It’s that time of year when we start thinking about another year that’s past by and heading of to spend quality time with the people we haven’t seen since the same time last year. Yes as Noddy Holder would hola ‘It’s Christmas!’

We’ve rounded up the 10 best rock Christmas songs that you wont hear on the radio this year. It includes Corey Taylor, The Vandals, From First to Last and many more (well 7 more to be precise)

Turn it up and enjoy, after all it’s not Christmas everyday, thank god!

Corey Taylor -- X-M@$

The proceeds from the sales of the Slipknots singers Christmas song go to the Teenage Cancer Trust http://www.teenagecancertrust.org/

Motionless in White -- Santas Pissed

The Kinks  -- Father Christmas

August Burns Red -- Carol of the Bells

Ramones -- Merry Christmas/I Don’t Wanna Fight Tonight

Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight with
Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight
Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight
Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight with you

Where is Santa? At his sleigh?
Tell me why is it always this way?
Where is Rudolph? Where is Blitzen, baby?
Merry Christmas, merry merry merry Christmas

All the children are tucked in their beds
Sugar-plum fairies dancing in their heads
Snowball fighting, it’s so exciting baby

I love you and you love me
And that’s the way it’s got to be
I loved you from the start
‘Cause Christmas ain’t the time for breaking each other’s heart

Where is Santa? At his sleigh?
Tell me why is it always this way?
Where is Rudolph? Where is Blitzen, baby?
Merry Christmas, merry merry merry Christmas

All the children are tucked in their beds
Sugar-plum fairies dancing in their heads
Snowball fighting, it’s so exciting baby

Yeah, yeah, yeah

I love you and you love me
And that’s the way it’s got to be
I loved you from the start
‘Cause Christmas ain’t the time for breaking each other’s heart

Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight with
Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight with
Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight with you

The Vandals -- Oi to the world

The Almost -- Little Drummer Boy

Relient K – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Let It Snow, Baby… Let It Reindeer is the second Christmas album by Christian rock band Relient K. The album is a re-release of the band’s first Christmas album, Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand, but with seven new songs and some other changes, such as track listing and a new ending to one song.  “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” played during the December episode of Ghost Whisperer. A re-issue of the album was released on iTunes late in 2008. It includes renditions of “Silver Bells,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” and “O Holy Night,” as well as a music video for their version of “Sleigh Ride.”

From First to Last -- X12 days of XXXMAS

Simple Plan -- My Christmas List (Jingle Ball Rock)

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Technorati Tags: alternative, christian, christmas, corey taylor, punk, rock, simple plan, songs, the kinks, the vandals

Yep you heard it right Bob Dylan has released a Christmas album, his first and only Christmas album in a 45+ year career.

‘Christmas in the Heart’ (Columbia) follows ‘Together Through Life’ making it the second Dylan album in the same year, so maybe everyday is Christmas for Dylan’s fans.  Christmas in the Heart is a collection of 15 songs none of which are original Dylan compositions.

The Christmas album comes in at 42 minutes long and includes standards such as Winter Wonderland, The First Noel and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

The album cover depicts a 19^th century two horse and open sleigh theme. Dylan generally divides and this Christmas album will be loved or hated by Dylan fans in equal measure. Only time will tell if it will make it to a more mainstream Christmas album rotations alongside Dean Martin, Bing Crosby and Elvis by a wider audience or will be listened to be those with a more alternative and eclectic tastes.

It’s Christmas and a time of charity so it’s worth noting that all present and future sales of Christmas in the Heart will be shared equally by three charities that seek to feed the hungry.

The full track listing for Christmas in the Heat is:

Here Comes Santa Claus
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Winter Wonderland
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
I’ll Be Home For Christmas
Little Drummer Boy
The Christmas Blues
O’ Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Must Be Santa
Silver Bells
The First Noel
Christmas Island
The Christmas Song
O’ Little Town Of Bethlehem

More reviews of Bob Dylan ‘Christmas in the Heart’ online

Christmas in the Heart Review

Bob Dylan Christmas Album Review

Technorati Tags: alternative, bob, christmas, dylan, heart, songs

Collecting the videos and listening to the songs for an alternative Christmas with Jonny Cash v Elvis Presley got me thinking about how the world has changed in just a few short years.

Watching these videos and listening to these songs reminds me of what is important in life, not just Christmas -- family, friends and those less fortunate then ourselves.

I don’t want to preach but, these innocent times depicted in these videos were not that long ago but seem an age away from the rampant consumerism, me me me culture we live in today. No wonder the world is the mess it is.

Enjoy the songs and have a beautiful Christmas.

Elvis Presley -- Merry Christmas Baby / Blue Christmas -- The King looking the best he ever did and havin’ a whole lotta fun doing what he did best TCOB.

Jonny Cash -- Christmas Guest

Elvis Prseley -- It Wont seem Like Christmas Without You

Jonny Cash -- Silent Night / Little Drummer Boy

Elvis Presley -- Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees

Jonny Cash -- Christmas As I Knew It

Elvis  Presley -- Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me

Jonny Cash - I Believe

Elvis Presley and Martina McBride -- Blue Christmas  from the album Blue Christmas 2008

Jonny Cash - 12 Days Of Christmas

Find you favourite alternative Christmas songs to download here .

