holidays

"Kiteracer 2" by Boards Of Canada + "Pleen 1930s" by Chris Clark

The first track here, "Kiteracer 2" comes from BoC's unreleased Old Tunes Vol. 2. A very mellow track, it resists any common description. The poetic approach is much more apt, so imagine this: you are driving across a bridge. The sun is setting; you are heading towards it. You know of all the troubles that you have out behind you; of all the troubles that still plague you. You are unsure of the troubles ahead. Regardless of this fear, you continue driving, moving forward, compelled not only by necessity but by the beauty in tragedy.

"Pleen 1930s" is, as the title suggests, pure nostalgia. There is an immediate, ambiguous airiness that permeates the song before a very simple, very glittering, piano melody enters. Things seem to move in slow motion. Despite its contrast to more fatal release of "Kiteracer 2", both songs manage to provide a wonderfully bittersweet happiness--a happiness that, while reminding us of life's beauty, simultaneously reminds us of its deepest regrets.

Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah et al., and good night.

Download "Kiteracer 2" and "Pleen 1930s" (Mediafire, 192 Mp3)

Well, I was going to post some Cocteau Twins for y'all, and I was going to state that their glacial shoegazing is the perfect soundtrack for trimming a tree or eating holiday Oreos or some shit. I then remembered that all the available pictures of the Cocteau Twins are beyond Squid Can's acceptable level of fugly (hence Gertrude Stein's notable absence from this site). Thus the reason for providing the following track from an artist that not only flew under everyone's radar but was probably more hidden than Santa is to NORAD.

Okay, enough dumb jokes. Olivia McClurkin--who I just learned (as in I just googled her name and discovered this) died around this time last year--was a gospel vocalist. Her 2008 album, The Healing Song, is certainly just that: a gospel album. But since people invent dumb genre names frequently (nu rave hurrrr durrrr), I've decided to tag this album with the following genre (one of high invention, clearly): trip-gospel. BECUZ IT'S LIKE GOSPEL AND DA TRIPPIDY HOPPITY, DO YA GET IT?

Well, here's a free sample for you to download (256vbr, Mediafire), and you can buy Ms. McClurkin's album for mere pocket change (seriously) at Amie Street. Enjoy!

Two years ago I was a huge PJ Harvey fan. Not a memorabilia-collecting sort of huge, but a sizable chunk of my listening was spent on the lovely Polly Jean. I don't find myself listening to the old gal these days as much as I used to--too much ambient and noise rock to digest, natch--but Harvey's music is still a mighty fine example of what 90s alternative could do: rend norms, bridge gaps, and cultivate cults.

Download two PJ Harvey tracks (192 & 256k Mp3, Mediafire)

The song "Goodbye Horses" is most readily remembered as the track that accompanied Buffalo Bill's gender-bending dance scene in The Silence of the Lambs. The singer of this gem, Q Lazzarus, is best remembered as not being remembered. But this should not be the case. Q Lazzarus--a woman with one hell of a husky voice--produced so little output (at most, three songs, not including remixes) that she was hastily forgotten by the general public, barring the occasional Buffalo Bill parody. So here I give you "Goodbye Horses", not in hopes of inciting copyright watchdogs (not that I've given a shit about the other hundreds of Mp3s I've posted), but in the hopes that you will enjoy it.

Go ahead. Try to listen to this song just once. And when you fail at that, come join in me the camp that loves this woman's oddly endearing music.

Download (256vbr, Mediafire)

WARNING: Extreme hipster douchebaggery is in this post.

There are times when I look at my 300+ scrobbles of Animal Collective and feel great shame, saying to myself, "How? How did I become such a mindless indie kid asshole?" But then I listen to songs like "Reverend Green" and I think I understand the increasing relevance of Animal Collective.

