At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge […] it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir.” A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens (1843).
Don’t be an Ebenezer this year! Christmas 2012 could see you donating much needed funds to the West Yorkshire based homeless charity – Simon on the Streets – whilst also enjoying some cracking tunes from local bands such as Post War Glamour Girls, Hope & Social, and Ellen & The Escapades.
Comprising of fifteen original compositions and cover versions, This Christmas has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Anthologies creative project and the Hide & Seek label, and of course the generosity of the bands involved. All they need now is for you to donate and download!
You can go to www.JustGiving.com/AnthologiesChristmas2012 to view the tracklist and pledge any amount to buy. Further to this, you can view exclusive video footage recorded especially for the project on the Anthologies website. Further live tracks will be added to the compilation in the run up to Christmas, and everyone that donates will be entered into a raffle with prizes donated from the likes of Jumbo Records, Hyde Park Picture House, WYP and more!
The album was launched earlier this month, with a supporting gig at the Brudenell Social Club on the 13th December. So far, efforts have resulted in This Christmas raising a total of over £1300. Here is my belated take on it all:
I found the first track, a cover of ‘Bleak Midwinter’ by Backyards, suitably mournful and ecclesiastical. The traditional lyrics and melody never fail to bring a tear to my eye, so this really is a sadistic introduction to the album though it did have the effect of focusing my attention onto the original motivation for the compilation – to raise money for those living on the streets during shitty weather and a time of festivity for the majority.
So on then to the more upbeat, country style hoe-down that comprises Dan Beesley’s energetic cover of St Cliff’s ‘Mistletoe and Wine’. A quirky addition, providing some blessed relief before another slow number, ‘Silent Night’ covered by Dancing Days. This version comes very much from the nu-folk stable, encompassing rustic balladeering over mandolins and cellos… very soothing (if you like that kind of thing)!
What more can be written about ‘Little Saint Nick’ and the Beach Boys that hasn’t already been typed? A classic Christmas hit from the happy-go-lucky bunch of surf-freaks = a major win! Ellen and the Escapades do wonderful justice with their jingle-jangle jewellery sleigh bells and close harmonies. At two and a half minutes though, I could have done with a bit more festive fun of this nature.
Family Scraps’ ‘Ourselves’ brings us back down a peg or two: I like the echo and reverb, I like the build-up, but then … it stops just as it gets started. More of this please! And then prepare yourself for the aural onslaught that is ‘Zat You, Santa Claus?’ from Get Machine, Destroy! HI NRG indeed! If you were slumping in your seat at this point you certainly will not be sleeping after this number… it made me laugh A LOT, especially the Home Alone reference at the end, so they win extra Xmas points for that!
Another venerable figure on the Christmas hit scene is that of Sir Paul McCartney (or is it Kurt Cobain? I always get those two mixed up!) – “Simply having a wonderful Christmas time…” Not the most annoying festive pop tune out there (‘Stop the Cavalry’ tops my chart on that one) but it must be getting close? Unfortunately for me, this cover version sounds exactly like the original but with added extra bleepy bits, thus preventing me from saying anything nice about it. Sorry about that.
Here come Hope & Social then, wassailing their way through a cover of ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’, with a tiny bit of ‘Sweet Dreams are Made of This’ thrown in. Now it really does feel like 1843… what would Scrooge do? No, don’t tempt me – I’ll just have another mulled wine and enjoy the Victorian throw-back festive feelings that have started to stir.
‘The Second Stave’ – a nice little reference to the chapter in A Christmas Carol which sees the Ghost of Christmas Past haunting old Ebenezer. Post War Glamour Girls have written a paean to modern day living, and a festive period overshadowed with recession and mass unemployment and ice cream makers and candy floss machines… I like this one; it’s brilliantly catchy in an unrelentingly grim way. I approve of this!
‘Morning Christmas’ by Stalking Horse I enjoyed, the vocals reminded me of Radiohead and the tune of Explosions in the Sky and it certainly warmed my cockles, which essentially is what you want out of a Christmas song. ‘All Alone at Christmas’ then had the effect of totally thawing my cockles, so thanks for that Swimming Lessons. *Sob*.
‘How Come you’re Only Nice to me at Christmas?’ – Good question, These Men, and asked in such a wonderfully jovial, a-cappella fashion. Probably because I’ve been drinking cheap sherry all day and I want some attention over the festive period… Oh sorry, that was a rhetorical question! A nicely cynical little tune designed to bring you back to reality, just in time for December 25th.
And finally, to ‘Little Drummer Boy’ as imagined by Witch Hunt. I love David Bowie and I love Bing Crosby so this would have to be a spectacular version to get my attention… and it is! Very angelic and atmospheric, it tingles you to the very core of your being. So now that I’m really feeling festive, I’m off to donate some money to Simon on the Street – I sincerely hope that you feel moved to do so also.