on at work. Here's a slow burning track to finish off this little list of songs. Good night, and good luck.
STREAM: Sufjan Stevens - Only at Christmas Time
Merry Christmas! Feel free to comment and point out your favourite Christmas songs of 2010.
We're a collaborative British music, film and TV blog. "Trying to find the perfect match between pretentious and pop."