Doubtlessly, they are a band made by the internet. Without thousands upon thousands of twenty-something hipsters plugging into Stereogum and Pitchfork each day, verbally fapping over Panda Bear's latest t-shirt, there would be no Animal Collective. Yet thanks to the internet--the Holy Grail of the postmodern age--Animal Collective has exploited a niche for its mildly experimental approach to 'rock music,' whatever that means anymore.

Rolling Stone seems to hold some sort of grudge against Animal Collective. It's understandable, given that Stone is as far from being culturally relevant as Dane Cook is from actual comedy (oooo, burn'd). Counterculture is no longer 'counter' to anything. It's mainstream. Animal Collective takes gleeful residence in that fact.

Generation Y (moar like generation postmodern douchebag, amirite?) takes great pleasure in the shallowest of cultural depths--Jersey Shore, Lady GaGa, Will Ferrell. To put it crudely, Generation Y loves shit. Animal Collective is to shit what Led Zeppelin was to counterculture. Their songs are anthems of shit as Zeppelin's songs were anthems of rebellion. Hipsters and semi-hipsters find this to be just about the greatest thing ever, for Animal Collective reveals what Generation Y knows but is unwilling to admit--that, taken as a whole, we are a generation of shit-connoisseurs. And we would have it no other way.

Download "Winter Wonderland" (Mediafire, 320 Mp3)

God, I'm so sick of not posting here. It's fucking Christmas. This is prime blogging season (derp). Here are some (sorta) rare remixes from that wacky alternative pop singer Bahzhork (that's how you pronounce her name, right?).

Oh, and the review challenge is extended to January 31st now. Um. Yeah.

And, hey, new menu buttons! And Christmasy icons. Swell. Maybe you can update the site once in a while, Alex. You know, when you're not being a douche.

B.J. York Remixes on Mediafire

P.S. Got accepted to Emerson. Celebrate.

Maybe I'll start posting new, interesting content when I get un-sick and I makeup my work before break. Ah, you don't care. I'm just some guy who gives you sample songs in lossless. New reviews tomorrow (fingers crossed; not trying to troll your hopes).

Download "The Smallest Weird Number" by Boards Of Canada (Mediafire, ALAC)

Wow, great pick to kick off the Christmas season, Alex. A song called "Love Less"? Class. Real classy. Why not upload some MBV's seminal album of the same name, huh? That's 'Christmasy.' And that picture, what's that? Some avant-garde feminist thing? Screw that, you don't even have pictures of snowmen or anything, do you?

Sometimes it's a hassle to post things here. I look at people's Tumblrs and I'm like, "Wow, that's it?" or "What, you made 800 posts this month alone?" I need to format this shit like its 1998. Hell, I'm so far in the blogging past I might as well drag out my old CueCat.
Download "Love Less" by New Order (Megaupload, V0 Mp3)

P.S. In this post: foreshadowing.

Obligatory Thanksgiving post. Listen to some British music. Off to Best Buy in four-and-a-half-hours with two friends. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. Reviews will be back soon.

Download "Vanishing Point" by New Order (Wikisend, V0 Mp3) (Link expired)

Something nice for Veterans Day.
Download "Dawn Chorus" by Boards Of Canada (Link expired)

P.S. Cheers for a year or so of Squid Can not-sucking--the first 'good' post in months also happened to be the first mixtape.

Hey! It’s Halloween!
Well, it was Halloween. Daylight savings time, that’s my excuse.

Non-Stop Pagan Party Dance Music that I’ve been digging as of late:
The 5.6.7.8’s – Mr. Lee
Björk – Batabid
Wendy Carlos – Moonscapes: Io
Converge – Color Me Blood Red (Original master)
Islands – Vapours
Yoshimio – Chuwow
The Knife – Poetry by Night
Five Hot Bitches – Wet Mattress
The Gerogerigegege – Ensam I Natt

Download all of these treats

Also, wow, NEW BRIGHT EYES LEAK ZOMG DL DIS NOW!!!!!

Look at this photo and listen to their music

Halloween is fast approaching, and aside from a few other ongoing features counting down to the big day, I thought that a series on some truly hellish music would be of great benefit. After all, Squid Can is your premier music blog. Right?

