It snuck up on me this year but the holiday season is here upon us. To celebrate, over the next week we will be posting some of our very favorite jams of the season. So grab some warm cider, unwrap your candy canes, light up the tree and enjoy!
Although not the original Sinatra version of the song which is, of course, my favorite, this Chris Martin cover is excellent.
Chris Martin (Coldplay) – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas:
-Melissa
Filed under Jam of the Day
For those of you in NYC this Thanksgiving weekend looking for a show to check out before all the overeating and family festivities begin, Junip, a mellow Swedish three-piece fronted by José González, is playing tonight at Irving Plaza. González has a successful solo career with low-voiced, introspective hits like “Crosses” and “Heartbeats” but he and his band-mates have been working toward their first full-length, the 2010 release, Fields, for some time. The video for “Always” was shot, inexplicably, at the World Air Guitar Championships.
Junip – Always:
-Melissa
Filed under Jam of the Day, live, Performance, Show
Bear Hands // Photo by Betsy Blundell
Bear Hands drops their long-awaited and anticipated first LP Burning Bush Supper Club today, and we couldn’t be happier about how hard they’re making it rain. There are so many good tracks on this record that we hope you will listen to it streaming on Spin.com or order the album from Cantora Records. Definite standouts include the catchy-as-pink-eye opener “Crime Pays,” long time live favorite “Belongings,” and the track that feels like the heart and soul of the record, “Whicksey Boxing.” Plus, “Blood and Treasure” will rock your socks off!
Here’s the first single, “Crime Pays,” which will have a video soon, apparently.
Bear Hands – Crime Pays:
-EV2BK
Filed under Jam of the Day, Music, New
After playing their first NYC show last night at Santos Party House, London’s own Wolf Gang is hitting the stage again tonight at Glasslands. Front man Max McElligott was playing acoustic solo gigs as Wolf Gang for a while before forming the band a little over a year ago. McElligott describes their sound as “70s pop” with references to everyone from Talking Heads to David Bowie. Wolf Gang plays regularly around London and are touring here in the states in advance of the forthcoming debut full-length. It’s out November 22nd on Atlantic, and you can check out the first single “Lions in Cages” here. If you like what you hear, we’ll see you at the show tonight.
Wolf Gang – Back to Back:
-Melissa
Filed under Event, Jam of the Day, NYC, Performance
Yesterday, (The) Tony Castles released the video for their first single, “Black Girls in Dresses,” from the band’s forthcoming No Service EP, out September 21 on Famous Class Records. The video was directed by Jordan Fish (who also directed Das Racist’s “Rainbow in the Dark” video), and the EP was produced by Jake Aron (Jamie Lidell, Yeasayer, Chairlift).
(The) Tony Castles – Black Girls in Dresses:
(video via Stereogum)
We are really digging their sound and also wondering what went down with that watermelon Paul walks into the party with. In keeping with the “pool party” theme of the video, the band is throwing a record release party tomorrow night at Union Pool before heading out on their fall tour with Tom Tom Club. Free watermelon slices for everyone!
-Drew
Filed under Jam of the Day, Music, New, video
The five member band Vadoinmessico describes their international sound as “Mediterranean alternative folk with a bit of psychedelic rock thrown in the mix.” Band members hail from Italy, Mexico, Austria, and England and they are currently based in London. Their uplifting sound seems nostalgic and joyful at once, as if they are embarking on a long-awaited vacation or returning home. The name Vadoinmessico translates to “I am going to Mexico” in Italian so I am probably not far off. They sound a bit like Vampire Weekend, true, but with less of a nod to (rip-off of?) Paul Simon.
Although the video follows a pair of cats, and normally all internet videos featuring cats should be avoided, this is non-cutesy enough to be worth the three minutes. The video’s director, Kent Hugo, works with real world images, drawings, and cutouts to create a continuously shifting work of art. Vadoinmessico performed at SXSW back in March, and even scored a spot at NPR’s Tiny SXSW concert. They don’t appear to have any upcoming shows outside of the UK soon, but we’ll keep you posted when we hear otherwise.
Vadoinmessico – In Spain:
-Melissa
Filed under Jam of the Day, Music, New
East Village to Brooklyn 