Last year, on the Fifteenth Day of Mellowmas, we tortured ourselves by listening to Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton sing “I Believe in Santa Claus.” So what better way to celebrate the anniversary of that horrible day by listening to another track from the same album?

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton — A Christmas to Remember (download)

From Once Upon a Christmas Amazon iTunes

Jason: Oh man

Jeff: Now THIS is Mellowmas.

Jason: I can’t believe we’re dipping in the Kenny and Dolly well again. After last year’s torturous “I Believe in Santa Claus.”

Jeff: It’s a deep well, Jason.

Jason: Oooh! Opening with the chorus! Nice choice!

Jeff: Here come those harmonies! What a Christmas to remember! I wonder what made it so memorable? Let’s find out.

Jason: Oh, so synthesized. So very, very synthesized.

Jeff: Dolly was fantasizing about a fast-talking lover, but…Kenny made it a Christmas to…oh, God.

Jason: I have no idea what happened in the first verse. I wasn’t listening. But apparently whatever happened made it a Christmas to remember.

Jeff: They’re humping.

Jason: Really?

Jeff: Strangers as we met, lovers as we leave.

Jason: Don’t get lost, Kenny!

You make this a Christmas to remember! Springtime feelings in the middle of December! They kissed each other warm and tender!

Jeff: My stomach feels like it has a bucket full of Kenny’s chicken in it.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! They loved and laughed and played and choked!
I mean, joked!

Jeff: Maybe Dolly just choked? Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Jason: “Can we do this next winter?”

Jeff: “Though the fire is hot, we’ll just have to let it simmer!” Oh, this is so skeevy.

Jason: What, the thought of Kenny and Dolly making love? Hm. Yeah, they’re definitely talking about making love throughout Christmas.

Jeff: Not only that, but it’s a random hookup.

Oh, sweet, sweet fadeout… I thought you’d never come…

Jason: Oh, you think this is over, Jeff? You think you’re ready to forget this song?

Jeff: I was ready three minutes ago!

Jason: You’re mistaken. After all, this is a Christmas to remember.

Jeff: Don’t tell me you found a video. PLEASE.

Jason: HO HO HO HO HO HO!

Jeff: Do NOT tell me…

Jason: “‘A Christmas to Remember’ is from a classic CBS TV special titled Kenny & Dolly: A Christmas to Remember that originally aired on December 2, 1984.”

Jeff: I have a bad, bad feeling about this.

Jason: Mannequins!

Jeff: Mannequins?

Jason: What the fuck is going on?

Jeff: Why?

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha!

Jeff: Dollytoe!

Jason: Dolly is jerking Kenny’s boots off! Holy shit, he’s getting naked in the lodge!

Jeff: So much hair…

Jason: This is AWESOME!!!!

Jeff: I’m stunned, Jason.

Jason: He’s playing peek-a-boo with the mannequins!

Jeff: This encapsulates everything Mellowmas is about so perfectly that I want to die.

Jason: I’m so happy I found this. I have made this a Christmas to remember.

Jeff: The sequined vest, the snow pants, Kenny’s beard…

Jason: The snow pants! Oh, the snow pants! Mannequins everywhere! For some unknown fucking reason! Oh god, I hope they start having sex with a mannequin.

Jeff: Maybe it’s a metaphor for something. Like for the fact that everyone associated with this must have been stoned out of their entire bodies.

Jason: Man, Kenny and Dolly really got a lot of mileage out of this fake relationship, didn’t they? Wait, did he just knock a fucking mannequin off the piano bench?

Jeff: I guess that was a real person.

Jason: They ended with rubbing noses!??! Where’s the mannequin sex?

Jeff: “Yeah the Mannequins are a little odd in the video but I liked how they put the real one in there to try and fool yah at the piano.”

Jason: That was a real person?

Jeff: That’s from YouTube commenter “HolidayFavs4Me.”

Jason: I actually went back and watched again. It WAS a real person.

Jeff: Jason, this is the grossest Mellowmas song ever.

Jason: Hmm. I wonder who picked this song for Mellowmas? Who could it have been?

Jeff: Andy Williams.

Jason: Was it…Terje? No. Was it…Will? No. Was it…wait, who else is on our staff?

Jeff: Yes! Yes it was! It was Will Harris!

Jason: No, it wasn’t. We both know who it was.

It was KEN.

Jeff: Oh, that’s right. Ken Shane picked it. He loves this stuff.

Jason: Let’s give out his e-mail address. And his home phone number.

Jeff: I think he’s out of town for a few weeks. Sitting in a chalet filled with mannequins.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Okay, let’s come clean. Be honest. YOU picked this track. YOU made this a Christmas to remember.

Jeff: It’s true, I did. I was doing something else while it played the first time, and I nearly got whiplash when I realized what was going on in the lyrics. I think I may have broken a dish.

Jason: Kenny and Dolly, knockin’ winter boots.

Jeff: Rubbin’ snow pants. shudder

Jason: I don’t think it’s as good as last year’s track, because last year’s track had a video of Kenny dressed as Santa Claus. Although there’s something pretty awesome about his ski pants.

Jeff: He looks like a My Buddy doll. My Kenny! My Kenny! Wherever I go, he’s gonna go!

Jason: Kenny’s Roasters and Me!

Say what you want, this was kind of awesome, Jeff.

Jeff: It was 100% Mellowmas.

Jason: Exactly.

Jeff: John Denver dueting with Fogelberg couldn’t have nailed it any harder.

Jason: We can end here, but I’m going to go back and watch the part where Dolly takes off his boots again.

Jeff: You need help, my friend. I love Mellowmas, but I’m never watching that again.

Jason: By the way, “Dollytoe” is one of the funniest things I’ve heard all year.

Jeff: Thank you, thank you.

Jason: Now it’s time for us to go, Jeff, as our hearts melt like chimney snow. There’s just one thing I want to know: can we do this next winter?

Jeff: Though the fire is hot, we’ll just have to let it simmer!

Jason: Actually, fuck next winter. Can we do this again tomorrow?

Jeff: What the hell. I’ve got nothing going on.

Jason: We do have, like, ten days left or something!

Jeff: Really? Isn’t it Mellowmas Eve yet?

Jason: Wishful thinking on your part. Wishful thinking on everyone’s part.

