Musical Monday

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

I want to recommend the DW comm BeautifulMechanical beautifulmechanical which is a comm where members share their favorite music (usually in the form of embedded videos). Right now the challenge is 'All About the Voice,' and over the Thanksgiving holidays I posted a video of the Argentine rock band Soda Stereo which was very popular in Latin America in the 80's and 90's. The lead singer Gustavo Cerati's voice is haunting. Just a warning, when I added the comm to my subscription list, it slows my computer to a stand-still, so it's something I'm going to be checking on the weekend, or once in a while, but not having in my feed, but it's a very active comm.

Question: What is your favorite seasonal songs? Mine are "The Holly and the Ivy" and "The Carol of the Bells" and "You're a Mean One, Mister Grinch."

Comments

[angelofthenorth]

*waves*

I love Candlelight Carol (Rutter), The Sussex Carol (trad) and Myn Mair (trad Welsh)

I have about 35 hours of Christmas Music from Wales, England and Russia on my Spotify playlist

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Hullo, hullo and welcome to my tiny parcel of the internets.

I love the Sussex carol and I recognize it, though I didn't know the name. The Candlelight Carol is lovely too. The Welsh song is very haunting. I don't know much about Wales but I do write poetry and occasionally venture into the Welsh forms, though, of course, they are a bit awkward in English. I also like the Cadfael mystery series, but of course that's fiction and set many many centuries ago.

Thanks for sharing your playlist. I get a bit overwhelmed sometimes by the possibilities and looking at what someone else has cultivated is helpful.

Great prompt!

[jesse_the_k]

I was a Russian student in high school, and our instructor was an Orthodox choirmaster. He taught us to sing Щедрик Щедрик (aka The Carol of the Bells). What a gas to wander the halls singing, especially the very last sneaky bit.

I Love it when a favorite artists collect their favorite holiday musics, for example Bruce Cockburn's Christmas

Si Kahn evokes Christmas when you're Jewish in Detroit December

Alison Krauss & Yo-Yo Ma slay the Wexford Carol

Lou & Peter Berryman* shares the true spirit of tense families with Big Dead Bird

* Local heroes who do comedy folk cabaret -- decades more at https://louandpeter.com

Re: Great prompt!

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

I never knew the origin of the Carol of the Bells and the direct translation is interesting to say the least!

Thanks for so many things to listen to. I shall be making my way through them. I do like Alison Krauss' voice. So haunting no matter what she's singing.

And it's nice to have funny songs that aren't about Grandma getting run over by a reindeer.

[scfrankles]

I just had a look at the comm - I love that it is genuinely for all kinds of music.

Currently my favourite song of the season is a Dutch carol, Midden in de winternacht. It is so very, very catchy ^__^ Last year I could sing bits of it, but this year I have been able to comfortably learn the whole thing. I like to sing it on the walk home from the bus ^__^

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

It is very catchy and I can definitely imagine you singing on the way home from the bus stop. I like the drum beat.

[ancientreader]

I have dark, bitter, cliched feelings about Christmas, so my favorite holiday song is, inevitably, the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8.

ETA: thanks for the comm recommendation! I got distracted by a problem with my computer speakers (bad wire, ugh) and forgot to look till just now. Somebody just posted a link to Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "Didn't It Rain," which is enough to sell me on the members' good taste right there. I remember the first time I heard her voice and how I sat up and took notice.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

That's a funny song! And perfect for Grinches! :)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

You're very welcome. It's a wide mix of music posted.