Technorati Tags: alternative, christmas, elvis, jonny cash, june carter cash, martina mcbride, presley, songs, Videos

The clocks are winding back, the leaves are turning brown and there’s a cold bite to the air. Yep, Christmas is just around the corner. I for one like to enjoy Christmas as far away from home (London) as possible, somewhere were the sun shines brightly and the sea is blue, I’ve seen it on Youtube, now let’s see if it’s true.

To get me into the holiday mood this Christmas I thought I’d compile a alternative surf Christmas songs list. Surfs up!

It’s Gonna be a Surfer’s Christmas  -- Morning Glass

Surf Rock Christmas Song -- Ventures

Christmas Time in Bagdad

Captain Santa Clause -- Bobby Helms

Lord’s Prayer -- Beach Boys

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree -- Brenda Lee

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer -- Gene Autry

We Three Kings of Orient Are -- Marvin Gaye & the BeachBoys

A holly Jolly Christmas -- Burl Ives

Our Christmas Wish to  You -- Malibooz

It’s Just Not Christmas Without You -- Malibooz

Find alternative Christmas songs in our store.

Technorati Tags: 50's 1950's, alternative, christmas, indie, music, rock, songs, surf, xmas

We’ve had a festive trawl around Youtube and put a collection of alternative Christmas videos together to keep your eyeball busy this Xmas.

Here is our Top Ten 10 Alternative Christmas Videos and a few surprise songs are in the too.

Here is the Boss, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform Santa Claus is Coming to Town. What a Christmas party!

Gabba Hey! The Ramones -- Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight) Pure punk pop genius.

The Killers recorded A Great Big Sled for the Red Charity. Well it’s a very charitable time of year!

St Etienne featuring Tim Burgess of Charlatans fame perform I was Born on Christmas Day on Channel 4’s The Word.

Sujan Stevens -- That Was the Worst Christmas Ever. Where to start with Stevens? He’s made so many indie rock alternative Christmas albums of late picking one track is bound to cause debate. He could have a whole Top Ten of his own!

The Kinks -- Father Christmas. Londons finest Ray Davies and The Kinks get into the festive spirit on the Old Grey Whistle Test

Malcolm Middleton featuring Kim Noble -- We are All Going to Die. The amiable Scot forgot to mention paying taxes!

U2 -- Baby Please Come Home -- Bono give The Edge a run for his money in the hat stakes in this video.

St. Etienne -- My Christmas Prayer. The second video by St. Etienne to feature in our alternative Christmas videos. Sarah come and sing to us on Christmas day!! The track is from the 1993 Lovers Unite Christmas single

Black Box Recorder

Black Box Recorder and Art Brut - Christmas Number One. A sideways swipe at all those cliched Christmas videos!

More alternative Christmas Lists on the web…

Q the Music

The Guardian Music

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Technorati Tags: alt xmas, alternative, Black Box Recorder, christmas, Kinks, Malcolm Middleton, Ramones, songs, Springsteen, St. Etienne, sufjan Stevens, The Killers, U2, Videos, Youtube

You can now start building you Alternative Christmas Song playlist on Spotify.

Log into your free Spotify account and search by song title or artist and simply drag and drop each track into your new Alternate Xmas Song Playlist.

By the time Christmas arrives and the inlaws and outlaws arrive you’ll have playlists to cover all tastes with you family and friends locked down and good to go.

They will be amazed (or appauled) with your Christmas musical knowledge. You will be the life and soul of the party! I hope the garish sweater your nan knitts, fits you well!

Bah Humbug! Alternatively you can annoy the hell out of everyone who enters your domain this Christmas bearing festive greetings…

Find a popular Christmas song on Spotify that has been covered by just about everyone and save the whole playlist.

See how long you can get away with playing the same song by different artists until:

A) Every body leaves you the hell alone

B) Everyone is driven insane

C) You are to drunk to care

Silent Night Video by Sixpence None the Richer featuring Dan Haseltine from Jars of Clay

Here is my Top Ten Alternative Christmas Spotify Playlist to drive you, your family and friends insane this holiday season!

1. Silent Night (2837 covers)

2. White Christmas (1909 covers)

3. Jingle Bells (1544 covers)

4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (823 covers)

5. Little Drummer Boy (798 covers)

6. Rockin Around the Christmas Tree 255

7. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (238 covers)

8. Merry Christmas Everybody (163 covers)

9. 12 Days of Christmas (76 covers)

10. Santa Claus is coming to Town (21 covers)

More alternative Christmas song lists on the web…

BBC Goes Alternative

Amazon Alternative Christmas Collection

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Technorati Tags: alternate, alternative, christmas, playlist, silent night, Sixpence none the Richer, song, spotify

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I’ve been thinking about the all time best Christmas song for some time which is hard when it’s a bright sunny October day outside.

Many Christmas song for me just drive me insane. They’re over jolly or over played. They are not what I want to hear and not what I feel when I’m doing my Xmas shopping late in December on Oxford Street.

