the housemartins - take jesus—take marx—take hope

The Housemartins - Caravan of Love

I told myself I wasn't going to post an entry for Christmas songs, but these aren't even Christmas songs! (Speaking of Christmas songs, the School have a great song up on their Myspace.) And plus, how could I almost forgot about everyone's FAVO(U)RITE Jesus-loving 80s British pop band: the Housemartins!!

The Housemartins formed in 1983 in Hull, England. After some line-up changes, the band put out a good number of popular singles with their new bassist, the future Fatboy Slim (REALLY). Lead singer Paul Heaton (also of the Beautiful South) wrote lyrics to reflect his, er, unique blend of Christianity and Marxism, followed through by SUPERB choreographed dance routines (check those out for the "Happy Hour" and "Sheep" videos and a little in the video posted above).

"Caravan of Love," a cover of an Isley Jasper Isley song, reached #1 on the Christmas charts of 1986. "Heaven Help Us All," composed by Ron Miller and most famously performed by Stevie Wonder, never saw any official Housemartins release but was recorded for a BBC Peel Session. This version is from the collection of rarities limited to 110 copies called Raise the Flag.

I think the Housemartins are totally cheesy, but also pretty great. Their songs are sappy but not overly Jesus-y. Instead they adopt a sense of optimism, hope and caring for the common man. What a lovely Christmas message.

Download:
The Housemartins - Heaven Help Us All
The Housemartins - Caravan of Love

komon - punk ep re-release

Komon - Give Me Speed

"Give me twee!" It's something I say every day, but hearing Lund, Sweden's Komon say it is so much more charming. I heard Komon a while ago with her free download from Cloudberry off of her Punk EP, but I have been searching for more songs ever since. Now that I've found them, I just can't take them off repeat. Fortunately for us who want even more, a ton of songs are streaming on her Myspace and on her Last.fm page.

Komon is Antonia Pehrson who started this solo project after purchasing an electric organ. Her music is a refreshing combination of witty lyrics, drum beats, organ and classic indie-pop melodies. I can understand the comparisons to Amelia Fletcher and like-minded twee-pop ladies, but who can resist the addition of sped-up drum machine beats and analog synth?

Her Myspace promises a new album soon, but she's just re-released the Punk EP with an extra song. You can order it by contacting her from her Myspace page.

Download:
Komon - I Made New Friends
Komon - Poetry for the Winter
(What would this post be without including her totally cute free holiday pop song download?)

slow club - new ep, christmas single

Slow Club - Come on Youth

I was introduced to Slow Club in Reykjavík during Iceland Airwaves 2007 as part of Moshi Moshi night at NASA. Opening for Best Fwends and the Teenagers, the crowd was slim, but I was completely charmed by the Sheffield band's pop stylings. It's been almost a year since I had heard any new songs from Slow Club, but finally that wait is over.

Back in September, Moshi Moshi put out the band's most substantial release to date, the Let's Fall Back in Love EP. Perhaps a little more restrained than "Because We're Dead" or "Me & You", the EP is filled with more lovely songs in traditional Slow Club boy-girl vocals.

Plus, they have a great Christmas single out! Check out the Christmas TV 7" released yesterday on Moshi Moshi.

Download:
Slow Club - Come on Youth
Slow Club - Christmas TV

And as a little bonus, this video is adorable:

Slow Club - Because We're Dead