We’re now at Day 21 of my Advent Calendar. Time to put the sprouts on, as long as you’re quick about it. Today’s window has opened on a selection of three songs, and I’d defy anyone to think of a connection between them: the fact that all of them have been released within the past month doesn’t count, I’m afraid. I did think about posting a themed selection to mark our Winter Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere, but decided against it as I have quite a few for that. So instead, I thought I’d put them into a bumper catch-up post after Christmas and hope no one notices 😉

My first one for today is a new animation for a long-time Christmas favourite of mine, from a band whose music was a big part of my listening as I was growing up in the Sixties:

Isn’t that great? That was shared on the Beach Boys’ official YouTube channel, so it clearly has their approval – as it has mine. It’s a wonderful evocation of what the band was all about, and I never tire of hearing those harmonies. That was a non-charting single in 1963, and then became the opening track on The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album, released in November 1964. The album reached #6 in the US but didn’t chart anywhere else, as far as I can tell. A pity, as there are some great tracks on it. It’s a very good way to get today off to a rousing start, and to cheer up what looks like a dismal, wet day outside.

One of the delights of YouTube for me is finding new music from the recommendations they give, based on what I’ve watched previously. Sometimes these make me wonder what the people programming their algorithms are on, but many are spot on. Over the past year they have fed me a steady diet of folk music from around Europe (also Mongolia, but that’s another story) and this is how I found the beautiful young woman behind my second choice for today. She is beautiful in spirit, too – I follow her Facebook page and she is simply delightful. This is a joyful seasonal song from, possibly, the only artist who has named herself after the instrument she plays:

Patricia Büchler, aka Patty Gurdy, is German, just like Fiddlers Green, the ‘Irish’ band accompanying her in this. Her command of English is excellent, and she frequently posts in English – both orally and in writing – on her Facebook page. She is also one of those artists who responds to comments made by fans, rather than leaving it to her ‘team’ to do the work, which is always good for brownie points from me. She has played in several bands and has had a number of musical collaborations, including one with Faun, another band I really like. This song is the opening track on her recently released EP Frost & Faeries, and she also has another EP (Shapes & Patterns) and a full length album (Pest & Power) to her name. She took up the hurdy gurdy in 2014, and is making a mark for herself with it. It is an instrument that is clearly important to German folk bands: Faun also has a hurdy gurdy player. I didn’t know of Fiddlers Green before this, but as they have just celebrated their 30th anniversary that may be an oversight on my part.

I was planning to leave it there for today until yesterday evening, when those YouTube recommendations struck again. The American band HAIM have just released their updated version of a song that was originally a minor Christmas hit for a band called The Waitresses:

I was never a fan of the original – if I’m honest, I thought it was rubbish and not in the least bit Christmassy – but I love this video! The Waitresses were an American new wave band, who only had one ‘hit’ in their native land, but not with this song. They had two attempts at the UK singles chart with this one, getting moderately lucky the second time, in 1982, when they climbed all the way to #45. But the song has endured, featuring on many Christmas compilation albums since then and has been covered many times, including by both the Spice Girls and Kylie Minogue. HAIM are three sisters bearing that surname – Este, Danielle and Alana – who have been around since 2013. They have released three albums, several EPs and singles, and have enjoyed a fair amount of chart success. All three of their albums have reached the US top twenty, two of them making the top ten, but they have done particularly well here in the UK: two of their albums have been #1, while the other failed miserably, only getting to #2. I have them all in my Apple Music library, and can recommend them. This video is typical of their humour – do try some of their others, and you’ll see what I mean.

That’s a wrap (or even a Christmas wrapping) for today’s music. I’m back down off my soapbox for my image of the day, which is the cartoon equivalent of a groan-worthy Christmas cracker joke:

See you all again tomorrow, I trust 🎅