Ryan’s Mixtapes

OK, I have to admit, Christmas time is my favorite time of the year. I like Christmas not because of any religious reasons, if any by standards, I would be far from it, in fact this would probably be the only time of the year I’d go to the church aside from wedding matrimonies. It’s because I Iike Christmas songs.

In my opinion, Christmas songs are some of the best songs ever created. It could create this warm and cheery mood, and delivers positive notions, and it surely made Christmas time the jolliest time of the year.

I think Christmas is not something that is exclusive to some extent anymore, over time and globalism, it has become a universal value, and everyone should enjoy Christmas. That is why I want to share it with you, my dear dear friends, with this mix-tape I made.

To tell you the truth, I just got this idea five minutes ago while humming in the shower, so probably I really haven’t thought this through, but what the hell, I’m deciding to just go with it. Spontanity sometimes works best.

The songs that are included in this mix-tape doesn’t have any permission to be distributed and sold at all, and I didn’t had the chance to ask for one. And so, I’m sincerely apologizing my rudeness to my friends which songs are included here. But be rest assured, I bought every single releases which song belonged to, including the ones I got from advance/sample copies. And I’m urging everyone who liked the songs to buy the original releases.

Enjoy, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2008. (And don’t forget to leave a comment for me!)

 

Jakarta, 14th December 2007

Ryan Koesuma
Deathrockstar.info

 

 

TRACK LIST (Right-click and choose “Save As” in the titles below)

1. Koop – Come To Me
2. Brian Setzer Orchestra - Sleigh Ride
3. White Shoes & The Couples Company – Aksi Kucing
4. The Ventures - Jingle Bell Rock
5. The Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick
6. Sore - No Fruits For Today
7. Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)
8. Diana Krall - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
9. Mocca - Hyper-ballad
10. Jack Johnson - Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
11. Ballads of the Cliche - Season of Joy
12. Mogwai - Christmas Song
13. Feist - Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
14. Tiger Baby - This Christmas (You’re the One I Want to be With)
15. Santamonica - Dew
16. Jimmy McGriff – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
17. A Fine Frenzy - Let It Snow
18. John Mayer - St. Patrick’s Day
19. Koil - Temporary Peace

 

Ryan’s Christmas Mixtape 2007

1. Koop – Come To Me
(M. Zingmark, O. Simonsson)
taken from Koop Islands
!K7 2006

They are my favorite electronic-based jazz group. The popular media term for their genre is probably crossover jazz, but I think the kind of jazz they play are very intuitive and stayed true to the classic jazz. I’m quite lucky to have a chance to watch them live and interviewed them for a brief moment, thanks to the works done by the friends at Soundshine Events.

 

2. Brian Setzer Orchestra - Sleigh Ride
(L. Anderson, M. Parish)
taken from Boogie Woogie Christmas
Surfdog 2002

The chief Christmas band resident, and also the one who brought me into my love for rockabilly and swing music, first heard them in 1995 and never looked back since. This song is taken from their first Christmas album (they’ve produced two more), and probably made them fully booked for Christmas in the next couple of decades.

 

3. White Shoes & The Couples Company – Aksi Kucing
(Oey Yoek Siang)
taken from Skenario Masa Muda (EP)
Aksara 2007

In my opinion (and a lot of people, off course) they are one of the finest local performing band today. I’ve been friends with them since 2004 and have worked on several occasions with them since. After attending the latest EP (Skenario Masa Muda) launching in RRI Auditorium Bandung last week, I hope someday they could do a Christmas-themed performance, I think they’d be very good at it.

 

4. The Ventures - Jingle Bell Rock
(B. Helms)
taken from The Ventures’ Christmas Album
Razor & Tie 1965

Who didn’t knew the theme from Hawaii Five-O? Yes, they are the godfathers of instrumental surf rock, and this is Jingle Bell Rock the way it’s supposed to be, with driving guitars, splashy drums, and full stereo separation. The Ventures’ Christmas Album just might be the best rock & roll holiday record ever made.

 

5. The Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick
(B. Wilson/M. Love)
taken from The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album
Capitol 1964

They are one of the best American rock & roll band of all time, and this original song is the proof of how great Christmas songs are, written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love in their early pre-Pet Sounds era, Little Saint Nick has become a standard modern Christmas song and popular to this day.

 

6. Sore - No Fruits For Today
(R. Gascaro/A. Paloh)
taken from Centralismo
Aksara 2005

I fell in love with them since I’ve heard this song from their Centralismo sample in 2005, they have a sophisticated blend of Jazz and Rock, but still maintained elegance. Aside from the Kuntilanak-shriek in the bridge, this is a very good song, and catchy too, to heat up from their upcoming sophomore album, Ports of Lima, to be released just before the end of this year, if everything goes well.

 

7. Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)
(M. Torme/B. Wells)
taken from The Christmas Song
Capitol 1961

This is from Mr. Christmas himself, Nat King Cole, and no Christmas compilation is perfect without this song. Undoubtedly one of the most popular song on the seasonal songbook, this version is actually the fourth recording made in 1961 and remains the most famous and definitive version (the initial being in 1946). To tell you the truth, I’ve never experience Christmas with REAL snowfall, but this song dissolves it, no matter where you are.

 

8. Diana Krall - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
(H. Martin/R. Blane)
taken from Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (EP)
Impulse! 1998

Diana Krall is the Goddess of Jazz. While I didn’t had the chance to saw her live in Jakarta back in 2002, her recording of Live in Paris at the same year is on the top of my best album ever. This song is originally made famous by Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis, and later, Frank Sinatra. Diana Krall also later made a full Christmas album, Christmas Songs, in 2005.

