Fuel/Friends’ 2011 Midnight-Clear December Mix

Pine trees and icicles and carolers — check. But can we please just talk for a moment about how it was -2 degrees the other night in Colorado? TWO BELOW, with howling winds. I like the beer, but man alive that makes for some cold sleeping.

All the golden loveliness of autumn is gone, and in its place we have this icy, silent cocoon all around us, luminescent and silvery-blue. Perhaps I just have to survive these next two weeks of school, and maybe go on a little cookie-baking binge, and then the season will feel like it is here. We are celebrating a very spartan (Little House On The Prairie-style) Christmas this year (everyone gets an orange, maybe a button). I am hoping that on the bright side it will make me remember, as Charlie Brown says, what Christmas is really all about.

I’m pleased to collate twenty-five songs for you, for late nights in December. Assembled together the last few evenings over generous glasses of BotaBox red wine and a happy heart (because really, what is more fun than making a seasonal mix?) — Merry Christmas and happy wintering to you all. I am thankful for you, and glad you read what I have to share; this is absolutely my utter favorite of these holiday mixes so far.

Now go get me the electric blanket; it’s on the couch.

FUEL/FRIENDS’ MIDNIGHT-CLEAR DECEMBER MIX 2011
Merry Xmas Anyways – Typhoon (A PDXmas comp)
Just Like Christmas (Low) – David Bazan
Oh Come All Ye Faithful – The Lower Lights (so good)
Snow Is Falling – Darker My Love
Christmas Must Be Tonight (The Band) – Bahamas (Vol. 2)
Remember When It Snowed – Rosie Thomas (new song!)
O Holy Night – Quiet Company (from their free Holiday EP)
The Christmas Waltz – She & Him
When The Bells Start Ringing – My Morning Jacket (new EP)
The Ice and Snow Haunt Me Still – Brown Bird (via)
I Saw Three Ships – Megafaun (from Hometapes)
The Song The Season Brings – Beta Radio (love this)
Christmas Eve For Two – Summer Fiction
It’s Christmas Time – Matthew Ryan (via)
Go Tell It On The Mountain (feat. Mark Apel) – Seryn (via)
Hey Parker, It’s Christmas – Ryan Adams (old song, overdue)
The Blizzard – Camera Obscura
I’ll Be Home For Christmas – Travel By Sea
Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi) – Dawes
New Year’s Eve – Haunting Party (free xmas tape)
It’s Christmas. Go on and say hello – Roman Candle (via)
When The Thames Froze – Smith & Burrows
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Chris Martin
Snowed In Seattle – Josiah Johnson (of The Head and The Heart, wonderfully long ago)
Silent Night – Sufjan Stevens (with Bryce and Aaron Dessner of The National, and Richard Parry of Arcade Fire)

ZIP: FUEL/FRIENDS’ MIDNIGHT-CLEAR DECEMBER MIX 2011

Hey! The last four years of mixes are still online too. I take my holly-jollying seriously.

[album art, as always, by the marvelous Ryan Hollingsworth, who has a chilly-evocative wonderful winter mix of his own up here]

Fuel/Friends 2010 Mix for a Wintry December

Despite a somewhat peculiar lack of snow so far this December, I went ahead tonight and made myself a White Russian and felt very mysterious (like the kind of girl who makes herself White Russians on a quiet Sunday evening) and sifted through my favorite seasonal music by the twinkling tree for this year’s Christmasy/wintry mix.

As I say every year, and as we are reminded in every lonely drugstore and crowded mall, there is a colossal amount of craptastic holiday music that should never be played again, ever. Synthesizers, no. Chipmunks, no. Every year I wonder if I will be able to find enough good new songs to use for a complete mix of meaningful, pensive, spirited Christmas music. Every year find that with some searching and selective culling, I can.

This year’s mix ranges from the brand-new to quite-old melodies, but all are road tested by yours truly, and I hope they add a pleasing lilt to your holiday celebrations. Last month marked five years of Fuel/Friends, and this is a little year-end gift to you all. Thank you for reading and listening.

FUEL/FRIENDS 2010 WINTRY DECEMBER MIX
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Wheat (new 2010 Christmas single)

It’s Christmas – Coconut Records (oh, Jason, I’ve missed ye)

You Are A Gift – Basia Bulat (from this free holiday sampler)

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – R.E.M. (new 2010 Christmas single)

Snow Day – Matt Pond PA (Winter Songs EP)

It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas (Sam Phillips) – Toad The Wet Sprocket (new for 2010!)