Jeff: Don’t I hear sleigh bells jingling?

Jason: Oh, that’s your mom. She’s over here jumping on my bed.

Jeff: Why, that’s even grosser than Kenny and Dolly sharing sequins in the chalet!

Jason: I asked her to wear the sleigh bells, but it was her idea to wear the harness. She made this a Christmas to remember. And it’s going to last until I finish these antibiotics.

Jeff: Oh, it’ll last well past that. She’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Jason: Oh ooooh woah! What a Christmas!

Jeff: Hey, that reminds me — your mom left her teeth here last time she came over. Can I send them to you? I don’t want your dad to know.

Jason: Oh, you can just throw them in the fire. They’re made of wood.

Jeff: I figure you can just tell him she took them out at the Firefall concert.

Jason: I have no response. You’ve taken a Mellow Gold artist’s name in vain. NOW you’ve crossed the line.

Jeff: Now I have this damn song stuck in my head. Out! Out! Out! I need to listen to “Tom’s Diner” or something…

Jason: Hooray! Hopefully our readers have the same problem. If they do, I suggest they go back to Day One and listen to “Mellowmas, Mellowmas, have a merry Mellowmas…” And don’t worry, folks, only 24 hours before another shitty song is in your head. Don’t say we never gave you anything for Mellowmas!

Congratulations!  You’ve made it through two full weeks of Mellowmas, uh, cheer!  Can you handle 11 more days?  You’ll have to get through today first, as we once again piss on a national institution…

Jason: Jeff, I feel kind of weird about this. Andy Williams? I mean, he sings “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” That’s, like, a classic. When I think of certain kinds of sweaters, I think of Andy Williams. He’s a true classic.

Jeff: Fats Domino did a lot of classics, too.

Jason: Shit. You just schooled me. Let’s listen, sweet little Jesus boy.

Andy Williams — Sweet Little Jesus Boy (download)

From The Andy Williams Christmas Album Amazon iTunes

Jason: Oh. OH.

Jeff: Get out!

Jason: Okay. I guess I see what you’re saying.

Jeff: Get out of my ear!

Jason: Ha!

Jeff: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Jason: They made you be born in a manger!

Jeff: God, this song feels like a wet willie!

Jason: We didn’t know whooooooo yooooooooou werrrrrrrre!

Jeff: It’s taking everything I have not to claw the earphones out of my ears.

Jason: I bet we piss off some readers with this post. I bet there are some readers who love this song. I am not one of them.

Jeff: I am drowning in syrup.

Jason: This song is being sung directly to Jesus as a baby, I guess. Which makes me wish there were noises of baby Jesus farting or something. Speaking of, and I know I’m going off-topic here, but how come the only Mellowmas song to feature a fart sound has been Alan O’Day’s? That seems weird to me.

Jeff: I suppose it depends on your definition of “fart.”

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha!

Jeff: Also, I keep looking at the album cover, which is the scariest thing I’ve seen in awhile.

Jason: The album cover is sort of sinister, isn’t it? It’s like the look Michael Jackson gives the camera at the end of the longform “Thriller” video.

Jeff: Yes, it is sinister. That’s exactly what it is. And now he’s talking about how Jesus died, and begging his forgiveness. Is Andy Williams that old? Was he there when Jesus died?

Jason: When did Andy Williams die, anyway? Let me look it up.

HOLY SHIT! He’s still ALIVE!!!

Jeff: He’s still alive! He’s kicking it with Jim Nabors, yo!

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha! Did we bet against Jim Nabors being alive last year? We did, didn’t we?

Jeff: We did. You were supposed to play the Nabors track at full volume in your office. Of course, this year, you don’t work in an office anymore. Coincidence? I think not.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Maybe if I play “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” really loud, I’ll close my eyes and wind up back in an office.

Jeff: A therapist’s office!

Jason: I have no doubt this song has sinister powers. Like Andy’s FACE.

Jeff: Now look, Andy Williams fans, I know he’s done some holiday greats. But can any of you argue with a straight face that this is one of them?

Jason: He has done some holiday greats. Like I said, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is an amazing song. Johnny Mathis’ version can’t hold a candle to it, and yes, I know that Johnny Mathis did a popular cover of it, shut up.

Jeff: I just can’t get over the fact that some graphic designer somewhere thought it would be festive to drench everything in red and then put a picture of Andy Williams leering on the cover.

Jason: Leering. Yes. Like Keith Sweat.

Jeff: Ha! It’s awful. It reminds me of a scene from some ’60s movie where someone’s having a bad drug trip.

Jason: Muah hah hah hah hah hah! I’ve come to eat your children! Hey, you know what’s delicious?

Jeff: McNuggets?

Jason: SWEET LITTLE JESUS BOY!!! YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM

Jeff: Oh, right. Him. I’m picturing Andy Williams staggering, zombie-style, into the manger in his tux. Leering at baby Jesus with a little bit of drool coming out of the corner of his mouth. His hair, naturally, is perfect. And he’s singing this song.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Jeff: It actually makes me want to listen to “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” again, in a weird way.

Jason: Reign of terror! Reign of terror!

Jeff: Ha ha ha ha! I’d like to hear Andy Williams cover that!

Jason: Sorry, that song is still ringing in my ears from yesterday.

Jeff: You know what? I’d like to hear Andy Williams cover everything. Everything we’ve heard this year.

Jason: Let’s make a list of songs we want Andy Williams to cover.

“Ride Like the Wind.”

Jeff: Haaaaaaaaa ha ha ha ha ha!

Jason: “No Diggity.” “Cum On Feel The Noize.”

Jeff: Imagine if we had that kind of power? The kind of power to compel our “favorite” artists to cover songs of our choosing? Gosh, that would be great.

Jason: Well, we DID get Alan O’Day to write and record a Mellowmas song. So maybe we do have the power.

Jeff: Hmm. Maybe we do.

Jason: You should see me right now. I have a sinister look in my eye.

Jeff: Are the walls in your apartment red?

Jason: Everything is red, Jeff. Except for my tuxedo.

Jeff: Hey, great idea — you should paint the place red before your wife comes home.

Jason: And then just sit in a chair, leering at her?

Jeff: With this song playing.

