A Nice Cool Christmas

Today was my last at work until the day after Christmas Day or "Boxing Day" as we call it where I come from. They also call it that in Canada, apparently, if 30Rock is a reliable source, which I'm not at all sure it is. 

Anyway, call it what you want, it's the only day I'm working between now and New Year's Day, which I'm guessing is called "New Year's Day" all around the world, except in countries where it isn't. Isn't New Year's Day, I mean, not isn't called "New Year's Day".

I'm not making this any clearer, am I? Let's have some tunes.

Frosty the Snowman - The Cocteau Twins

That's not something you expect, is it? The Cocteaus covering Phil Spector. Although when you put it like that it doesn't sound quite as outlandish. And I guess some people might think of Liz Fraser as something of an ice queen so maybe Frosty's not such a stretch, either. 

Originally issued as a double A-side with Winter Wonderland on the... well, the other A-side, I guess.  The take on Winter Wonderland is a little more conventional but not much. Came out in 1993 and sailed right under my radar.

A Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis - Carrie Myers and The Proper Way

Well, that's dampened the mood. Can't have anyone enjoying themselves at Christmastime, can we? I do ask a lot of rhetorical questions these days, don't I? It's annoying, isn't it?

I think I must have been aware of this one, if only because it's on Tom Waits' 1978 album Blue Valentine and a friend of mine at that time was a huge Waits fan. He almost certainly played it to me at some point but I really didn't develop any kind of interest or affection for Tom Waits until he moved on from his beatnik drunk phase to his accordionist falling downstairs period, aka the rest of his career.

I watched Tom himself do this on YouTube, thinking I'd use the original but he seems to want to play  it for laughs, which is quite disturbing. More disturbing, for sure, than Carrie Myers' empathic, emotional reading. I might bookmark this for use as supporting evidence next time I drag the Intentional Fallacy out for another airing.

Merry Christmas, Baby (Please Don't Die) - Crocodiles and the Dum Dum Girls

Speaking of things that sound like musicians falling downstairs...

That has to be the most Jesus and Marychain thing I've ever heard that wasn't actually by them, and I've heard Meat Whiplash. I own an album by the Dum Dum Girls and nothing on it as good as this. Maybe it's The Crocodiles' influence. Sorry, Crocodiles, no definite article. Never heard of them before but I'm going to after.

Christmas in Malaysia - Artist Unknown

And finally, because apparently I'm determined to give everyone cultural whiplash (Not a band, as far as I know...), here's what I think is a TV commercial for a Malaysian retailer called Shopee. It reminds me a little of Reese Lansangan, which I guess isn't that weird, since she's from Malysia, too. The girl with the uke even looks a little bit like her.

Wonder if she shops at Shopee?