I Heard The Bells On Christmas – Pedro The Lion

O Holy Night – Benji Cossa (from this album)

White Christmas – Otis Redding

Listening to Otis Redding At Home During Christmas – Okkervil River

Just Like Christmas (Low) – Fanfarlo (from the 2009 NPR Tiny Desk Concert)

River (Joni Mitchell) – Rosie Thomas (also this might be my favorite winter song of hers, ever)

Happy Christmas (War is Over) – Teitur (Scandinavian singer covered Lennon last week for a Christmas youtube delight)

Tiny Tree Christmas – Guster (from that Target comp)

Snow Will Fall Tonight – Peter Bradley Adams (eastmountainsouth singer’s new song)

Christmas Is Coming Soon – Blitzen Trapper

The Snow Angel and The Icicle Sword – Ian McGlynn (fundraiser for ill Baby Jaq)

A Long December (Counting Crows) – John Craigie (free covers album)

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear – Laura Gibson

Only At Christmas Time – Sufjan Stevens

Fairytale of New York (Pogues) – Matthew And The Atlas (new for 2010!)

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – David Bazan (live on Daytrotter)

Wanting And Regret – Jason Anderson (I love this part)

Winter Song – The Head and The Heart

I’ll Be Home for Christmas – Leif Vollebekk

Gonna Make It Through The Year – Great Lake Swimmers

This Will Be Our Year (Zombies) – The Mynabirds w/ J. Tom Hnatow (2010 Christmas single)

Auld Lang Syne – Kate & James Taylor (from this comp)

Silent Night – My Morning Jacket (live on WFPK)

ZIP: FUEL/FRIENDS 2010 WINTRY DECEMBER MIX

PS – Hey, the last three years’ mixes are still online!

[top photo from Paris, via this blog]

The ghosts of Christmas past

(Ahh, memories of when it was warm enough in a California December to cut down the Christmas tree in short sleeves…)

The holly jolly person in you will be pleased to know that my Christmas mixes from the last two years are also now re-upped, after a wrestling match between me, my server, and some impudent FTP software. It got real ugly.

But these songs? These are mostly pretty, and seasonally appropriate. Please enjoy; Merry Christmas.

2007 Fuel/Friends Christmas Mixery
2008 (Naughty/Nice) Fuel/Friends Christmas Mix

Fuel/Friends Christmas Mix 2009

Well today is a snow day in my part of Colorado, bringing everything outside to a deadened, frozen, thickly-blanketed crawl. It’s gorgeous and quiet, and perfect weather for putting the finishing touches on my annual Christmas mix. I do love Christmas music, as you might remember from past years, but I also have a picky palate and am always amazed when I turn on the radio (as I did last night while we played cards) at how many many Christmas songs should have never been made. If I have to hear “Wonderful Christmastime” again, I might gouge out my eardrum with a candy cane to the beat of those synthesizers.

Even though there’s room on this mix I’ve made for the fun and light-hearted (I am in love with the opening remix track), I do tend to find myself drawn to the reflective and traditional songs at this time of year. Maybe it’s some slight seasonal affection disorder, or the natural rhythms of winter — or an internalization that this is a month of hope and light but that there is such need out there as well. I went to an ecumenical advent service this weekend at the old stone chapel on the college campus where I work, and one of the professors from the Classics department read a bit from the book of John about how the light shines into the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. I found the simplicity of that inspiring in a way that surprised me. I sat there in the candlelight thinking about dichotomies of light and dark, hope and despair, kindness vs. letting ourselves be hard and stony.

Anyways, there’s a bit of reflection from me on how this season is wrapping itself into my thoughts, as I sit here beside this pretty twinkling Christmas tree, warm under a fuzzy blanket. I also delight in how all these music blogs have made such a rad collection of alternative holiday tunes available for the endless mixing.

Now I’m gonna go watch Elf.

…Oh! and we’ll hope Edward Hopper won’t mind the bastardization of his moody Nighthawks painting too much. It made me smile, and is exactly how I feel today.