Jason: Crooning “Sweet Little Jesus Boy”? Sweeeeeeet little Jeeeeeeeesus boyyyyyyyy…

Jeff: I have to say, much as I hate this song, I have to give Andy props for being able to squeeze 30 seconds out of every damn note.

Jason: That’s a good point.

Jeff: It would be under two minutes if he hadn’t done that.

Jason: Maybe each note took so long because he was drooling blood or something. It fits with the album cover. I’m just saying.

I looked up some fun facts on Andy Williams on Wikipedia, Jeff. Check this out:

A persistent rumor states that Andy Williams, while a teenager, provided the dubbed singing voice of Lauren Bacall for her song “How Little We Know” in the movie To Have and Have Not. Bacall herself addressed it in her autobiography, stating that Williams did dub a couple of high notes for her, not the whole song.

That’s just awesome.

Jeff: Oh, wow. High notes? This guy?

Jason: As a teenager! Wait, here’s another one.

He was the sponsor of the letter ‘W’ for the 1978 restoration of the famous Hollywood Sign in Hollywood.

Jeff: chokes

Fucker, I have water all over my shirt now…

Jason: I’m not making these up! That’s the truth! Without Andy, it’s just be Hollyood! Wait, one more for you.

It is widely believed that Andy is half werewolf.

Jeff: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Jason: Okay, maybe I made that one up. But it’s not so far fetched, is it? LOOK AT THAT COVER, PEOPLE!

Jeff: Andy was present at both the birth and execution of Jesus Christ.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Jeff: Andy has settled into comfortable retirement on the macadamia farm of his longtime lover, Jim Nabors.

Jason: Oh man, now you’ve got me clamoring for The Andy Williams and Jim Nabors Holiday Special: A Very Metamucil Christmas.

Jeff: I think their voices would go really well together.

Jason: Each song would be approximately ten minutes. But oh! The sweaters!

Jeff: Throw in Barry White, and you’d have yourself a regular Tuvan monk choir.

Jason: Look at the picture from his Wikipedia page.

Jeff: Ooh. Andy.

Jason: Is that smoke at the bottom? Like, demon smoke? Or is it dust?

Jeff: I think it’s a baby fart.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! His last album was called I Don’t Remember Ever Growing Up.

Jeff: (Or Anything Else)

Jason: Isn’t that perfect? Because I bet he doesn’t.

Jeff: It is.

Jason: Because it was so long ago, when he was with Sweet Little Jesus Boy.

Jeff: It’s also perfect that he’s performing in Branson now. Branson, MO: Where Hokey Acts Go to Die.

Jason: Are you kidding? He built the theater FOR those acts!

Jeff: So he could collect their skeletons!

Jason: Williams has recorded eight Christmas albums over the years and has been penned as “Mr. Christmas.” EIGHT! EIGHT CHRISTMAS ALBUMS!

Jeff: Wow.

Jason: Mellowmas 2009, here we come!

Jeff: A Month of Andy!

Jason: The Twenty-Five Days of Andymas!

With gratitude, as always, to Terje Fjelde — graphic designer extraordinaire — for making all of our Popdose dreams come true.

Looking down on the audience at Dan Deacon’s show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Thursday night was akin to watching a strange orgy or mating ritual of some kind. People in their teens and twenties swayed as a group, not moshing so much as just moving, touching each other - though there was crowd surfing involved.

For the overstimulated generation, it’s easy to see how someone like Deacon can make a killing. Every piece of his electro-dance-pop pulsates constantly, relentlessly - loads of drums, computers and synthesizers chugging at full speed. Having a “15-piece” ensemble (so he claimed, though the most counted on stage at one point was closer to 10) made Deacon’s robustness that much more boisterous, with nary a break, except in the middle of the set, where he took advantage of So Percussion (the apt-named, Steve Reich-loving openers) and their xylophones for a twinkling number or two - both of which naturally evolved back into Deacon’s overdrive in due time.

The Masonic Temple, however, is a dubious front of a music venue, and it was hard to hear what, exactly, Deacon was doing with the mic. When he disappeared into the crowd for most of the set, no one walking in would have had any idea of the bearded man in glasses and a plaid shirt leading the effrontery on the stage. Deacon himself was noticeably angered by this, doing multiple sound checks and announcing after the first song, “Well, this so far is a nightmare. Let’s see if we can take over the nightmare, and have sex with the nightmare.” (more…)

We know, we know: sure, Mellowmas is filled with Christmas dreck — but what about the Jews?  Well, today, the Jews be representin’.  Although after hearing this one, you may want to renounce religion altogether.

Peter, Paul & Mary — Hayo, Haya (download)

From A Holiday Celebration With the New York Choral Society Amazon iTunes

Jason: “Hayo, Haya.”

Jeff: What does that even mean?

Jason:Is this an Outkast cover?

Jeff: Ha ha ha! I hope so!

Jason: God, how awesome would that be?

Jeff: I’d love it. Let’s e-mail them and tell them to do it. Mellow Gold musicians take our advice seriously now.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Jeff: Shit, who let the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in here?

Jason: It’s actually the New York Choral Society.

Jeff: SPEAK ENGLISH!

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha! Way to rip on Hebrew, Jeff!

Jeff: You can’t fool me. They’re all the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Reign of terror?
Oh, no.

Jason: Reign of terror! Reign of terror!

Jeff: Are we back in Sarajevo, Jason?

Jason: Pain forever! Pain forever! It’s like…they’re talking about Mellowmas!

Jeff: I feel cold. This is what you guys sing about on Hanukkah? No wonder everyone likes Christmas better. Blood, terror, and Hebrew. Minor keys.

Jason: This is why nobody remembers songs by the Jews. We’re always like, “yeah, happy holiday, but don’t forget how bad it was, and how bad it could have been.”

Jeff: Burn the Torah? No! Ash and smoke!

Jason: Crushed menorah! Crushed menorah!

Jeff: Oh my G-d, this is horrible!

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha! This is why suicide rates are higher during the holidays.

Jeff: I can’t believe they performed this during a holiday concert. Why not something nice, like “Rock of Ages”? What a fucking downer! Way to go, Peter, Paul & Mary!

Jason: Hang on, I’m looking at the track list. Yeah, it’s all filled with marginally happy songs.

Jeff: This album is supposed to be some kind of classic.

Jason: But no “Here Comes Santa Claus.”