 

9. Mocca - Hyper-ballad
(Bjork/N. Hooper/M. DeVries)
taken from Colours
FFWD 2007

When I first heard their demo of My Secret Admirer on the radio back in 2002, the thought of them living on the same country as I am never crossed my mind. Then I’ve known them personally in 2004, after I moved to Bandung, by mutual friends. This year has brought us closer after I worked on their website, mymocca.com. Originally by Bjork, this cover-version is included in their third album, Colours.

 

10. Jack Johnson - Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
(J. Marks)
taken from J.O.A.T (Bootleg)
Jack Johnson 2001

Undoubtedly, Jack Johnson is one of the best singer-songwriter today. His beautiful compositions wonderfully depicts his laid-back homeland of Hawaii, and transcends through all listeners, from children to retired-citizens. His rendition of Rudolph, puts an amusing spin where Rudolph takes the other reindeers to task for ridiculing him.

 

11. Ballads of the Cliche - Season of Joy
(D. Ario)
taken from Evergreen
Ballads of the Cliche 2007

Despite of what I think that the lead singer really needs to take some vocal lessons, I’m quite happy with the release of their debut album. They have been one of the hard-working local independent bands I ever knew, with a tight ship of 8 members and another band of crews, splited between Jakarta and Bandung. I’m currently designing the website, by the way, which hopefully will be done before the end of the year (balladsofthecliche.com)

 

12. Mogwai - Christmas Song
(S. Braithwaite/D. Aitchison/M. Bulloch/J. Cummings/B. Burns)
taken from Mogwai EP
Chemikal Underground 1999

They are the Post-Rock Gods, the modern-day Mozarts. Unlike most of the second-grade post-rock bands, they really knows how to have restrains on building humble cressendo-decressendo / light-dark compositions play. I’m lucky I had the chance to watch me live in 2006 at Singapore’s Esplanade, and shared beers after the show at Makansutra, although they aren’t really sure where Indonesia were.

 

13. Feist - Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
(German Folk Song/M. Praetorius/D. Hathaway)
taken from Sweet Tracks 2005
Interscope 2005

Feist’s 2007 The Reminder has made into the top albums of my 2007 list. She always had, as my friend David Tarigan would say, this energy that are captured in the recordings, you could feel hear voices and sigh as something that is down to earth and lullaby-like. I’ve been hearing rumors on bringing her to play in Indonesia, I just can wait till that day happens, it would surely made me a happier man.

 

14. Tiger Baby - This Christmas (You’re the One I Want to be With)
(B. Teglbjaerg/N. Gregersen/P. Pang)
taken from This Christmas (EP)
Cloudland 2004

To tell you the truth, I’ve only heard half of their song when people start hyping up for the performance here. Ok maybe I’ve heard their singles on the radio, but I didn’t notice. As it turns out, they couldn’t make any performances in Bandung due to some technicallity, but once again I got the honor to join the entourage in Bandung to take some photos or some sort. They are really quite some nice peoples and more interested to talk about everything else other than themselves.

 

15. Santamonica - Dew
(J. Saryuf/Anindita)
taken from Curious and Curiouser
Sinjitos 2007

I’ve been friends with Anindita (and later her soon to be husband, Iyub), ever since I’ve heard their demos back in 2004, falling in love instantly with their wonderful blend of bossa nova and lounge music. Since then we’ve been wondering (and gossiping) through Bandung and the Cipularang highway, IM-ings till the sun rises, helping on her final essay, and led me into having this HUGE crush on their currently additional keyboardist, Mala. The early version of Dew is one their first songs I heard. They are truly one of the most talented local musicians today, setting the bar up high for musicality in the nation.

 

16. Jimmy McGriff – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
(T. Connor)
taken from Christmas with Jimmy McGriff
Collectables 1996

Whenever Hammond organs is mentioned, there’s always a name that came up in my mind, Jimmy McGriff and Jimmy Smith (Okay, that’s two actually). There’s the ones who defines the Hammond B3. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, is one of the funnies Christmas songs, with playful lyrics, you’ll never forgets this songs once you read lyrics.

 

17. A Fine Frenzy - Let It Snow
(S. Cahn/J. Styne)
taken from Stockings by the Fire
Virgin 2007

Allison Sudol a.k.a a Fine Frenzy, is one of the best newcomer singer/songwriter of the year. Thinking that her age was the same as mine always amazes me. The songs from her debut, One Cell in the Sea, has been a big favorite among hit TV shows to be included as episode soundtrack this year.

 

18. John Mayer - St. Patrick’s Day
(J. Mayer)
taken from Room For Squares
Sony 2001

John Mayer has always been my favorite singer/songwriter ever. His major debut, Room for Squares, is the soundtrack of my highschool years, and St. Patrick’s Day is one of the best songs in it, romantic and warm. The line, “No one wants to be alone at Christmas time,” truly inspires me into making this mixtape.

 

19. Koil - Temporary Peace
(V. Cavanagh/D. Cavanagh)
taken from Blacklight Shines On
Apocalypse 2007

I’ve been a worshiping fan of the ever since I heard the seminal 2001 release Megaloblast, I remember playing their tape every morning, their song “Mendekati Surga” even unconsciously inspired me into majoring in Architecture degree. I was introduced to Otong, their frontman, by my best friend and duo at Deathrockstar.info, Eric Wiryanata in 2004, and we’ve been tight IM buddies since. One thing led to another, with the countless things I’ve been going through with them, to the point that I’ve become a part of their circle today. Their latest album “Blacklight Shines On” was released at Deathrockstar.info as a free digital album.