The 10 Worst Christmas Songs of All Time

We at LxL have a very strong love/hate relationship with Christmas music. Last week we focused on the rare Christmas gems that exist in music, so this week we decided to focus on the hate side of that relationship. Just as every sweet needs its sour, every Bing Crosby needs its Bryan Adams. Below are a few of the Christmas songs we loathe the most. The ones that really help induce a month of radio banishment, a lot of hair pulling as well as teeth cringing, and classic holiday depression/alcoholism. So below we give you our inspiration for wearing ear plugs until January 1st. Now let’s get scroogy! Onto the list:

Editor’s note: This list originally published in 2012.

Top Ten Live Acts of 2013

This is one of my favorite things to write every year, as we get to look back at all the great shows we attended this year. While we no doubt love listening to music in our cars, at work, or with friends, undoubtedly the preferred method remains live music, as it is something that will never go away. One last quick disclaimer: we are only able to see so many shows between the three of us, and not all three of us went to each of these shows, so of course this list is a bit flawed. But with that note aside, our ten favorite live acts.

Paul McCartney Review Royale: New

Paul McCartney
New

Wes’ Thoughts

Sir Paul got lambasted last year on this blog for his dreadful valentine album, Kisses On The Bottom, landing as our biggest disappointment of 2012. But the most enduring singer rock history doesn’t rest on his laurels, but instead hit the road last year, with fellow LxLer Todd and I seeing a show of a lifetime this summer as MACCA headlined Bonnaroo. Now, the legendary Beatle releases New, an album giving new modern twists on McCartney’s tried and true musical strengths, my favorite album from Paul since the early 70’s (not that I was alive then, or have heard every album in between).

What makes New so fresh is a combination of Paul playing to his strengths and challenging himself with new sounds. With the help of Mark Ronson, title track “New” toys around with jaunty Beatles sounds from songs like “Penny Lane” and “We Can Work It Out” with a little more buzz and reverb to make this a fresh take on a nostalgic sound.  “Queenie Eye” takes Paul’s famous sound of heavily punctuated piano pop and adds an air of mystery and a growing symphony of sound. On songs like “I Can Bet” and “Everybody Out There”, Sir Paul sounds 40 years younger, full of energy swinging along some folk-tinged pop with a funky edge. “Turned Out” is reminiscent of the best Traveling Wilbury’s tunes, except Paul doesn’t need three other legends: his charismatic presence fills the room plenty. “Get Me Out Of Here” is Paul doing his old playful lonely dog blues.

Giles Martin, longstanding Beatles producer George Martin’s son, produced the lion’s share of these songs, and it’s clear that he understands what it takes to Paul to step out of his shell but still get the most of what has made him the most enduring artist of all-time. Remove “On My To Work” and “Road” which are minor letdowns, this album his remarkably consistent and memorable for a 71 year old, or even a 31 year old for that matter. For a guy that has accomplished everything under the sun, it’s wonderful to see such a legend continue to push himself artistically.

9/11
—————-

LxListening: A Very Full Week in Music

The big release of the week, at least in our minds, was Nine Inch Nail’s Hesitation Marks.  But this has been a pretty full week in music.  One of Justin Vernon’s “non-Bon Iver” projects, Volcano Choir, released their sophomore effort to mostly positive marks.  Neko Case (aka the next best thing to Jenny Lewis) released her first album in four years.  The perpetually underrated Okkervil River released another solid effort.  I was also introduced to a new artist (for me) called The Julie Ruin, which I was rather delighted with.  And finally, wait for it, I give some love to an artist who released my most hated album of 2012.  All in all, an overwhelming week in music, and since we won’t be able to give every one of these artists their full due, here is a little Friday snippet of each.  Enjoy y’all.

The Julie Ruin – “Oh Come On”

This song is so damn fun.  Kinda like a lower-fi Sleigh Bells and a little bit looser.  “Oh Come On” is a quick two and a half minutes of blustery mayhem, and one of the ballsier additions to my iTunes library in 2013.  Can’t wait to hear more.

Top Ten Thursday: Best Bonnaroo Acts of 2013

This one is pretty self explanatory. As our final recap of the event, here is our favorite acts of our favorite festival. I’ll give you a hint, Mumford and Sons didn’t make the list … or did they.

 

10. Tame Impala

Tame Impala’s groovy Aussie vibes translate well to the stage. Especially for an afternoon festival setting. There is no doubt these guys will only be growing in fans as the years progress. I wouldn’t be surprised seeing them graduate to a stage soon enough.