Jeff: What the fuck are you people clapping about? The burning of the Torah?
Assholes!

Jason: Reign of terror! Reign of terror!

Jeff: Oh, man. I feel like crying now.

Jason: Today you are a Jew.

Jeff: Even more than when I listen to Peter, Paul & Mary songs that aren’t this one.

Jason: I feel kind of bad ripping on Peter, Paul & Mary.

Jeff: What for?

Jason: I don’t know. It seems wrong somehow.

Jeff: I understand why you felt bad when we ripped on your friends in the Starland Vocal Band.

Jason: Yeah, I still feel bad about that one. It’s like ripping on Pete Seeger.

Jeff: No, no, no. Pete Seeger is a hero.

Jason: Peter, Paul & Mary aren’t in that boat? I thought they were.

Jeff: Peter, Paul & Mary are just three old farts who don’t know how to have a good time during the holidays. Although I do sort of wish they’d do a Christmas concert with Judy Collins. Imagine the harmonies we’d hear during “Song for Sarajevo”!

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha! They actually had a Christmas concert at Carnegie Hall last week. My mother-in-law wanted to go. I couldn’t get tickets, believe it or not.

Jeff: It was sold out? They sold out Carnegie Hall?

Jason: Well, close. Only bad seats in the upper balcony were left.

Jeff: Good Lord.

Jason: Either they sold out or the good seats were all reserved for season ticketholders.

Jeff: Economic crisis, my ass.

Jason: I mean, it is Carnegie Hall. Hey, I wonder if they had a special appearance by the Singing Saw? Seems apropos, no?

Jeff: I can hear that, actually.

Jason: Seriously. What says “reign of terror” more than a singing saw?

Jeff: Judy, Peter, Paul & Mary, and the goddamn Singing Saw. Say, how flammable is Carnegie Hall, anyway?

Jason: And then Lee Greenwood comes out! In his stars & stripes jacket! He doesn’t actually say anything.

Jeff: No, I don’t think he would.

Jason: He just comes out, waves a flag, and leaves.

Jeff: I think he’d punch Julian Koster right in his singing saw.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Jeff: Man, is Lee Greenwood the best we’ve heard this year? Because it hurts me to type that.

Jason: Define “the best.”

Jeff: Ha ha ha! “Unshittiest.”

Jason: Hm.

Jeff: I think he might be.

Jason: It’s hard to say. I’ve lost all objectivity.

Jeff: We need to find this year’s Paul Carrack, and pronto.

Jason: Yeah, we may be out of luck.

Well, this was a downer, wasn’t it. Happy holidays, but DON’T YOU EVER FORGET THE REIGN OF TERROR.

Jeff: When you’re opening your gifts this year, REMEMBER THE BLOOD AND CRUSHED MENORAHS.

Jason: CRUSHED MENORAH! CRUSHED MENORAH! TRAMPLED CHILDREN! TRAMPLED CHILDREN!

Actually, I don’t think that last one is in there. But it could be, right?

Jeff: Sure! A few trampled children never hurt a song, right?

Jason: Not one like this!

Jeff: I think I heard that line in an Outkast number once, actually. Heyyyyyyyyyyy Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Jason: There are so many lines you could put in there.

BANGED YOUR MOTHER! BANGED YOUR MOTHER!
Hayo!
Haya!

Jeff:

FIND A CLINIC! FIND A CLINIC!
Hayo!
Haya!

Jason: I mean, almost anything fits. ATE A TACO! ATE A TACO!

Jeff: Except for, like, a little fucking holiday cheer. Even Al Jarreau managed that, and he was high.

Jason: Thanks a lot, Peter, Paul & Mary. I’m taking this song and sticking it in my Spyro Gyra.

Jeff: Hayo!

Jason: Haya!

Beth Rowley - Little Dreamer (2008, Verve Forecast)
purchase this CD (Amazon)

Yes, Beth Rowley is another white, female British soul singer, but before you write her off as another of Amy Winehouse’s coattail riders, it would behoove you to pause and consider a couple of things:

1. Amy Winehouse, talented as she is, isn’t the best this latest soul revival has to offer.
2. As music trends go, this is one of the best we’ve seen in years. If it’s possible to have such a thing as too many soul singers — white, female and British or otherwise — I, for one, am perfectly willing to find out just how many it takes to get there.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can evaluate Little Dreamer on its own merits — which, unfortunately, are rather small and pedestrian. Rowley is a talented vocalist, and this isn’t a bad debut album at all, but Dreamer does little to distinguish itself from the albums it’s going to be compared with. Song-to-song, Little Dreamer is more consistent than, say, Adele’s 19 — but it lacks a killer single as undeniable as “Chasing Pavements,” and Rowley’s voice lacks the grit and brassy overtones that many of her peers have been blessed with.

No, not brass, but porcelain. On the female soul-singer continuum, Rowley is closer to Dusty than Aretha, although she doesn’t really sound like either of those artists; her voice is part Bonnie Raitt and part Eva Cassidy, with a dash of Karen Carpenter thrown in. What Rowley lacks, however, is the songwriting chops it takes to come up with consistently memorable original material, or the interpretive depth to carry a classic cover. (Give her points for chutzpah, though — she covers both “I Shall Be Released” and “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” here.)

Of course, again, this is just a debut record from a young artist, and if not for the glut of similar artists releasing albums right now, Little Dreamer would probably sound fresher than it does. “Oh My Life” (download), in particular, is an eminently hummable taste of what’s hopefully to come from Beth Rowley.

Not much to say, everybody.  This is simply one of the worst days yet.

New Kids on the Block — Funky, Funky, Xmas (download)

From Merry, Merry Christmas Amazon iTunes

Jason: Ho, ho, ho! No, no, no!

Jeff: Oh, little train? My little elf?

Jason: What fresh hell is this?

Jeff: Are the New Kids missing teeth?

Jason: Why, oh WHY do the New Kids think they’re black?

Jeff: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh God.

Jason: Oh man. This song is five minutes.

Jeff: No it isn’t.

Jason: It is.

Jeff: Stop it.

Jason: You picked this, asshole. We could have listened to the single, “This One’s For the Children.”

Jeff: Jordan K feels so Christmasy? What happened here? I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this song.

