Ryan’s Christmas Mixtape 2008

Written by Ryan on December 25, 2008 – 11:04 am -

This year my Christmas mixtape is running a little late than last year. I’m even at the point where I have to push it as fast as possible to be uploaded before this Christmas day ends (hey it’s still 11 Christmas days left to 6th of Jan.). All of my resources have been extracted by the final project earlier this month.

If you had gotten last year’s mixtape and (actually) read it, I’m using the mixtape as a recorded collage of the musical event highlights I’ve personally experienced within a year. That’s why I’ve included some of the artists that had visited Jakarta/Bandung this year, like MxPx, Bjork, Mono, Diana Krall and Whitest Boy Alive (Erlend Øye). Also the ones that didn’t make it, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Manic Street Preachers and Jens Lekman. The rest is easy, some of the regular classics, part of my effort to promote Christmas song to the ones whose aren’t familiar, and a couple of local artists to be included, part of my effort to promote local artists.

I really want this mix-tape to express my notion of giving something special for a special day, in our limited-time, fast-pacing, digital life. What any other ways to utilize it than with music and the internet? Dimas Ario, a good friend of mine, and a music afficionado, already joined the band-wagon with his own xmas mix-tape. I’ll be very happy if everyone decided to go for it.

As usual, 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!)

* This MixTape will also be featured on SugarPop Xmas Edition 28 Des 08, 17.00-18.00, Ardan 105.9 FM Bandung

Jakarta, 25th December 2008

Ryan Koesuma
Deathrockstar.info

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TRACK LIST

1. Frank Sinatra – Winter Wonderland
2. Björk Guðmundsdóttir & Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar – Gling-Gló
3. The Brian Setzer Orchestra – Jingle Bell Rock
4. Lemmy Kilmister, Billy Gibbons & Dave Grohl – Run Rudolph Run
5. The Ventures – Sleigh Ride
6. Mighty Mighty Bosstones – This Time of Year
7. Manic Street Preachers – Ghost of Christmas
8. MxPx – So This Is Christmas
9. Jens Lekman – The Opposite of Hallelujah
10. Snow Patrol – Just Like Christmas
11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – All I Want for Christmas
12. The Bird and The Bee – 12 Days of Christmas
13. She & Him – Sentimental Heart
14. Diana Krall and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra – Santa Claus is Coming to Town
15. Mono – Yesterday Once More
16. Erlend Øye – Last Christmas
17. Sore – In 1997 The Bullet Was Shy (Alternate Take)
18. Nat King Cole Trio – All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)
19. Jimmy McGriff – Santa Claus is Coming To Town / White Christmas (Medley)
20. Efek Rumah Kaca – Desember

Ryan’s Christmas Mixtape 2008

1. Frank Sinatra – Winter Wonderland
(F. Bernard)
taken from Christmas Songs by Sinatra
Columbia 1994

Frank Sinatra has always been the best singer and entertainer of all time. With his golden voice and witty annotations, he always seems to lightens up everybody’s mood. Being also a Christmas musical legends, whom suited better to opens up this mixtape?

2. Björk Guðmundsdóttir & Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar – Gling-Gló
(A. Clausen, K. Engilbertsdóttir)
taken from Gling-Gló
Smekkleysa 1990

Recorded long before Björk’s Debut, Gling-Gló (which literally means the sound of “Ding Dong”), was a documentation of Björk’s jazz talent, also one the the Iceland’s finest jazz album. Unfortunately I missed her show in Jakarta this year, but from what I heard it was very good.

3. The Brian Setzer Orchestra – Jingle Bell Rock
(J. Beal, J. Boothe)
taken from Dig That Crazy Christmas
Surfdog 2005

I don’t really know why, but BSO had became a Christmas band, they only seem to perform on Christmas, and record on Christmas too. They all ready had a couple of Christmas albums and live DVDs, and yet somehow they’ve managed to release a couple of Christmas compilations this year. Impresive huh? Rockabilly seems to blend well with Christmas.

4. Lemmy Kilmister, Billy Gibbons & Dave Grohl – Run Rudolph Run
(J. Marks, M. Brodie)
taken from We Wish You A Metal Xmas And A Headbanging New Year
Eagle Records 2008

This supergroup, Lemmy Kilmister (of Motörhead), Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top), and Dave Grohl (of Foo Fighters) got in a session to record a Chuck Berry classic (also known as Run Run Rudolph). The reason I pick this one is no other because of Lemi the Space Wanderer. My best friend and collegue Eric Wirjanata, a.k.a Thunderpanda begins to pick up this year as a (paper) toy designer, gaining reviews from boingboing, etc. We’ve been using Lemi (the name inspired from Lemmy Kilmister) as Deathrockstar‘s mascot for well over a year, and he’s soon to become a vinyl too.

5. The Ventures – Sleigh Ride
(L. Anderson, M. Parish)
taken from The Ventures’ Christmas Album
Razor & Tie 1965

One of my must list on this mixtape, my most favourite surf rock band of all time, the Ventures.

6. Mighty Mighty Bosstones – This Time of Year
(D. Barrett, L. Katz, J. Gittleman, J. Sirois, T. Burton, R. Felysher, C. Rhodes, B. Carr)
taken from A Santa Cause: Its a Punk Rock Christmas (Vol. 1)
Immortal 2003

Here’s a song to reminiscence to the days when I were still listening a lot to them. I heard they got back with a reunion tour next year. Meanwhile I’ll could always hear Dick Barrett’s voice from Jimmy Kimmell Live.

