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Christmas Songs

On a somewhat yearly basis, I record reinterpretations of classic Christmas carols and Christmas songs - most of them fairly irreverent.

Holly Jolly Monday

I thought the Burl Ives version of Have a Holly Jolly Christmas sounded a little too enthusiastic, and setting its text to New Order's Blue Monday seemed like the obvious solution. For Factory Records aficionados: yes, the color code is correct.

Download Holly Jolly Monday.mp3

If they aren't already in your library, you can buy the original Blue Monday and Have a Holly Jolly Christmas on iTunes.

Please note: no samples from the original song were used in the creation of this recording. All tracks were newly performed.

Shock the Santa

The lyrics for "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" are a little ominous, if you're inclined to listen to them that way. Featuring the guitar wizardry of my friend Parry.

Download Shock the Santa.mp3

With apologies to, and the greatest respect for, Peter Gabriel. If you don't have it already, you can buy the original Shock the Monkey on iTunes.

Please note: no samples from the original song were used in the creation of this recording. All tracks were newly performed.

(Nice Day For A) White Christmas

The idea for this one came to me just in time for Christmas a few years back, and was recorded under relatively crude conditions (see below for details). My apologies to both of the original artists. :-)

White Christmas.mp3

For those interested in the tech side of things, I recorded this during a visit to relatives in New Jersey, far from my home studio. Instead, I used only a Powerbook, Digital Performer, Mach 5, and a Korg microKONTROL. Vocals were recorded using the Powerbook's built-in microphone, which is hidden somewhere under the keyboard. I also mixed using only headphones and the Powerbook's built-in speakers, so I'll just assume that the bass is way off...

Jingles are Jingles

Channeling Depeche Mode for a sleighride.

Download Jingles are Jingles.mp3

Please note, since some have asked: no Depeche Mode samples were used in the creation of this recording. All tracks were newly performed.

Older Xmas songs with Gernot Huber

This tradition started as a joint project with my high-school friend Gernot Huber. Gernot's now living on the other side of the world, which makes it slightly more difficult to get him into the studio - but I'm sure it will happen again one of these years! For now, here are some of our collaborations from Xmases past:

Let It Snow

Kitsch meets drum-and-bass. Enjoy!
Let It Snow.mp3

Do You Hear What I Hear

Techno/psychedelic. Whoah!
Do You Hear What I Hear.mp3

Sleighride

My personal favorite; dark, whimsical, and techno-industrial.
Sleighride.mp3 2.2MB

Original Songs

If you like these Christmas songs (and I hope that you do!), check out some of the songs from my singer-songwriter electronica project, in the general vein of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush. Click on the links below for mp3 downloads and lyrics.