‘Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy’ I enjoy, purely for the Bowie and Bing intro banter ‘Ello I’m David Bowie, I live down the road!

That aside, I’m always drawn to one song and one song only and that song is…

The Pogues fearuring Kirst McColl -- Fairytale of New York.

Written by Shane MacGowan & Jem Finer, the single was released in1987  from the album ‘If I should fall from grace with God’ by The Pogues and that alone takes me back to my early twenties and some fond memories.

Fairytale of New York was reissued in 1991, 1995 2005

Who can argue with the lyrics of Shane MacGowan…

It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won’t see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
And I turned my face away
And dreamed about you

Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I’ve got a feeling
This year’s for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true

They’ve got cars
Big as bars
They’ve got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It’s no place for the old

When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me

You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on the corner
Then danced through the night

The boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing ‘Galway Bay’
And the bells were ringing
Out for Christmas day

You’re a bum
You’re a punk
You’re an old slut on junk
Living there almost dead on a drip
In that bed

You scum bag
You maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God
It’s our last

I could have been someone
So could anyone
You took my dreams
From me when I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can’t make it all alone
I’ve built my dreams around you

Click here for more information on Shane MacGowan and the Pogues.

Click here to buy alternative Christmas music at the store

Technorati Tags: alternative, christmas, Fairytale, irish, kirsty mcColl, New York, shane macgowan, xmas

Just before you smash your stereo into a thousand pieces at the prospect of hearing another jingly jangly santa-pop radio hit, remember that next week you’ll need it because you’ll be throwing your own holiday party! Now that’s what I call a dilema, but put down that burning hot pan of mould wine and think twice before sending your boombox to a watery grave.

You don’t HAVE to whack on the same old traditional jumbo to mark out the party as truly festive. I concede that any decent Christmas party play does simply have to include the default standards, but does it have to be at the expense of our sanity? The tunes start doing my head in and after hearing the same tracks at every shop, bar, and telly commercial.

So, here is my own non-traditional xmas compilation. Most of the songs have classic lyrics so everyone can sing along plus the melodies cater to even the shapest pair of Indie ears. It’s a win-win. Now, where did my santa outfit go?

1. Thanks for Christmas -- XTC. This song is upbeat and sure to start off any Christmas party on the right foot. The lyrics hit everyone’s favorite Christmas traditions; decorating the tree, snow falling down and spending time with loved ones.

2. Christmas Party, by The Walkmen. The intro to this track sound like an old Christmas radio show monologue. Then straight into a cheeky 50’s lounge style song making you feel the need to do the Mash Potato around the living room.

3. Jingle bell Rock, by The Arcade Fire. Indie style, everyone knows it. undisputable.

4. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), by Death Cab for Cutie. A lovely , low-key song about longing for that certain somebody at the most special time of the year.

5. A Change at Christmas, by the Flaming Lips. This one embraces all the old-school values of Christmas. Peace on earth and all that jazz! (p.S- it’s not jazzy)

6. Last Christmas, by Jimmy Eat World. A perfect Jimmy Eat World song. The lyrics are a little depressing, but no is Christmas (occasionally)

7. Maybe This Christmas, by Ron Sexsmith. What a classic. An inspiring track about the possibilities and emotions that Christmas time may unearth!

8. Blue Christmas, by Bright Eyes. Did somebody say this was an Alternative Christmas song list? well it wouldn’t be complete without a Bright eyes song. Elvis eat your heart out.

9. All I Want For Christmas is You, by My Chemical Romance. A swift romp, sing-along lyrics and flowing booze makes for a lively xmas bash. Get everyone boogying with this version of a timeless xmas classic

10. Santa, Bring My Baby Back to Me, by Belle and Sebastian. Another track missing a loved one.  Brilliant band too. Add this to your playlist to balance out all the Eggnog rowdy-ness.

Technorati Tags: alternative, Bright Eyes, change, christmas, cover, last, MCR, party, santa, sexsmith, songs, xmas

In addition to our recent post about Matteo Scumaci’s Album “Electrical Lines “, you can now discover his music at his official website.

Untitled Sketch is Matteo’s official website. Check it out to find out more about his music and also his work with the Chinagrass genre (Hanggai and Mamer )

A Branch In The Spokes (Lyrics)

This time of year, I always think that you’ll call
say you’ll be home for Christmas, and we’ll be like before,
But I know, I know, the chances are low.

Good morning, I’m Walking in darkness.
I know what time of year this is.
You’re fooling no-one.
You’re coping, so long as this is the worst that it gets.

This time of year, I always think that you’ll call
say you’ll be home for Christmas, and we’ll be like before,
But I know, I know, the chances are low.

Can you hear me? can you hear me?
For all of these old berries…

And… Holy angels they sing,
Oh they have such a lovely
ring me when you get this,
ring me when you get this.

This time of year, I always think that you’ll call
say you’ll be home for Christmas, and we’ll be like before,
This time of year, I always think that you’ll call
say you’ll be home for Christmas, and we’ll be like before,

But I know, I know, the chances are low,
I know well,
I know well, you won’t call me when you get this,
Call me when you get this.

Music and lyrics: Matteo Scumaci

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