7. Manic Street Preachers – Ghost of Christmas
(J. Bradfield, N. Wire, S. Moore)
taken from manicstreetpreachers.com
2007

In the last quarter of 2008 there quite have been a buzz of bringing MSP to play here down south between their asian tour. Unfortunately, due to the tight schedule and some technicallity excuses, they still couldn’t make it happen. Oh well, hope next year then.

8. MxPx – So This Is Christmas
(M. Herrera, T. Wisnieski, Y. Ruley)
taken from So This Is Christmas? (Single)
A&M Records 2003

To tell you the truth, MxPx’s Chick Magnet was the first song that lured me into loving punk, ska and all the back-beat based genres. I got the chance to see them earlier this year, and it was quite the show I’ve been waiting since junior high. Being categorized as a “Christian Band” doesn’t seem to have much reaction here, hence in Indonesia, “Punk Tunggal Ika” (Different, but still Punk). This is one of the many Christmas songs they released anually (I think now they’ve had 7-8 Christmas songs)

9. Jens Lekman – The Opposite of Hallelujah
(J. Lekman)
taken from Night Falls Over Kortedala
Service/Secretly Canadian 2007

Jens Lekman has been one the artist that got a unusually mediocre problems to perform in Indonesia, he simply got stuck in China. But that doesn’t stop us from singing along the tapes on RRI’s Auditorium. Hear hear!

10. Snow Patrol – Just Like Christmas
(S. Garrington, M. Parker, A. Sparhawk)
taken from KROQ 106.7 Fm Kevin & Bean’s Super Christmas
KROQ 2007

Snow Patrol has been always my quilty pleasure. They write mellodious pop, romantic hooks and love-themed lyrics that everybody despises of being falling into the category these days. But what can I say? I watch Grey’s Anatomy.

11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – All I Want for Christmas
(K. O, N Zinner, B. Chase)
taken from myspace.com/yeahyeahyeahs
2008

I didn’t really know what really happened with YYY’s planned tour to Jakarta. Earlier this year, a friend of mine, Tia made an online petition to find a promoter for them, then out of nowhere an “outside” promoter said they would held the concert, but when it was confirmed again to the band via myspace, they didn’t had a tour plan because they were busy recording their album. Sounds like somebody really had been gotten into.

12. The Bird and The Bee – 12 Days of Christmas
(English Folklore, F. Austin)
taken from thebirdandthebee.com
2008

I’ve already heard them since a couple of years ago, but only after I watched Inara George singing a James Bond classic “Nobody Does It Better” with Ben Folds on Jimmy Kimell Live was I really stunned about her angellic voice.

13. She & Him – Sentimental Heart
(M. Ward, Z. Descahnel)
taken from Volume One
Merge Records 2008

She & Him’s Volume One was on my list of the best albums of 2008. I’ve been following their buzz in this year’s SXSW, and I was overwhelmed by their album. They managed to make a modern indie/folk 60s album without being pretentious, it’s like it almost came right from the era. Other than being a beautiful actress, Zooey Deschanel has proven to be a talented singer too.

14. Diana Krall and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra – Santa Claus is Coming to Town
(J. Coots, H Gillespie)
taken from Diana Krall Christmas Songs
Verve 2005

Diana Krall came back to Jakarta again this year, with a contrasting lighter mood, and became a wife/mother. I’ve been waiting to watch her performance since I missed the 2002 concert, and it was satisfying. The songs and tunes were going where I was imagining it would be.

15. Mono – Yesterday Once More
(R. Carpenter, J. Bettis)
taken from Songs of 5th Season
Forty-4 2002

Mono’s live performance at Jakarta this year was the best concert of the year. First of all you really didn’t had high hopes for the event itself for being a blunder. Second, there wans’t much people because most off it we’re put off by the fee and the cancellation of YYYs, so I can roam freely to find the best audial spot. And the most important of all, it’s Mono. Hear this song and you’ll know why.

16. Erlend Øye – Last Christmas
(G. Michael)
taken from A Compilation of 13 Christmas and Winter Songs
Mobilé 2002

Erlend Øye is a natural-born entertainer. This year with his other band, the Whitest Boy Alive, they’ve successfully made the concert into one of the best this year. A small note to the instant fan/groupie girls who wanted to take a photo with him the be flaunted on their facebook/myspace/friendster account, he doesn’t like it, and he would made you regret that you’ve asked in the first place.

17. Sore – In 1997 The Bullet Was Shy (Alternate Take)
(A. Paloh)
originally from Ports of Lima
Aksara Records 2008

Again, sung by Mondo, this song had became my instant favourite. It’s funny how songs are distributed nowadays, this one isn’t the one you’ll found on the album, it’s a different version, different take, different mix, it’s a copy of a non-final materials and it’s only could be found from the hand of the pirates of the internet.

18. Nat King Cole Trio – All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)
(D. Gardner)
taken from Ultra Lounge: Christmas Cocktails, Part Two
Capitol 1997

Making a Christmas compilation, doesn’t seem right without including Nat King Cole. This time I’ve chosen a non-typical NKC-song you hear on the radio.

19. Jimmy McGriff – Santa Claus is Coming To Town / White Christmas (Medley)
(J. Coots, H Gillespie / I. Berlin)
taken from Ultra Lounge: Christmas Cocktails, Part One
Capitol 1996

This one also serves to be a tribute to Jimmy McGriff (1936-2008), one of the best Hammond B3 organist ever lived.

20. Efek Rumah Kaca – Desember
(C. Mahmud)
taken from Efek Rumah Kaca (s/t)
Pavilliun 2007

I still had my unconvient moments when I hear their unconventional lyric arrangements, they blend unpoetic words in a repetitive mellodies. Yet somehow, within the lyrics, I found the voice of honesty and by time, grown to like them. Sometimes honesty finds their way to get to people.