Jason: I don’t get it. Didn’t NKOTB have Maurice Starr governing their every move? Where the hell were you, Maurice?

Jeff: Did you hear them ask Santa to kick the ballistics? And…what’s with the fake English accent? MC Santa?

Jason: And here’s the other problem. They’re telling us to have a “funky, funky Christmas,” yet this song is absolutely devoid of funk.

Jeff: Honestly, we’ve heard some strange stuff over the last few years, but I think this is the first time one of our conversations has been 90% questions.

Jason: Ha!

Jeff: And you’re right, there’s no funk here. At all.

Jason: Fresh rhymes, I’m throwin’.

Jeff: Oh no! Danny D is rhyming!

Jason: Wait a minute. His name is Danny Wood. Isn’t that Danny W?

Jeff:

It’s Danny D I’m here with Christmas cheer
no feeling to end the party of the year
it’s going I’m showing fresh rhymes I’m throwing
it’s snowing outside but we ho-ho-hoing
Santa’s on the way, sleigh bells are ringing, swinging, everybody start singing

Jason: Uh…I mean, I think that’s his name. I, uh, don’t really know.

Jeff: Do you see that?

Jason: I don’t see it. I’m pretending you never typed it.

Jeff: I think he has bigger problems than the correct initials.

Here’s MC Santa Claus again.
Kicking the goddamn ballistics.

Jason: What is with this elf Little Train bullshit? Oh man, he just name-checked Maurice.

Jeff: You were right, this is five minutes long.

Jason: Maurice was probably in the Cayman Islands, counting his money.

Jeff: Maurice was probably laughing his ass off. This song sounds like someone lost a bet.

Jason: I’m not even positive that Maurice knew this album was released.

Jeff: Like, the engineer didn’t think Maurice could make them do this song. And he was all like, “Watch me make these little honkies sing for their supper.” And then he wrote this ’song’ on the back of a napkin.

Jason: I disagree. I think this song is an example of Donnie or whomever being like, “hey, we’re real artists. And we identify with real soul. Let us rap.” And Maurice was probably thinking, “You guys are fucking idiots,” but then he checked his account balance at the bank and decided that they couldn’t possibly do enough harm with just one song.

Jeff: Mmm hmm. I almost wish I had the liner notes in front of me, so I could check for the inevitable “beats programmed by Donnie Wahlberg” credit.

Jason: Ha!

Jeff: I was just reading something the other day about how tweenage girls are the dumbest human beings on the planet, and this kind of proves it.

Jason: Man. If only…If only we could watch a video of these d-bags performing this song. Perhaps live, on The Arsenio Hall Show.

Oh wait! It’s our lucky day! Merry Christmas, little Jefito train!

Jeff: You bastard.

Jason: Ho, ho, ho!

Jeff: What the fuck is Arsenio wearing? Did he steal one of Michael Jackson’s jackets?

Jason: Ooh, look at those dance moves!

Jeff: Did the New Kids do the same dance for every song?

Jason: Of course they did! *Nsync hadn’t raised the bar yet. Listen to that audience. They can’t get enough.

Jeff: Put on a shirt, you little dick!

Jason: Wait a minute. Aren’t there five members? I only see four.

Jeff: THIS IS HORRIBLE

Jason: Where is Jonathan? I mean, uh…the guy that’s missing? Fuck, I am totally coming out of the closet today.

Jeff: Holy shit, would you look at the little one…I think he stole Anthony Geary’s perm from 1985.

Jason: Hey Joey, you know what’d look good on you? A mustard-colored shirt, buttoned up to the top.

Jeff: Ha ha ha ha ha!

Jason: Seriously, Jeff. There’s a guy missing.

Jeff: Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I only know that the guy who I think ended up selling real estate is now rapping.

Jason: Hey, it’s the goon New Kid! Danny! The ugly one! He should join a band with Ike Hanson.

Jeff: I’m sorry, I can’t ignore this anymore. Why do you know this shit? Do you have this CD? Wait, were you in the studio when this was taped?

Jason: Shhhh, Arsenio’s joining them.

Jeff: I want to die!

Jason: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Arsenio just name-checked LL Cool J! LL Cool J probably wanted to kill himself!

Jeff: They’re creating a whirling vortex of anti-funk! If it touches funk, it will destroy the universe!

Jason: Ha ha ha ha!

Jeff: Oh, man. Never have I wanted to slap you harder than I do right now.

Jason: Why? You picked this song, dickhole!

Jeff: But you found the video! The video made it worse! The New Kids + Chunky A - fat suit = worse!

Jason: Ha ha ha ha! Chunky A!

Jeff: Looks like you were right, by the way. Arsenio said “These are the New Kids, minus one.” Which one? I have no idea.

Jason: It was Jonathan. Who doesn’t know the names of these five guys? I don’t want to know them, but I do, and there’s nothing I can do about it. The same way I know every word to “Tell It to My Heart.” It’s just something that I can’t erase from my brain.

Jeff: Me. I don’t know the names of those five buttholes.

Jason: Yeah, but you know the names of all the session musicians on Chiicago’s albums in the ’80s. It’s the same thing.

Jeff: It is NOT the same thing. Those were actual, hardworking musicians.

Jason: You are lame. Like me. In a different way, but laaaaaame. This is why we’re married.

Jeff: The New Kids are why? I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I feel like I need a drink.

Jason: Don’t be such a baby.

Jeff: I feel like I should have had one before I watched that, actually.

Jason: Just remember who started this whole thing. It was you.

Jeff: No, look, in all seriousness, here’s the thing about this shitty song.

Jason: Lay it on me.

Jeff: Much of what we hear during Mellowmas is very bad, right?

Jason: Yes.

Jeff: But it’s sincere. At least it’s sincere. This, on the other hand, is crass.

Jason: You don’t think they sincerely wanted us to have a funky, funky Christmas? I totally got the vibe that they really wanted us to have a funky, funky, Christmas. They just didn’t have the self-awareness to know that they couldn’t possibly give it to us.

Jeff: It’s the sound of bad people who want to get richer. AND IT WORKED.

Jason: Yeah, but I don’t think they were like, “we suck, but the public will buy anything.” I think they were like, “We’re on top of the world, and we can do anything, and we’re funky, dammit.” They were wrong, but I think they came from an earnest place. And earnest is the underlying theme of all Mellowmas.

