Christmas Songs of 2011

So, it's Christmas - or Xmas if you're not Christian - and there's more than a little bit of chill in the air, in fact, as Frank Loesser so rightly noticed, Baby, It's Cold Outside. And with that seamless link out of the way it's time to talk about that very song - with a modern twist. Ed Drewett and the name reverting Katie Sutherland (formerly Pearl and the Puppets) recorded this modern classic last year but waited until last month to share it with the world. This song has had a lot of versions but this is easily my favourite; it's one of the few songs that I'm absolutely desperate to sing along to - something which isn't true for any of the other versions - and it really gets me into the festive spirit (although someone should probably tell Katie that doesn't mean mulled wine). If you're looking for something upbeat to play whilst waiting the eternity for your Christmas dinner, or even enduring the eternity of making it!, this is definitely the song for you, and with Katie releasing her debut album next year you may want to check out her pledge campaign in which you can pre-order the album or even bag yourself some once in a lifetime opportunities while helping the CHAS charity at the same time!

Cold Outside (cover by Ed Drewett and Katie Sutherland) by Katie Sutherland Music

From romantic duet to romanceless duet, Oh My! sing about nearly spending Christmas alone The Waitresses style. With a few changes to the lyrics, this winter wonder-song embodies the girls' personalities brilliantly, leaving you with a massive grin on your face and then slightly disappointed that it's all over so quickly. However, short and so very, very sweet - and I'm talking about the song too, not just Jade - is exactly what you get from Oh My! and it's very possible that any more and it might just lose it's charm. I was slightly confused though, by how they managed to forget their stuffing? Is it possible that The Waitresses mistake was at the forefront of their minds as they were doing their Christmas shop or did they just not bother with the cranberries whatsoever?! We'll never know, but one thing we know for sure, with this pair giving out so much brilliant music for free, you'd be mad not to check them out before they go huge and you miss your chance. I especially recommend signing up to their mailer to make sure you don't miss a thing - it's genuinely the best mailer I'm signed up to (not half because of all the free tunes, some of which are exclusive to mailees).

(In tune to Dirty Dancer) Oh, My! What decade was your hair done, and how'd you make it look so slick?

Oh My! - Christmas Wrapping by Indie Review

If you were looking for something more emotional, My Tiger My Timing may be the answer. As is the way with all of their music, this song will send you into a trance and the three minutes will literally feel like a matter of seconds and although I'd hate to sound like I'm exaggerating, this band are a few thousand fathoms further ahead than anyone of a similar sound. Even the Written In Red remixes take priority over all non-vital functions, I'd even go so far as to suggest that they make it a double disk album as so to include some of the truly sensational remixes on it. This band could be taking turns punching me in the face and I couldn't care less nor feel a thing so long as their music was playing. I was a bit reluctant to jump the gun but after listening to their last couple of songs I am absolutely certain that their debut album will be one of the best of the decade and even of the century so far. But this is supposed to be about Christmas so I'll simply leave you by saying that it'll be a very merry one indeed with the Tigers on your playlist.

My Tiger My Timing - See You On New Year's Day by mytigermytiming