Christmas Songs that don't suck

It's a cliche at this point to hate on Christmas music. Everyone knows, in their head or their heart, that it's lame, repetitive, and hasn't really had any new mainstream hits in ten years, Justin Bieber's awful Mistletoe beside. So, rather than just complain about it, I figured I could share, or re-share for those of you who happened to read my article in the Lakeland Mirror two years ago (hello to all three of you) my list of under appreciated go to's to spice up your holiday season.

Christmas Tree, Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga made a christmas song, and it's everything you hope it will be. With such lyrical gems as "My Christmas tree's delicious." "ho ho Christmas" (HAHA get it, like hoes! God we hope you do), and "and cheesy endless synth is Gaga at her Disco stick worst, but that's it's charm. Working as a self parody and a dance track, this song is the worst on the list, but also my most played.

Christmas- Clinic

Another creepy one, I don't even have a guess as to what the lyrics mean, but it doesn't matter at all. This song is all atmosphere- the quivering vocals, the long strings and echoing backup sound like a cold eerie December night. It takes advantage of the colder, darker feeling of the season, a complete opposite of canned, forced joy of most Christmas carols. 

Christmas Duel- Cyndi Lauper and the Chives

Sometimes you hate Christmas. It's normal, you've just gone broke from buying too many Kim Jong Ill novelty mints for stockings, you can't buy milk without hearing some tween queen sing Santa baby and making you feel dirty in places that will never come clean, and if no one else will put up a tree you sure as hell won't. Enter A Christmas Duel, the anti-Christmas carol that belts out Christmas misdeeds with a contagious glee, and the only Christmas song with Fuck in the chorus. With perfect arrangement and vocals, it's best listened to while watching the snow fall slowly while quickly downing a bottle of bourbon. 

Sufjan Stevens, Ding-a-ling-a-ring-a-ling

I'm actually a fan of Silver and gold, the album this comes from, as a whole, full of new arrangements to old school carols and interesting new Christmas songs, and is worth a listen. This song is probably my favorite of the bunch though. There's something about it's Christmas pageant gone David Lynch sound that makes it really stand out from the rest of the album. 

Disco Christmas in Hamsterland- Parry Gripp

DISCO HAMSTERLAND! If you can read this song's title and not want to hear it immediately, you have no soul. Thankfully, it delivers what it promises, with silly lyrics that include a disco style shout out to fuzzy animals, a glorious description of the hamster's party decorations, and a disco beat mixed with jingle bells. Seriously catchy and silly, it's a song not to listen to too many times, but to enjoy when you do. And seriously, the title alone is a masterpiece.

Fa La Freezing- My First Earthquake

A Jewish take on the holiday season, this is a perky fun take on the pull of cocoa and presents against being Jewish. While Hanukkah may be over, this song will commiserate with you. The video is also worth a watch, with great style and a fun homemade feel.  

Honorable mention- A Chipmunk Christmas

In this weird, 80's story album, we discover that Dave has been pushed into Jackson like management of his trio of Chipmunks, forcing them to work Christmas in the recording studio and threatening to take all of Alvin's presents if he doesn't record the song right. This gives it an A for teaching kids (and bored sarcastic 20 somethings) a life lesson much more useful than a normal christmas special: don't trust the recording industry. 

Summer Playlist

Why is is that summer just makes everything seem different? Its impossible to get anything done, so why not grab a drink and jam out? Have any summer songs I should hear? Tell me in comments.

\

Summer Jam from Existential glitter on 8tracks Radio.

Sulking on the porch- in sytle!

Sunnies are vintage.

Pins are too much fun. I was hanging around Milwaukee's east side the other day (The old bohemian district, for those not from Milwaukee and who don't know the neighborhoods), incompetently applying for jobs, and I swear to god every girl there was a brunette with bangs and a jean jacket. I was like, well, fuck, at least mine is huge and covered in pins.  The Togepii one is from m Hotpop, in the Third Ward. Check them out, all their stuff is great and their pins are all hand made. It's like a tumblr made into a store. The rest are from garage sales, or I found them in a box in my closet. I recomend looking for pins in antique stores and junk shops, they always have some good weird ones. 

Shoes from some store in boystown, Chicago. Pants from Kohls

Necklace is a yak bone mala I bought from tibetan monks who came to my college. guiatine shirt  from Bastille days. 

Old 60s copy of Rabbit Run. Pretty and sulky- perfect for my life.

Buyin all the records from the charity shop

For best results, play this blog post with Agincourt by tullycraft.
Ok, so like most gradua-ish english majors trying to keep busy and stay pretentious, i've taken up buying vinyl. Right now, all I have are the records that my mom and cousin collected that have stayed with my fisher price record player, and a few i've thrifted in the past months. I loooove the old kid's album covers. They're all the things I love, retro, strange, filled with animals, and brightly colored. Well, except cinderella, she's quite pastel. but I still love her. (not really. Cinderella is just ok. She was the original theme of my room back when I was four though. Hence the purple walls.). It super kills me that I don't have the shopping bag that came with the partridge family album.

New bullshit trend- everythings coming up armadillos!

I fucking love how a good necklace makes it seem kind of like you give a fuck about your clothes even when its cold and you're wearing a tank top and incredibly dirt skinnies because ugg, laundry is hard and who cares anyways it's raining again.

Anyone have name ideas? 

This strange, hand made, ceramic armadillo necklace is my favorite thing ever for days when I'm completely out of outfit inspiration. With a weird peice like this, I can totally play that I kept my outfit simple to highlight it, not just because that's the only shirt left in the drawer. Which really fits into my lifestyle.

I wish I knew who made it and why it got left in a thrift store in Plymouth where there is a total lack of armadillo themed anything. But that's half the fun of thrifting, that everything is vaguely mysterious and strange. The other half the fun of buying this was getting the sales woman to come to the case and going "I need the armadillo necklace" With way too much enthusiasm.

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/8092959/?claim=ufscnhds2zu">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Random Fashion Icons- La La Loopsy

Recently I wound up skulking around a super walmart conspiciously taking tons of pictures everywhere and talking shit about cereal mascots with another student from my gender studies class. While gathering photos of how brands cater to different genders and races and mocking the dress up set with a pink fake toaster, we noticed the adorable LaLaloopsy display. They were our demonstration of a toy done right, with many dolls of ambiguous racial identity, non sexualized bodies and awesome sets like a roller coaster and a rock band. I also couldn't help but notice that her style game was completely on point.

"Silly Hair" os code for runway ready, right?

See? So much more fashionable than my old Barbies with giant pink palm tree earrings and matching tree dress. The cute fit and flare dress, the socks and mint flats, the perfect blunt bangs and blush! Not to mention the extra hair accessories that include button hair clips, which I need to DIY right now. Now add the matching pet, tons of hair option, and the slight creep factor of her button eyes and I kind of want to die and then force my cat into an adorable bow and take pictures matching it. God, I am so super jealous of this doll.