Jeff: You’re quite naive, aren’t you? You don’t even know when a New Kid is trying to pick your pocket. How have you survived in New York for so long?

Jason: I’m naive? Do you KNOW the shit I’ve listened to over the past three Mellowmasses?

Jeff: Of course I do!

Jason: You know what? This isn’t worth it. I’m not going to fight with you over NKOTB and Mellowmas. Let’s end this right now. Just do me one favor.

Jeff: Uh oh.

Jason: One tiny favor before we go. Please?

Jeff: Um…What is it?

Jason: Have a funky, funky Christmas.

Jeff: sigh

Jason: BOOOOO-YA!

Jeff: All right. I will have a funky, funky Christmas.

Jason: Thank you.

Jeff: I may also kick the ballistics. Just one time, though.

Jason: Thank you, little train.

Jeff: No problem, my elf.

Jason: No, little train IS the elf. You didn’t listen at all!

Jeff: Shit.

Jason: Here we go again!

Jeff: Nooo! Not again!

Olivia Broadfield, Eyes Wide Open (2007, Pig Factory)
purchase this album (Amazon)

Just when I think I’ve heard enough wispy female bedroom pop, along comes another cute-as-a-button waif with an adorable British accent and a fondness of drum machines to draw me back in. Which is funny, because I don’t ordinarily care about British accents, and I don’t like drum machines at all. I mean, I enjoy a good Imogen Heap record as much as the next person, but come on, right? How much more of this stuff do we need?

At least one more album’s worth, apparently, or so my ears are telling me as I glide my way through my latest listen to Olivia Broadfield’s Eyes Wide Open. It’s got all the usual trappings of the genre — programmed beats, vintage-sounding keyboards, and lyrics like “Don’t fight this fire/Come stay the night with me/Silence never sounded so good,” all frosted with a tasty layer of Broadfield’s breathy vocals — but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for with pure craft.

Broadfield (who wrote all the songs, played a variety of instruments, and co-produced) has a gift for spinning delicately infectious melodies out of all the lyrical themes you expect (love, longing, heartbreak), and she keeps the arrangements smartly sparse without sacrificing the occasional burst of ear candy. Like a really well-made sports movie, it’s thoroughly predictable, but in all the right ways. Much as I never tire of watching the Italian Stallion whup Ivan Drago’s ass in the final act of Rocky IV, I’ve been spinning this album for a week, and I’m not tired of it yet.

Eyes Wide Open came out overseas last year, but Broadfield’s American reps are still (or starting to? I don’t know) pushing it here, and you can get the whole kit & caboodle for less than $9 at Amazon’s MP3 store via the above link. Try out “Fool Today” (download) and see what you think.

Day Eleven!  Are you exhausted?  We know we’re exhausted.  But the Mellowmas show must go on.  Stay strong, readers!  And get yo’ groove on!

Freddie Jackson — Christmas Forever (download)

From The Greatest Hits of Freddie Jackson Amazon iTunes

Jason: oooh YEAH!

Jeff: Oh wow.

Jason: Funk-ay! New Jack SWANG!

Jeff: See, this is what I think of when I think of terrible Christmas music. Happy Holidays from Casio!

Jason: This is terrible? I love this! I’m groovin’ in my chair!

Jeff: Everybody IS laughing, Freddie.

Jason: Every little step I take! You…will…be…there…Wait, this isn’t Bobby Brown?

Jeff: Mama’s making everyone’s favorite recipe!

Jason: Wow, she’s gonna be in the kitchen for a while!

Christmas forever!
Let’s stay together!

Jeff: I pray we never let Christmas slip away!

Jason: Oooh yeah, Jeff.

Jeff: Freddie is FEELING this.

Jason: So am I. Why did you choose this? Were you hoping for something similar to last year’s Keith Sweat incident?

Jeff: I suppose I was. You can’t get much better than “Joy to Keith Sweat! Keith Sweat has come.”

Jason: “Hark the herald Freddie Jackson sings” doesn’t have the same ring to it. And Freddie doesn’t seem to be sexing us up the way Keith was.

Jeff: Well, no, Freddie isn’t sexing us up quite that way, but he sure is trying hard. Freddie gets an A for effort.

Jason: You should see me right now. I’m doing the whitest dance imaginable.

Jeff: Well, hey, it’s the special day that makes the world feel as one. Why wouldn’t you?

Two Freddies!

Jason: He just slipped “Christ” in there somewhere. It was subtle. A subtle Jesus Christ mention. Boy, does he want to be Luther Vandross or what?

Jeff: How many Freddies did we get in that fadeout?

Jason: I think at least three.

Jeff: I picture him in his garage studio in Secaucus, frantically overdubbing all afternoon.

Jason: I really didn’t think that was so bad. You didn’t like it? I mean, it wasn’t a Christmas classic, but I enjoyed the groove.

Jeff: Well, no, not really. But mainly because it was so ordinary, not because there was anything really awful about it. I mean, Freddie can sing, and his heart is in the right place. And he doesn’t leer at us on the cover the way Keith Sweat did.

Jeff: Still, it kind of feels like he had a leftover groove that he never wrote lyrics for, and he maybe forgot to buy his wife a Christmas present.

Jason: Ha! That’s totally it, I bet. Wait a minute. I’m looking at some of Freddie’s other singles. “Tasty Love.”

Jeff: That’s disgusting.

Jason: “Can I Touch You.”

Jeff: Is he Keith Sweat’s alter ego?

Jason: “Rub Up Against You.”

Jeff: Goodness gracious.

Jason: Why couldn’t we get some of those sentiments in this Christmas song?

Jeff: I guess Freddie has class?

Jason: I mean, it would have been awful, but we would have had more to talk about, at least.

Jeff: On December 25th? I’m still holding out hope for a MILLIE Jackson Christmas album.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! That would STINK! Literally. I’m pretty sure Millie Jackson doesn’t bathe.

Jeff: That’s Mellowmas giving! I’m going to send her an e-mail about recording next year’s theme song. “Back to the Mellowmas Shit.”

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Jeff: You hear that, Freddie Jackson?

Jason: Do you smell what Millie Jackson is…wearing?

Jeff: If you want to be part of next year’s celebration, let’s hear some of that nasty “Tasty Love” funk in your next holiday album.

