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No one’s immune to Christmas songs. Not you, not the writers of Washington City Paper, and not the dudes behind Listen Local First. The local scene boosters have put together a compilation of holiday songs by D.C. groups, and today—-the third edition of Local Music Day—-it’ll be in rotation in a handful of local businesses.
The comp includes holiday tunes from Her Majesty’s Orchestra, We Were Pirates, Middle Distance Runner, Birdlips, Deleted Scenes, Vegas With Randolph, Wytold, and The Dance Cards—-so, mostly, we’re talking chipper indie pop and eccentric folk. Lots of good candidates for The Sleigher, no doubt! (Except for the Deleted Scenes song that’s included, “Get Your Shit Together for the Holidays.” The Sleigher sleighed that one in 2009. Also, we wrote about Her Majesty’s Orchestra’s Christmas efforts in 2006. We are all over the Christmas jams.) Listen Local First co-founder Christopher Naoum says there are no plans to sell the comp, but that the group might make a free download available. For now, here’s a stream.
Also streaming in local businesses today as part of Local Music Day: non-Christmas music from spooky folksters Birdlips, gravel-voiced folkie Taylor Carson, Christmas-sweater champs (and indie-poppers) Ugly Purple Sweater, soul revivalist Bosley, Afrobeat revivalists The Funk Ark, and bluegrass outfit The Second String Band. (BUT WAIT! Bosley’s from Baltimore! And he describes himself as a “cosmic soul cowboy.” Did neither of those facts raise a red flag?)
So that’s today. Next Thursday, Listen Local First is hosting a holiday jangle, where some artists (who are TBA) will perform (presumably yuletide material). Relevant deets are here.