Advent Calendar 2010 - Day Twenty Four - The Phantom Band

Since Christmas is so nearly upon us, here's a wee bonus song.

Strictly speaking it isn't a Christmas song, but it is really good, and a couple of folk asked me about it, so that's enough for me.

For Vic Galloway's final Radio 1 show the other night he had a few guests in. One of the guests were The Phantom Band, who performed The Howling from their debut album Checkmate Savage in a very special style.

The Phantom Band - Silent Howling Night

The Phantom Band: Website

Advent Calendar 2010 - Day Twenty Four - Christmas Wrapping

Here we are, 24 days later on Christmas Eve.

You've had a bit more than 24 songs to listen to and hopefully through December you've found something here to tickle your fancy. If not, well bah humbug to you.

Got all your shopping done? For those that haven't here's something fitting. For those that have, here's one of my favourite Christmas songs.

Christmas Wrapping was released first by The Waitresses in 1981. Since then there's been many cover versions, some ok, some good, and one by the Spice Girls.

Version one comes from The Upbeat Beatdown.

Version two comes from the ever wonderful Miss The Occupier, who recorded it for a Vic Galloway session.

Miss The Occupier - Christmas Wrapping

And finally, with somewhat dodgy sound, here's Aye Tunes favourites French Wives performing the song live at the Oran Mor.

Happy Christmas!

Advent Calendar 2010 - Day Twenty Three - Call To Mind

For a horrible moment I didn't think I could find anything new for today, thankfully the day was saved when I remembered I haven't used Call To Mind yet.

So here they are, our favourite Highland Glacial Pop group with a free download. If you haven't already heard the EP Call To Mind released earlier in the year please try to do so, it is one of our favourite things of 2010. You can buy it on iTunes here. (Or, as I've just discovered, download it free from Bandcamp.)

Learning Alone Again (Merry Christmas) - demo by calltomind

Call To Mind: MySpace - Facebook

Advent Calendar 2010 - Day Twenty Two - How To Swim

How To Swim already featured in the Advent Calendar way back on day four, but the festive little blighters have only gone and made more new Christmas songs, so they get in again today.

New Beginnings comes from How To Swim's new free download Christmas EP. You can get that EP, Santa's Got All The Best Tunes, here.

How To Swim - New Beginnings

How To Swim: MySpace - Facebook - Bandcamp

Advent Calendar 2010 - Day Twenty One - Alistair Crosbie

Only a few more days to go of the Christmas songs. A few scheduling hiccups aside I'm quite chuffed that I've gotten a song up every day so far. Hopefully I haven't now jinxed myself for the remaining days.

We've got a handful of songs today from Alistair Crosbie, listen/download below.

Alistair Crosbie: Blog - Bandcamp

Advent Calendar 2010 - Day Twenty - Aspen Tide

I'm a little bit hungover after last night's Seventeenth Century/Mitchell Museum gig, and need to go to work in a few minutes, so today's Christmas post will be a quick one.

Today's song comes from Aspen Tide. Their festive freebie is titled Frost Forms in the Sky and can be downloaded in exchange for your email address here. We like these boys round here, and will talk about them more when we have a little more time. Enjoy until then!

Aspen Tide: MySpace - Facebook

This Week's Gigs: 20th - 26th December

There isn't all that much on this week and to be honest I haven't looked all that hard for things for the gig guide. I'm also writing this in a grumpy mood having missed Kid Canaveral's Christmas Baubles yesterday and the constant falling of snow outside my window right now making my plans to go to Glasgow for Mitchell Museum & The Seventeenth Century tonight decidedly shaky...

Before we get on to the gigs just a quick reminder that Jer Reid's Winter Cycle is still running every day at mid day in Stereo.

Monday:

The Ginger Wildhearts Band, Baby Chaos, Sluts of Trust. The Garage. (Tickets)

Ginger is, along with E of Eels and Nick Cave, high on my list of the best songwriters in the past twenty odd years, and we never miss a Ginger gig in Glasgow. This time round Ginger and friends will be playing a set made up mostly of Wildhearts songs. Support comes from Sluts of Trust and the specially reformed Baby Chaos.

Dirty Keys, The Hate 80s, Danger Danger. The Captain's Rest

Dirty Keys gave us a Christmas song the other day and The Hate 80s are an alterego of El Dog, who provided us with one today. Entry is only £1, so if you have nothing else to do on Monday night this is worth a go.

Wednesday:

Olive Grove Records Christmas Party. The 13th Note, free entry.

Our wee Olive Grove pals are throwing a Christmas bash, with music from Esperi, Randolph's Leap and RM Hubbert.

Thursday:

Lou Hickey, Baby Taylor, Acutones. King Tut's (Tickets)

We like Lou round here.

Probably no gig guide next week, I'll be busy stuffing myself with food, playing with presents, writing up Readers' Poll results and attempting to pick some of my favourite songs of the year instead, but if there's anything good happening I'll get something done about it.

Last Chance To Vote!

One last remind, voting in the Readers' Poll closes tonight, so if you haven't taken part yet and want to, get a move on! You can find all the details here.
Some of the categories are still too close to call, so your vote is important*
I'm aiming to have the results up on Boxing Day, wish me luck.

*Not in the grand scheme of things, obviously, but for the poll it is important.

Advent Calendar 2010 - Day Nineteen - Mitchell Museum

Tonight is the Electra French Records Christmas Party, so it seems only right that we go to one of the bands playing for our next Christmas song. All being well we'll be there, drinking much more booze than someone working on Monday should.

It would be quite fair to say we love Mitchell Museum round here. From having them play the first Aye Tunes Vs Peenko gig to sharing first place in our favourite albums of the year we aren't shy about letting people know how much we love them either. This is because they are magic.

Anyway, here's their Christmas contribution from last year, their own take on Jona Lewie's Stop The Cavalry.


Mitchell Museum - Stop The Calvary

Mitchell Museum: Website

Advent Calendar 2010 - Day Nineteen - Bob Dogboy Rafferty/El Dog

Two posts again today, and the first one is another two for one deal. Who says I half arse this stuff? Oh yeah, I do, regularly.

First up we have Bob Dogboy Rafferty with a tender ode to a Transformer.

Secondly one repeated from last year, as Bob's band El Dog rip through Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow. Bloody snow, I missed the Kid Canaveral gig yesterday because of it. It better not mess with the rest of my plans.

El Dog - Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow.

And a video too!