Well, even if it isn’t, I do knows me some good nightmare music, and here’s the first suggestion on my list: Phantom Orchard by Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori. Parkins, an electric harp virtuoso (perhaps the electric harp virtuoso), seemed a natural match for label-mate and former-DNA drummer Ikue Mori. On Phantom Orchard, the two combine their talents of drum-machine skullduggery and plucked-string-poltergeists to create a beautifully possessed piece of work. Machines grumble, ghouls gasp for air, and melody is surrendered to elegantly savage noise—all in the impressive span of 40 minutes.

Similarly, you may want to look into one of Parkins’ several solo efforts, Nightmare Alley. As the title implies, Nightmare Alley conjures up images of nightmares, alleys, or both. Seven-minute electro-harp songs are not for everyone, but if you’re into succubi and other such demons, then tracks such as “Wonder Woman” and “Peephole” will keep you entertained. In addition, Parkins manages to make the electric harp sound both sinister and cartoonish—a feat of sorts, which leads me to believe that one should look no further for music to accompany a haunted house. Really—if you’re hosting any such event you should get Nightmare Alley.

Download "Hula"

If you want less of a Tzadik approach to your Halloween instrumentals, look towards the underwhelming experimentalisms put forth by Black Dice on Load Blown. Despite the rude charm of the album’s title, Load Blown sounds less like cutting-edge originality and more like a truly fucking pretentious Martin Denny. If you’re not up to the challenge that Parkins and Mori provide, though, Load Blown is a decent midway—chaotic, sophomoric, and rambling. All of these attributes, appropriately, match the mood of everyone’s favorite pagan holiday.

Next installment: phantom wimmenz.

Fourth of July is always a great opportunity for photographers. Last year, I took well over 600 shots on the Fourth. This year, the results weren't as hefty, but I still managed to take a few decent shots (images 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 42, and 46 are my favorites). These are shots from parties, the parade, the carnival, on the street; some with people I know, some with people I, well, don't know. Well, enjoy the photos. Just click on the first thumbnail to get started, and then use the arrow keys to move around (or rollover the image for clickable arrows). Also, pressing 'Esc' will close the slideshow. But I'm sure you knew that already.

P.S. I'm switching all my photos over to Flickr. I know it won't get me as many views as Zooomr, but 1) I can make snazzy galleries like this easier with Flickr, 2) I just bought a Pro account, and 3) Zooomr is balls.

 read more »

Hey, tomorrow is Independence Day. IN AMERICA. In my town it’s mostly an excuse to get drunk and have some wild partays (which I abhor; as I listen to Stars of the Lid). As it so happens, my town’s parade is also a major tourist attraction—I’m talking every spot on the parade route dotted with a blanket, cooler, and souvenir-tee-wearing kid. Since I’ll be busy photographing, snarking, partying (jk, jk, I listen to straight edge musics; I’m not allowed to have fun), and going to the carnival, Squid Can won’t be updated until Monday. I have some nice Jacko-themed material and a pictorial review of one of the worst comic books I’ve ever read upon return, however. Until then, enjoy these Mp3s for the weekend.

First we have an ambient (New Age if you so wish), piano-powered selection by the San Fran-based Valerie Mih. Citing influences such as Satie, Glass, Sigur Ros, and even k.d. lang, Mih creates unassuming-yet-forceful pieces of tranquil, neoclassical-like ambient. Next, listen to something completely converse to the assuring rhythms of Ms. Mih—the resilient, ballistic ‘true’ screamo of the Swing Kids. Follow that up with some New Weird America—the backwoods-bigfoot sound of Ariel Pink’s “Beefbud”—and some actual Native American music. And, just in case you wondering, I bought the Mp3 tagged that way—with the artist as ‘Native American Indians’. Enjoy, and happy Fourth of July (or not-Fourth-of-July if you live abroad).