Jason: Yeah, Freddie! Bring it! No more of this innocent New Jack Christmas bull!

Jeff: In closing, I would like to leave you, and everyone, with the following image.

Jason: Thanks a lot! What a terrible way to end today’s post!

Jeff: I am ordering you a Millie Jackson “Old Bitches Got It Going On” t-shirt. And her “Butt-A-Cize” CD single.

Jason: I was just about to do the same thing for you!

Jeff: Awwwwwww! Mellowmas really IS the most wonderful time of the year!

Jason: Actually, I was going to buy your mom the “Taking Care of Bitchness” shirt.

Jeff: It’ll go well with her “Taking Care of Bitchness” trucker hat!

Jason: I was going to get her the Young Man, Older Woman DVD, but I’m pretty sure she filmed her own version.

Jeff: I think your mom was in the sequel. Young Man, Older Woman II: The Thickening.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha! I don’t even know what that means, but I love it!

Jeff: Happy Freddie Jackson Mellowmas, friend! You’ve earned it!

Jason: And to you as well, fucker!

Jeff: And to all a good night!

Jason: Jeff, I’m in a bad mood today. I don’t know what it is. I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something. I’m just…pissy.

Jeff: Where’s your Mellowmas spirit, pal?

Jason: And I feel especially bad, because I think I’m going to take it out on you.

Jeff: Buck up. We’ve got a whole new — wait, what?

Jason: I think I’m going to take it out on you. And our readers. I think I’m going to make you listen to some really, really bad shit today.

Jeff: What did we listen to yesterday? And all the days before?

Jason: That stuff was bad, sure. But I’m talking, like, Earmageddon-level bad.

Jeff: Oh, THAT bad.

Jason: Yeah, you see what I’m talking about.

Jeff: You really are in a bad mood.

Jason: I know.

Jeff: I’m a little excited. Did Lou Reed release A Metal Machine Christmas when I wasn’t looking?

Jason: If we listen to what we’re about to listen to, we have to accept the risk that people may not come back tomorrow. I’m warning you. I’m in a bad mood. Like, subversive.

Jeff: You listen to Richard Marx. I think I can handle your “subversive.”

Jason: So you’re just going to have to go along with me, or I’m going to throw a temper tantrum. And you can ask anybody who’s reading this that’s met me in person, if those people even exist — you don’t want to see me throw a temper tantrum. I’m like, six.

Jeff: All right, Bruce Banner.

Jason: But you say you can handle it.

Jeff: Let’s see what you’ve got.

Jason: Fine. You’ll be sorry. YOU’LL ALL BE SORRY.

Jeff: You’ll be DEAD! ahem

Jason: Let’s listen to Julian Koster’s new album, aka The Singing Saw.

Jeff: Julian whathefuck? The Singing Who?

Jason: The Singing Saw. Turn on “The First Noel.”

Jeff: I don’t want to.

Jason: DO IT.

Jeff: Saws don’t sing.

Jason: Jeff, I’m three seconds away from throwing a dish at the wall.

Jeff: All right, all right.

Julian Koster — The First Noel (download)

From The Singing Saw at Christmastime Amazon iTunes

Jeff: Oh.

Jason: Right? You see? You see what I meant? BAD MOOD, Jeff. Apparently this is a singing saw.

Jeff: Hey, listen…my wife is calling me, or something.

Jason: DON’T YOU DARE FUCKING LEAVE! You PUSSY. I will KILL YOU.

Jeff: Uh…

Jason: Sit the fuck DOWN. SIT. DOWN.

Jeff: Oh, don’t worry. I can’t stand while this is on.

Jason: Listen to the singing saw. Now, I don’t know if this is one singing saw, or two, or three, or what. I just know that it hurts my ears. Like, a lot.

Hey! You reading this! TURN IT BACK ON! I saw you click the play/pause button! Stop that! You’re going to get through this if it kills all of us!

Jeff: Hey, you know who covered this album already?

Jason: Florence Foster Jenkins?

Jeff: Ha ha ha ha ha! Close. Stereogum.

Jason: Are you serious? This year?

Jeff: Ugggggggggggggggghh…this is painful. Yes, in July.

Jason: I haven’t read Stereogum in at least 6 months.

Jeff: Best comment: “And I thought it didn’t get any better than Sufjan Stevens singing “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” while I trimmed the tree. I’m getting choked up just thinking about December.”

Jason: Wow, a Stereogum post with only three comments? And this is by a HIPSTER?

Jeff: I guess there are some things too hip for even Stereogum listeners.

Jason: Oh, fuck me. You’ve gotta be kidding me. These are the same people that like…what’s her name? Holy shit, I’ve forgotten. Fuck, what’s her name?

Jeff: I wonder if that isn’t really a saw, but Joanna Newsom singing.

Jason: Joanna Newsom! That’s it!

Jeff: ZING!

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

The track is over.
Thankfully for most of you.

Jeff: Oh, it’s over all right.

Jason: But guess what?

Jeff: No.

Jason: Yes. We’re moving on to “Jingle Bells.” I told you. I’m in a subversive mood.

Jeff: Can’t you just go beg your wife for sex?

Jason: Jeff, I have a knife to a kitten’s neck right now, and I swear I’ll cut her if you don’t turn on “Jingle Bells.”

Jeff: Okay, okay.

Jason: I will bleed kitten blood all over this computer if you don’t listen to more singing saw.

Jeff: Stupid cute little kitten.

Jason: “Jingle Bells” it is.

Julian Koster — Jingle Bells (download)

From The Singing Saw at Christmastime Amazon iTunes

Jeff: AHH!

Jason: Right? Right?

Jeff: Wasn’t this on the soundtrack to The Shining?

Jason: Don’t worry. Our readers will get their Shining moment later in the Mellowmas season.

Jeff: I love how the ID3 tag lists the genre as “Alternative.”

Jason: Listen to that chorus! Listen to it! It’s awful!

Jeff: It’s all awful!

Jason: Jeff, you’re not going to believe this. My frown. It’s turning…upside down. I’m starting to…I can’t believe this…smile. This chorus is changing my mood, somehow. I’m…happy.

Jeff: “Singing Saws sing all by themselves. The idea that a Human Being could play one, as one might a cello or a tuba, is a common misconception perpetuated by the saws themselves for their own amusement.”

