Who likes Christmas? Me too! My favourite thing is hearing all those lovely Christmas songs played on repeat. And repeat. And repeat. And thanks to the digital age and your parents now having a firm grasp of iTunes, we have a top 40 this week absolutely chock-a-block with your usual festive favourites. Wham!, Sir Cliff, McGowan, Mariah: they’re all there. But fear not, futurists! There are some new Christmas efforts doing the rounds too. And for ease of eye (and ear in some cases), we’ve rounded them up here. With handy ratings, too… go forth.
Asobi Seksu – ‘Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight)’
It is, of course, a cover of a song from fellow New Yorkers The Ramones. And it sounds rather like what would happen if My Bloody Valentine cobbled together a Ramones cover. In ten minutes. Which essentially, it is. A bit shoddy, really. The key question: is Christmas really about fuzzy guitars and glacial wailing? Should all Christmas songs actually have sleigh bells or an appropriate 'jangle' going on? Probably. Loses out on all counts, really. 5/10
Malcolm Middleton – ‘We’re All Going To Die’
The ‘credible novelty hit’ of the contenders. Rather like, say, ‘Mad World’ it has no actual reference to Christmas. It merely sums up the feeling you get when you’re in the town centre trying to buy socks for Gran. Kill, kill, kill. Just a thought, though: wouldn't this be more amusing if it was released by Kate Middleton? 6/10
Shaun The Sheep – ‘Life’s A Treat’
The true heir to the great British Christmas single. In that it’s a massive, irritating pile of wank. File next to Mr Blobby, Bob The Builder and something with Timmy Mallet. Horrendous wankers, all of them. Especially bad here is the video, which involves some kind of rave sheep. 2/10
The Killers – ‘Don’t Shoot Me Santa’
“Oh Santa, it’s been a long, hard year,” croons diminutive career climber Brandon Flowers. Yes, yes it has. Especially if you don’t like The Killers – 2007 must have felt like forever. The second 'look at us' effort of the winter (after that eerie Lou Reed collaboration) feels a bit too much. Please stop now, The Killers. It’s kind of like a Wild West Nativity play, and just as jumbled and confused as that premise sounds. Weird. And in a way, equally as offensive as Shaun The Sheep. 5/10
Frightened Rabbit – ‘It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop’
In the Scottish head-to-head with Malcolm Middleton, we’re going to have to plump with this effort. Quite lovely and rather understated, it sounds like it was recorded in a cabin in the middle of a field of pure white snow. Kinda like Bing Crosby (see video below) on whiskey and Tennants. Mmm. 8/10
Super Furry Animals – ‘The Gift That Keeps On Giving’
An actual present given away by SFA! Available to download for free on Christmas Day, this track’s from the ace and entirely underrated (already) Hey Venus!. And the title is entirely appropriate. Is it a slick marketing thing? Yes. Do we care? No. 9/10
Fucked Up – ‘David Christmas’
Sounding like a modern day sludge-rock Slade, the seasonal offering by these sweary ones is a little bit useless, actually. It’d be easy to suggest that it’s for ‘fan’s only’, but that would be to imply that Fucked Up fans like Christmas. But they probably don’t. They probably like torturing goats. The b-side however, is a heck of a lot more intriguing, if compositionally a lot less appealing… read more here. 5/10
Leon Jackson – ‘When You Believe’
Of course, the actual winner of the Christmas top slot fight is the pre-ordained X Factor track each year. This year’s turkey gobbler is particularly mawkish. Apparently-not-as-good-as-Ryhdian (I didn’t watch it, haven’t a clue) doucher Leon offers a vocal delivery as flat as a washboard. The chord changes as you swoop into the big chorus are rather odd. Even Westlife would have considered this album filler material. In the song’s defence, Mariah and Whitney do make a better fist of it in the original (we have YouTube in the office, y’know). 4/10
Of course, this is our favourite Christmas clip of them all. Odd, non?
- - -

Reuben
You forgot Reuben - Christmas Is Awesome, best chrimbo song around at the moment...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH2umxtA_sc
that
is actually brilliant.
Winner.
If I could be arsed to go back and edit the article, I would and make it the winner. But I won't. Rueben rule though...
I GOT A DVD, I GOT A DVD. AND IT WAS DOCTOR WHO.
Genius.
Buy it, everyone.
x
go on...
edit it, you know you want to ;-)
that
song is fanastic. end of competition.
Nah
nice lyrics but I think his vocals are shockingly crap and other than a couple of little twists it's pretty dull riffery. The asobi sesku track is pretty good as is frightened rabbit.
nahhhh...
The vocals are awesome, but probably the main reason this will not get anywhere. The riffs aren't complex, but are very catchy - quite a feat, really. Best Xmas release I've heard in a long time, oh yes.
reuben would clearly win this article
if they got a mention
amazing
The Wave Pictures
We Dress Up Like Snowmen should also get a mention - it's my fave this xmas anyhow
Yes!
I was going to add this, if no-one else did.
Yeh i thought of Reuben as well
when i read the article. Clear winner, kinda disappointing that it hasn't really received any coverage from the media that you'd expect to cover it because it'd probably do half well.
lightspeed champ
lightspeed champion has a christmas e.p available for free on his website.
that video
is kind of like a porn movie, but instead of having sex randomly, they just break into song.
It's gotta be Reuben
or Emmy/Dev's 'Christmas in Prison'
THE SCHOOL
have a song 'Kiss You in the Snow' out on an Elefant single:
1. THE SCHOOL “Kiss you in the snow”
2. HELEN LOVE [Caitlin y Shauna] “Joey Ramone snowman”
3. CORAZÓN “El regalo”
4. MY LITTLE AIRPORT “Por and Macho got married”
MORE INFO + HAVE A BIT OF A LISTEN HERE: http://www.elefant.com/article/7181/elefant-happy-new-year-2008
You also forgot
The Manics' 'Ghost Of Christmas', which is fantastic.
BCB Xmas Special
There will be what I reckon is a pretty good Xmas radio show on BCB on Boxing Day, with a load of great Xmas tunes, from the 'alternative' side of the tracks. This will be on BCB106.6FM in Bradford, or www.bcbradio.co.uk anywhere else in the world. It's on from 8pm to 10pm (GMT)
That Malcolm Middleton one sounds like 'Ballroom Blitz'.
It does y'know...
Festive sounds
Those chaps at doubledotdash!? have put together a lovely Christmas card of seasonal music:
http://files.doubledotdash.org/xmas07/xmas01.html
My personal highlight would be Good King Elytron's Thischristmastime, although there's a whole load of magic in The Mike Wilkins Sound.
Cheers!
Reuben's release isn't eligible for the charts, unfortunately
Someone accidentally registered the track 'Blood Bunny Larkhall' instead of 'Christmas is Awesome'. A shame as it's been selling pretty well.