Download Saturn’s Rings by Valerie Mih
Download Blue Note by Swing Kids
Download Beefbud by Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
Download Navajo Hoop Dance Song by Native American Indians

Friend: hey, u arent allowed to easter.
Me: yes i am
Me: I MADE A MIXTAPE
Friend: you can not partake in the eastering.
friend:you pagan shithed
Me: FAIR ENUFF
Friend: did you use a track off of These Arms Are Snake's "Easter" ? (no because you dont know them because you arent the post-hxc master you claim to be)

My apologies, folks. Enjoy "Horse Girl" from Easter below.

Download "Horse Girl" (via Last.fm)

Tomorrow is Easter, and I figured that y'all might like some Easter-themed tunes for the day. I went on an egg hunt and managed to find a few Easter-related tracks for the eighth Squid Can mixtape, Rabbit Resurrection. Some Christian imagery rounds out the first half ("Double Crucifixion," "Lamb," "Heaven, and some classical chanting), while secular tropes carry the second half ("Rabbit Moon," "Bunny Boots," "White Chocolate Space Egg"). And what Easter mixtape would be complete without Patti Smith's classic "Easter" from her album of the same name?

Also, a quick update on mixtapes: I have a bunch of 'themed' mixtapes left (i.e. all based around poor puns and wordplay), but I should be posting some more creative mixtapes sometime soon.

The download will be available until the end of May. If you like the songs please purchase the albums they appear on. Also, thanks to Sermons 4 Kids for the base image for the fine cover art.

Download the Mixtape

1. Double Crucifixion by Algoritm
2. Lamb by Jen Murdza
3. Heaven by Lamb
4. I. Easter Dawn - Confitemini: Alleluia, 8th Mode
5. Rabbit Moon by The Lickets
6. Bunny Boots by Made Out of Babies
7. White Chocolate Space Egg by Liz Phair
8. Easter by Patti Smith Group

Ireland: what harsh stereotypes we place upon its red-nosed, tartan-donning inhabitants. Then again, Irish Bostonians sure reciprocate the prejudice to practically every ethnic group ever. But I digress---today is St. Patrick's day; a day to celebrate snakes or some shit. That being said, here's the sixth Squid Can mixtape: Lucky. And, believe it or not, I did not include any Plaid on this mixtape---though there's plenty of puns to make up for said exclusion.

To start off this sampler of emerald delights (wut), there's "One Beer" by Madvillain. Becuz Irishmans cant drink just ONE BEER!! That, and everyone gets drunk on St. Patrick's Day. Stay sober, though, as you'll want to hear the soulful voice of Jamie Lidell caress your ears on "Green Light." Get it? Because green is the color of Ireland? OoOo, that pun glows with "Green Light." Because it's on fire. These puns are obviously working, and that's "Good Luck." You're also in "Good Luck" considering that the included Trophy Scars track is brand new.

But enough cutesy wordplay---the rest of the mixtape is devoted to music by, well, Irish people. First comes a cut from My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, followed by a Vaudevillian piece of electropop from Moloko (of whom one half is Irish). Following that is a completely lolzy ditty by Van Morrison, entitled "Ring Worm." This song was part of his rushed (and reluctant) contractual obligation album with Bang Records. After that: a sweet-pop instrumental from The Divine Comedy, and one last track reflecting on the true meaning of St. Patrick's Day: "Snakecharmer." That's because St. Patrick drove out all the snakes. Oops, broke the chain of songs made by actual Irish people.

The download will be available until the end of April. If you like the songs please purchase the albums they appear on. Album titles appear in the filename.

Download the Mixtape

1. One Beer by MF DOOM
2. Green Light by Jamie Lidell
3. Good Luck by Trophy Scars
4. Soon by My Bloody Valentine
5. Mother by Moloko
6. Ring Worm by Van Morrison
7. Laika's Theme by The Divine Comedy
8. Snakecharmer by Kate Westfall

Oops. Meant to post this anti-Valentine mixtape a week ago. Here it is, sans the usual bravado. Enjoy!