FUEL/FRIENDS CHRISTMAS MIX 2009

White Christmas – Corporal Blossom (from the free Very Bootie Xmas comp)
O Christmas Tree – The Layaways (free track from their Christmas album)
Kamikaze Christmas Economy (I Owe) – Jeremy Fisher (free track from last year, great artist)
The Warmest Part of Winter – Voxtrot
River (Joni Mitchell cover) – Lex Land
Listen To The Choir Sing – Ian McGlynn
Murder by Mistletoe – Felice Brothers
First Christmas – Boyracer (from their Christmas EP)
Goodbye England (Covered In Snow) – Laura Marling
Winter Winds – Mumford & Sons
O Holy Night – Cary Brothers (from his Father Christmas EP)
I Know The Reason – Mindy Smith & Thad Cockrell
Grateful For Xmas – Hayes Carll
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Chad Johnston
Blue Christmas – Bright Eyes
Seasonal Persuasion – Caithlin de Marrais
Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees – Elvis Presley
I Wonder As I Wander – Woven Hand (from the free Familyre Christmas Vol. 1)
Christmas Eve Can Kill You – The Everly Brothers
It’s Almost Christmas – Chris Garneau
Snow Angels – Boca Chica (from the Indiecater Christmas 2009 album)
All I Ever Get For Christmas Is Blue – Over The Rhine
Winter (Curled Up Toes In Red Mary Janes) – Jenna Nicholls
O Little Town of Bethlehem – The Innocence Mission (from the free Familyre Christmas Vol. 2)
New Year’s Eve – Team Five
I’ll Be Home For Christmas – Amanda Rogers
Silent Night – Zach Gill (from last year’s This Warm December comp)

ZIP: FUEL/FRIENDS CHRISTMAS MIX 2009

HO-HO-HO-BONUS:

2007 Fuel/Friends Christmas Mixery
2008 (Naughty/Nice) Fuel/Friends Christmas Mix

Rocking the holidays, racking up the family points

A friend of a friend from Berkeley came up with a most excellent and hilarious holiday game, to while away the hours you spend with your extended family this holiday season.

Sarah’s Holiday Game Scorecard

You can also go back and award yourself points for all those awkward and wonderful interactions you remember from this weekend, too.

I (mostly) successfully roasted my fourth turkey ever, except this year I couldn’t find the giblets and ended up leaving the bag in the bird. Hey, at least it was a papery bag. And that thar is my Christmas tree, which I also managed to put up this weekend. I am a holiday goddess of sorts.

Are you gonna be mad at me if I post a Christmas song already?

I’ve been sitting on my hands since the beginning of the month waiting to revel with you in this bonus track from Julian Casablancas’ new solo album. Now that turkey day comes tomorrow, and after we are all thankful, the Christmas season officially begins — I feel ready to take this step with you and open the seasonal floodgates.

First of all, this video still makes me DIE LAUGHING:

[direct link]

The thing with the head rotating forward and to the side! Oh, Chris Kattan.

And then Casablancas goes and makes it a bonus track on his new album, and makes it sound like early Strokes — which is a good thing that we sincerely, truly wish he would do more often.

I Wish It Was Christmas Today – Julian Casablancas

(also, those opening bells hit me like the N.E.R.D./Santogold collaboration he did with “My Drive Thru” that’s still super fun for the dancing and hip-shaking)

…and a new Christmas one from Sufjan

In keeping with his prolific holiday tradition (he makes music like some folks make garlic prime rib), Sufjan Stevens has recorded a new home EP of Christmas songs for 2008.

As he’s apparently “Astral Interplanet Space Captain” this year, many of the songs are of the synth-Casio variety, and I’m kinda finding the mood a bit off-putting, compared to the way I love his banjo with my whole backwoods heart. I mean, “Wonderful Christmastime” should have never happened. Have we learned nothing from the past! Christmas means no synthesizers.

But in any case, there is one sweet piano-based tune on the new EP that has risen above the interplanetary action to warm my heart. I do hope your day was happy.

Christmas In The Room – Sufjan Stevens

Get the whole EP over on So That’s What The Volume Knob Is For.

And . . . I’m off to California for a few days of sun and fun and friends (well, maybe not the first one. It is December.)

Your Naughty/Nice Christmas mix

Christmas is coming and kids are having fun (so said the chorus of my fifth grade play “Shaping Up Santa,” for which I still know all the words and thankfully no longer have to wear the green elf costume).

I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year because of the overabundance of really bad, synthy, jingly, repetitive Christmas music that bombards me at every pass. But tonight I was listening to my friend Dainon‘s superb radio show out of Salt Lake City and he filled two and a half hours with the kind of Christmas music that reminds me why I do love it.

I tend towards the melancholy, the meaningful, the achingly pretty at this time of year, and tonight’s show inspired me to finally put the finishing touches on my own mix of music for the season. Twenty-five songs to get at the goodness under the busy surface this time of year. Enjoy.

