Glasvegas' limited Christmas EP has a lot to offer, even to someone like me who is exceptionally jaded about the annual flood of Christmas albums that is unleashed every year. Frankly, Christmas album releases drive me crazy. They're just too seasonal to be worth listening to any other time of the year. However, that said, I did enjoy this addition to Glasvegas' self-titled album. The gentle piano and the soft jingle of sleigh bells ties all of the songs together with holiday melancholy.

These are not happy, upbeat Christmas tunes (more like wintertime depression tunes), but they are realistic. After all... this is the season when lonely people are at their bluest. You only need to listen to their rendition of Silent Night to understand just how downbeat this album is. The song enough to break your heart, and no exaggeration there. It's like a choir of angels singing over a suicide. Ouch. What an ending.

These songs have a seasonality to them, but they also have play value beyond the holidays which always nice. I really enjoyed 'Cruel Moon', 'A Snowflake Fell (And It felt Like A Kiss)', and "Please Come Back Home". And I just love those Scottish accents. Interestingly enough, most of the EP was recorded in a Transylvanian church, with the Concentus Choir singing in Romanian and English on the last track.

The EP will only be available on iTunes for two weeks starting December 16, or as a preorder bonus with the upcoming US release of 'Glasvegas' .

Track List:
Careful What You Wish For
Fuck You, It's Over
Cruel Moon
Please Come Back Home
A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss)
Silent Night/Noapte De Vis


Glasvegas- Please Come Back Home.m4a

Every end of years, i share songs more different than classic Christmas songs!

The Flaming Lips - Once Beyond Hopelessness (Christmas on Mars 2008)

Sally Shapiro - Anorak Christmas ( Disco Romance 2006)
Not always slow tunes match to Christmas best, Anorak Christmas makes you jump and sing in a beautiful, hopeful way.

Cocteau Twins - Frosty The Snowman (Snow 1993)
One of my all time favorite Christmas tune!

John Cale - Child's Christmas In Wales alternate version (Paris 1919 1973)

Joni Mitchell - River ( Blue 1971)
She provides such amazing moments, River is from her classic album, and the song is just magical and glorious.

Previous years:
Christmas Hits
Christmas Vol 3.
Christmas Vol 2.
Christmas Vol 1.

It's been three long years since i first posted about music on this blog. I always loved sharing my music taste, it's good to share! I can't think a life without music or beats. Like your heartbeats, if it stops you won't breathe! There are great albums,records and artists as well this year. However, these are the most listened records on my 2008.

1. The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement
2. Cranes - Cranes
3. Portishead - Third
4. Beach House - Devotion
5. Tindersticks - The Hungry Saw
6. Boris - Smile
7. Sigur Rós - Inn Í Mér Syngur Vitleysingur
8. Hercules And Love Affair - Hercules And Love Affair
9. Nada Surf - Lucky
10. Martha Wainwright - I Know You're Married

songs:
Boris - Flower Sun Rain
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement
Martha Wainwright - So Many Friends

A gem from Sweden, and her amazing voice continues to hold your ears three minutes with her newest song Stumble To Fall. After big success of Come Along (2002), she's just a little more Hidden. There are also collaborations with the likes of Kleerup, Moto Boy and Goran Kajfes of Oddjob. On Hidden, songs have quite blue feeling, like Stumble To Fall, this is nice slow pop music.

Titiyo - Stumble to Fall

Bon Iver's (a.k.a. Justin Vernon) Blood Bank (EP) includes amazing four songs. The songs have quite down beats, like in the cover, the ep has some snow feeling inside. I don't like to be in that car. Anyway, here comes the opener, a slow and impressive one:

mp3: Bon Iver - Blood Bank

Sweet and lovely french pop singer Jane Birkin releases her new album Enfants D'hiver. I've heard all the new songs just today. Next year, she will start her new tour, going at Paris' Palace from March 10 to 15, 2009. All the lyrics are written by Jane Birkin.

Jane Birkin - Période bleue

They're so underrated and this is really a great indie rock album. I loved the whole record,
title-track "The Great Escape" has every great indie rock hooks like any famous band in the world. The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys, now here they come The Rifles. 8.5/10
Highlights: The Great Escape, Fool To Sorrow, History, The General

The Rifles - The Great Escape
The Rifles - The Great Escape Music Video

This EP is weighted with melancholy, desperation, and God. Each song throbs and pulses with angels and buzzing guitars. The live tracks are unplugged and restive, but no less tingling with dark and light. ‘Badges and Badges’ feels like a private concert on an autumn porch, ‘I Can Feel A Hot One’ was born a gorgeous hit and I feel the EP is worth it just for this song. It combines the best of beauty, sadness and spirit in a very memorable package. ‘Sleeper 1972’ is a song to lull one into numbness or to rest. Later in the song Andy Hull bellows out his passion, all stirring softness and quiet rebellion. ‘I Was A Lid’ was my second favorite, with rolling guitar thunder and ripping, roaring vocals. The acoustic version of ‘Wolves at Night’ is just a great listen, and it impresses me more and more with each play through.

The DVD is an interesting peek into the band’s life on the road. It’s fun to see what good friends they are, and I was impressed that they move all of their own gear and really put blood, tears and sweat (literally, a lot of sweat!) into their music. They also give their all at each and every live show they play. It includes Many live performances as well as music videos as special features.

There’s not a line in any of these songs that isn’t worth listening to. I rarely bother to look up lyrics to music. Either I can hear them or I can’t, and they tend to get shrugged off if they don’t feel insistent enough to make me need to know. But with tracks as epic as these, tracks obviously loaded with story, tracks sung with such passion…. I had to go looking. Fully understanding the words only made me sink deeper into their meaning. This band’s music is contemplative as well as rocking, a worthy mix of fuel and flame that I know will only make them shine brighter and brighter in years to come.

The limited EP/DVD Let My Pride Be What’s Left Behind is out through independent stores only. See thinkindie.com for a list of places to get your hands on it.

Spring 2009 will see the release of Manchester Orchestra’s sophomore album, Mean Everything To Nothing.

Listen to some of these songs here at their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/manchesterorchestra