The download will be available until the end of March. If you like the songs please purchase the albums they appear on. Album titles appear in the filename.

Download the Mixtape

1. Who the Fuck? by PJ Harvey
2. Love Less by New Order
3. Home Song by Converge
4. You Don't Own Me by Lesley Gore
5. Anti Love Song by Betty Davis
6. The Other Woman by Nina Simone

Whew. I don’t know about you, but this year has sapped me of all desire to “reflect.” So, instead of the usual year-end bullcrap such as “hai guys dis is my bezt of list for 2008 plz read and fave,” I’ve tallied up some the fantastic changes coming to Squid Can in 2009. And, hey, it’s better than 2007’s puny New Year’s post.

Expect book, movie, and television reviews to be up within the first week of January. Selections most likely to appear will be Vox by Nicholson Baker, The Drinky Crow Show, and a few movies I watched on Lifetime while snowed in (feel free to respond with an ‘lol wut’ to that one). And who knows...maybe some of my short fiction will find its way onto Squid Can in 2009! Or, perhaps, even more of my audio ‘experiments.’

In the music department---well, Christmas provided me with a generous sum of money for buying some new tunes. I’ve recently acquired the latest by M83, Wolf Parade, Metallica, Dido, Nine Inch Nails, Carrie Underwood, Bon Iver, and Vampire Weekend. Squid Can: Bringing you the music of 2008 in 2009! Then again, judging by the albums I’ve recently reviewed, release date doesn’t seem to be much of a factor, does it? And for all you free-muse hounds----jump on the free Mp3’s quick, as all Squid-hosted tracks from 2008 will expire during the first week of January.

Come back to Squid Can tomorrow for some ‘2008 in Review’ stuff---because I was too lazy to finish it and post it today. But this isn’t your usual review filler---this is scathing criticism in classic Squid fashion. Lawl at that, since this site once proudly published an article celebrating YouTube poop. You can search the archives for that, since I’d rather not link to that brew of my old fail.

Some final news bits for 2008: Bumpworthy (the Mecca of [adult swim] bumps) has added a tagging system to its site, King of the Hill comes to [adult swim] tomorrow at 10pm, more photos are on the way, and, finally, check out the “about the author” page for a new photo.

Happy New Year, folks!

--Alex Joseph

P.S. As I was racing against the deadline to post this before 12, I was watching the countdown and listening to music. Just as counter dropped below ten seconds, the opening notes of Goldfrapp's "Clowns" came on. Folksy prophecy? We'll have to see (lol wut).

Whew---what a wonderful twelve days Squid Christmas has been. Now, however, Squid Christmas comes to a close. While you've been hearing oldies all month---in the department store, on the radio, in offices and schools---here's a final tune for some Christmas reflection. Then, to top off Squid Christmas, enjoy a few seasonal clips. Five more videos after the jump.

Download "O Come All Ye Faithful" by Eddie Fisher

I tried to find a larger portion of this special (from the X-Men animated series), but I think the thing was just so irredeemably bad that no one has uploaded it in its entirety.

Once again, this is just a small sampling of the X-Mas fun these specials contain. This clip is from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy Christmas special.  read more »

For the penultimate day of Squid Christmas, I've decided to just dump a bunch of weird stuff on y'all. Enjoy.

Download an Mp3 of the infamous "Fire Ant" scene from Space Ghost
Download an Mp3 of the YouTube hit, "McRoll'd" (video at left)
Download sixteen seconds of "green treefrog" noises
Download a "remix" I made of Bjork's "Five Years," entitled "Five Geese"
Download another hilariously crappy Bjork remix I made. This one is of "Immature" and it's called "Impatient"

NOTE: This is a "make-up" post from yesterday. (lol, minutia)

For today's installment of Squid Christmas, I've scoured Archive.org for some free oldies. Not only are these songs easy on the ears, but think of how pretentiously vintage you'll appear when you say your favorite musician is "Moonshine Kate." Eh. Enjoy; Squid Christmas ends on Christmas Eve.