NAUGHTY/NICE CHRISTMAS MIX 2008
No Christmas For Me – Zee Avi (new Malaysian artist I’m excited about)
Joy To The World – Clem Snide
Christmas Is Coming Soon – Blitzen Trapper
Egg Nog – Luna
It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop – Frightened Rabbit
It Won’t Seem Like Christmas Without You (alternate take 6) – Elvis Presley
Christmas TV – Slow Club
Sweet Secret Peace – Neil Finn
Xmas Time Is Here Again – My Morning Jacket
Gift X-Change – Calexico
This Christmastime – Mascott & Gramercy Arms
The Secret of Christmas – Ella Fitzgerald
Christmas – Leona Naess
Just Like Christmas – Low
Song For A Winter’s Night (Gordon Lightfoot) – Erica Wheeler
Icicles – Let’s Go Sailing [from the Plastic Snow compilation]
Goin Home For Christmas – Nicolai Dunger
Goin Home For Christmas – Merle Haggard
Snowfall – Josh Rouse
The First Noel – Pedro The Lion
Please Come Home For Christmas – Willie Nelson
The Gift of Grace – Denison Witmer
New Year’s Resolution – Otis Redding & Carla Thomas
Winter Wonderland – Radiohead
Silent Night – Evan Dando

ZIP IT ALL UP, BABY

If you want even more Christmas music, the excellent WXPN out in Philly is hosting 12 Days Of Christmas with local bands and free mp3s each day. Ten down, two to go, check it out.

Merry Christmas.

[image from the fabulous Anne Taintor]

Had to be good for Santa Claus: Pearl Jam 2007 Christmas single

In all my years of collecting the Pearl Jam Christmas singles, I can tell you for a fact that the annual 7″ has never arrived on Christmas Eve, in the purple twilight, with snow dancing all around me.

I stopped by my mailbox a few hours ago on the way back from last minute grocery shopping for the Christmas dinner I am making tomorrow. As I stood there shivering, fumbling the key with my frozen-in-two-seconds fingers, I got a fantastic Christmas present in plain brown wrapping, stamped “Ten Club” in the corner. As every year, my heart began to thump as I savored the slow unwrapping. Most years we use the term Christmas single loosely because it turns out to be a Presidents Day present or an Easter gift. But for 2007, Ten Club — your timing was impeccable.

Merry Christmas, guys.

Santa God – Pearl Jam
Jingle Bells – Pearl Jam

Thanks to DropTheLeash for the audio rip and SYM

Christmas mixery

Mmmmmm. Cookies. My 4-year-old and I baked those Rudolph cookies last weekend. There was sugar and M&Ms everywhere, and don’t even get me started on how hard it was to bite those pretzels into antler shapes. Unsanitary, but it gets the job done the only way I could figure out how. The end result was fantastic, and we’ve been delivering (what I now realize are little saliva-contaminated) batches to our good friends all week long.

While we baked, we listened to my new Christmas mix for 2007 that I’ve been tweaking and perfecting for weeks. I think I’m good now, and since I just realized that Christmas is in 5 days, we should hop to it. Let me just say that there is so much annoying Christmas music out there. Good heavens, no one should be allowed to cover Little Drummer Boy again, and nothing with synthesizers, ever.

These 20 tracks have passed my Grinchy muster, and all 20 of them are non-annoying — good Christmas listening that won’t bug the snot out of you.

FUEL/FRIENDS CHRISTMAS MIXERY 2007
The Christmas Song – The Raveonettes
Merry Xmas Everybody – R.E.M. (2007 fan club single)
Father Christmas – The Kinks
Let It Snow – Magnet
Do You Hear What I Hear? – Third Day (with the night wind talking to the little lamb, this song was a favorite as a kid)
Merry Christmas, Baby – Otis Redding
Christmas Song – Denison Witmer
Xmas Eve – The Damnwells
Hey Guys! It’s Christmas Time! (Sufjan cover) – Luke Flowers
Here It Is Christmas – The Old ’97s (new song 2007)
Much Farther To Go – Rosie Thomas (w/ Sufjan)
Christmas Means Love – The Soul Stirrers
In The Bleak Mid-Winter – Sarah McLachlan (from Wintersong)
That Was The Worst Christmas Ever! – Sufjan Stevens (still my favorite of his thousand Christmas songs)
It Feels Like Christmas – Al Green (and to hear it, by “Christmas” Al means “sex”)
Ding, Dong, Ding, Dong – George Harrison
Sing Mary Sing – Jennifer Knapp
O Holy Night – Tracy Chapman
Waking Up On Christmas Morning – The Smithereens
Christmas Message from Elvis / Silent Night – Elvis Presley

CHRISTMAS MIXERY ZIPPERY

One note: Luke Flowers, who covered Sufjan up there in spot #9, is a talented local artist here in Colorado Springs. I saw him perform that song Tuesday night at a coffeehouse in my neighborhood, and he recorded the whole set. By the magic of the internet we can listen again and recreate that event. You can download the 12-song live Christmas album for free on his site: some lovely reworkings of traditional tunes, 4 Sufjan covers, and an original song about his Christmas pony that froze solid. Merry Christmas!