Jason: Oh, isn’t he a clever little hipster!

Jeff: I was thinking “pompous douche,” but to each his own.

Jason: Wait, I think the chorus is coming around again. Hang on…hang on…here it comes!

Jeff: sigh

Jason: CHORUS!

Jingle bells!
Jingle bells!
Jingle all the way!
Singing saw style!
It’s awful!

Jeff: Oh my God.

Jason: Some hipster is sitting in his apartment on the Lower East Side, pretending to love this! Yaaaaaaaayyyy!

Jeff: I think I just popped an eardrum on that last note.

Jason: Oooh, big finish! Big off-key finish!

Jeff: Ow.

Jason: I love it! One more!

Jeff: WHAT?

Jason: ONE MORE. Jeff, I’ve got a toothpick, and I’m about to stab it into a goldfish if you don’t do one more.

Jeff: Why, why, why?

Jason: Because you love me.

Jeff: You know what you are? You’re the Mellowmas Grinch.

Jason: Isn’t that redundant?

Jeff: Good point. Let’s get this over with.

Jason: One more it is! Hark! I hear something! It’s Herald Angels! They’re singing! Saw-like!

Jeff: Saw V, even!

Julian Koster — Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (download)

From The Singing Saw at Christmastime Amazon iTunes

Jason: Listen to that!

Jeff: Bells?

Jason: I don’t think so!

Jeff: That’s cheating!

Jason: I don’t know what that sound is, exactly.

Jeff: It’s creeping death!

Jason: Yes! Creeping death! I’m so happy now! I’m doing cartwheels! My ears hurt, but my heart is warmed.

Jeff: There’s something wrong with you. I blame myself.

Jason: I know. I warned you before we started. I told you. You didn’t listen. You chose to come on this journey with me. I didn’t force you.

Jeff: Before we started this, you were listening to Lionel Richie and loving the holiday season.

Jason: I don’t remember those days at all. That was a different person. That’s not me anymore.

Jeff: Now you’re a Singing Saw fan.

Jason: A Singing Saw fan? Hell no! I’m not loving this!

Jeff: So we can stop?

Jason: I’m loving the torture that it’s bringing! To you, to myself, and others!

Jeff: Oh.

Jason: We’ll stop when I say we’ll stop. Join the triumph of the skies, Jeff!

Jeff: There is no triumph here.

Jason: With angelic singing saws proclaim! Big finish!

Jeff: Those bells…they sound like Salvation Army volunteers.

Jason: The ones that hate gay people, yes.

Jeff: I wonder if Julian Koster took their bells. With their hands still attached.

Jason: Damn, the song is over.

Jeff: Damn the song is right. Vomits in relief

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha! That’s 3 out of 12. Rest assured, readers, the other 9 are just as bad, if not worse.

Jeff: I found them painfully similar.

Jason: If you like shitty music, or Joanna Newsom, you’ll love this album.

Jeff: Ha ha ha!

Jason: You will also love this album if you love singing saws.

Jeff: And just remember: Someone at Merge Records decided it would be a good idea to give Julian Koster money to make this album.

Jason: Did I tell you that there’s a woman in the subway that plays the singing saw? I’ve seen her at the 59th Street stop.

Jeff: Are you sure it isn’t Julian Koster in the skin of a woman he murdered with his horrible saw?

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! You know, it could be! I’ve never stopped to look, for fear I’ll turn into a pillar of salt. But I’ll tell you this: she always looks really, really happy.

Jeff: Apparently, the singing saw has a rich tradition. Many not-so-famous musicians have played it.

Marlene Dietrich, for instance.
David Weiss, the retired oboe player from the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Filmmaker Terry Zwigoff.
And, of course, noted hipster douche Julian Koster.

Jason: I FOUND HER!

Jeff: She has a BLOG? Goddamn, New Yorkers have a lot of change.

Jason: I have to be honest, I kind of like seeing her. She seems really nice. And the music on her webpage is nicer than stupid Julian Koster’s.

Jeff: She’s appeared on the Andy Milonakis Show, of course. And recorded with…John Hiatt?

Jason: !!! You HAVE to like her now! You LOVE John Hiatt!

Jeff: I do, it’s true. I love him a little less now, but still.

Jason: Well, I like her and I like her music. Not Julian Koster’s, though.

Jeff: I guess I just need to learn how to play the cordless drill, and I’ll be invited to appear on one of his albums.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Happy Mellowmas, everybody! Enjoy your singing saw! And if it puts you in a bad mood, send this webpage to everyone you know. I promise you, you’ll feel better.

Jeff: It didn’t make me feel better! Now my head hurts and I don’t think of John Hiatt the same way!

Jason: That’s because you didn’t send it on to anyone, stupid. Send it to your wife.

Jeff: Oh, good idea!

Jason: See? Mellowmas is about GIVING.

Jeff: You’re right. I DO feel better now.

Jason: Told you!

Jeff: Happy Mellowmas to all, and to all a singing goddamn saw!

Jason: You SURE you don’t want to do a fourth track? I might come full circle and get into a bad mood again.

Jeff: Jason, I have an actual saw in my hand, and I will cut off my own head if you don’t let this end here.

Jason: Fair enough.

Yuletide greetings folks. Even in these tough economic times, the annual rite of holiday gift giving must be performed to appease the mighty snow demons. So here are a few ideas…

There are three absolute “Can’t Miss” gifts - Booze, Books, and Vinyl.

1. BOOZE

Who doesn’t love booze? A bottle of moderately priced wine or a good-sized bottle of hootch will light up the face of anyone weary of yet another Borders gift card. A good bottle of Italian wine, a rare spirit, or a limited seasonal release beer is always a winner. Best of all, they might even share some of their gift with you!

The makers of 1800 Tequila can produce a 750ml bottle of their fine nectar emblazoned with any custom artwork or photograph you wish. No copyrighted images, please, no matter how friggin’ sweet a big bottle of tequila would look with the cover of Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast on it. 1800 also makes a line of bottles featuring work by various artists from around the way (Josh Ellingson and Hannah Stouffer - OAKTOWNNNN!) and they’re absolutely gorgeous to look at. 1800 makes a damn fine tequila; now if only they could get name-checked in a rap song or two, they would be set. (more…)