Download tracks by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
Download "My Man's a Jolly Railroad Man" by Moonshine Kate
Download "I Am Dressed Up With a Broken Heart" by the Boswell Sisters
Download "All She Gets From the Iceman is Ice" by Ada Jones
Download "Trouble Trouble" by Betty Roche
Download "Christmas Bells"
Download "Gasoline Gus"
Download tracks by Sophie Tucker (pictured)

Remember Pee-wee? Sure, post-diddlegate there lingers anxiety about Reubens' character, but there's little question that Pee-wee's Playhouse was Mecca for social misfits, classical hipsters, Gen-X'ers, and hippie-raised children. So, you may ask, how could one possibly improve on the bizarre elements, the outlandish fun, of Playhouse? That question was answered---decisively---with Pee-wee's Christmas special. As if the idea of the slick-haired man-child presenting a forty-five minute extravaganza of yuletide antics was not enough, Grace Jones performs. That's right. For those who have never seen this special, effing Grace Jone makes an appearance. But that's not all: kd lang also sings, garbed in some hideous relic of eighties excess, and the Del Rubio Triplets, Cher, Charo, and others stop by the Playhouse. Am I over-praising this special? No. Enjoy the videos and Jones mp3 below, all of which will leave you in a splendid state of WTF-ery.

Download "Little Drummer Boy" by Grace Jones
Buy the DVD

By this point in the holiday season, your pocket has likely been emptied by gifts, bills, office party pastries, and secret Santa exchanges. You may also be yearning for some new music, but you either (a) have no money, or (b) can't wait till Christmas. Fret not, though, Squid Can is here to help you once more, plucking the finest selections from the sonic apple tree. First, head over to eMusic and download the BBC Music Magazine Sampler, which contains thirteen tracks for the classical novice; or Fiscal Apocalypse 2008: Fifteen Free Tracks For the Financially Fried, a sampler with artists of recent hype, including Passion Pit, Au Revoir Simone, and Dr. Dog.

Next, grab a nifty Hanukkah song from Erran Baron Cohen, some cockney attitude from the super-sassing Lady Sovereign, scrumptious alt-country from Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, endearing indie rock from the Born Ruffian's Daytrotter session, enlightened baroque pop from St. Vincent, and a live performance from Kimya Dawson.

Whew. Now after you've digested that slew of free music, head over to [adult swim] and watch the final episode of Moral Orel. While I was originally apathetic towards the grim and sick "shock" humor of the show, season 3 showed real promise and development, and it's a shame Orel has to disappear during its prime. Be sure the catch the episode (with commentary!) on [as] before it's removed. And, if you're wondering who sings the episode "theme:" that would be io perry.

Buy Moral Orel on DVD from Amazon
Visit io perry's MySpace

Edit (Dec. 21, 1:30am): Wow. Would have been nice for a post called "Moral-Approved Downloads" to have actual music from the show. Get the Mp3s at [adult swim]. And, apparently, the eMusic downloads are now members-only. Ah well.

I meant to post this a few days ago, but I was unable to. However, since I now have a huge amount of free time on my hands, you can now expect a squidavalanche of posts in the upcoming weeks. Note that some of these sites may be past the date for Christmas shopping. This list may be practically useless due to the shipping times, but I still wanted to post this since a bit of work went into it. Enjoy.

Your Element-wearing, reefer-smoking, teen nephew will be pleasantly surprised when he receives some classic [adult swim] on DVD from his "kewl" aunt or uncle. Recommended are the bizarre, minimal, and magnificent [adult swim] originals, such as The Brak Show, Space Ghost Coast To Coast, Sealab 2021, or Harvey Birdman. Or, give 'em to a professor or teacher and watch said academic tie her body up in knots trying to analyze the postmodern meta-fun contained within. And for veteran sufferers of swim-o-phila, buy season one of Moral Orel on DVD to relieve some of the pain from the show’s cancellation.  read more »

Amen, amen, the interwebs have provided free Christmas songs once again. Like yesterday, today provides you with some holiday selections you can play in place of the seasonal standards. First off is a fresh track from The Raveonettes' new EP, Wishing You A Rave Christmas. You don't have to be a mega-Christian to enjoy the slightly-above-average soft rock of Jars of Clay, and laugh slightly at the implied Obama-Messiah message on Joan Jett's "Silent Night" (which sadly has more politically-supercharged samples than actual singing).

It's not Kate Bush, but Katie Eagleson's smoothly jazzy "It's Love, It's Christmas" is a sonic glass of X-Mas wine. Finally, proudly display your indie cred by blasting Sufjan Stevens from the car and blabbing about how "godlike" his falsetto is. Does Sufjan Stevens still have "indie cred?" Well, he certainly has cred amongst his rabid online fans, who scrobble him to the death. But I digress. I suppose Christmastime is the time for reconciliation, even if that means quietly tucking away your hate of Last.fm-sycophancy. Regardless, enjoy the Christmas tunes, and the cute video from Sufjan Stevens below.

eMusic is usually generous in giving away shit music for free, but this Christmas season they seem to be especially liberal in their giveaways. Like most eMusic samplers, the Redeye 2008 Holiday Sampler has a smattering of painfully produced indie rock against a smaller portion of delightful indie pop and sentimental male crooners. Recommended tracks include "Jingle Bells" by Lisa Loeb, "Deer Crossing" by Elk City, "Darlin'" by Over The Rhine and "Something to Hold On To" by Ron Sexsmith. Also available from eMusic: a free Rosie Thomas track brimming with Yuletide joy and quirky-girl sensibility, some big band cheer from Brian Setzer and his orchestra, and a "twisted" selection from Twisted Sister. Video for Twisted Sister's "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" below.

Squid Christmas has suffered these past few days due in part to some minor illness and my own laziness. To make up for it, here are five deliciously youthful musings from Kate Bush. All of these songs are demos and have not been released commercially. Of special interest are the demo versions of "Babooshka" and "Hammer Horror." While Bush does not reach the level of musicianship on these as she did on the finalized versions, these demos are still interesting listens. Check out "Stranded On the Moonbase" below and then pick up the rest of the songs at Mediafire.

Download "Pick the Rare Flower"
Download "On Fire Inside a Snowball"
Download "Stranded On the Moonbase"
Download "Babooshka" (Early Demo)
Download "Hammer Horror" (Early Demo)

As much I would have liked to avoid it, I was unable to post to Squid Can these past few days; hence the lack of Track of the Day and Friday Mp3, as well as the ongoing Squid Christmas. I was stuck in a house with no wireless, and I've been busy attending Christmas functions and birthday parties. But I digress. For those of us who woke up to snow this morning, here's a fitting song: "Cold Song," performed by Klaus Nomi in his eclectic-operatic fashion. In a show of guilt for not posting these past few days, here are a few extra Mp3s.

Download "Cold Song" from FileFactory
Download "New York Song" by Dark Dark Dark from Spinner
Download "It's All Good" by El Perro del Mar from Last.fm
Download "Le Fini" by Ursula 1000 from Megaupload

Normally you'd have to watch out for a "Fox in the Snow," but when that "fox" comes from mellow indie-pop legends Belle and Sebastian, it's certainly not a threat. Continuing the trend of unrelated news from yesterday: nine-year old Alec Greven has published a book, How to Talk to Girls. As if the publishing industry wasn't already a crapshoot of unneeded text, we now apparently need some nine-year-old Heathcliff to provide romantic advice. I think it's pretty obvious that most of the people purchasing this will be WASPy, childless adults looking for a cutesy laugh with their Christmas wine. Enjoy the hugely precocious video below and read more about the book at MSNBC.

Download "Fox in the Snow" from drop.io