Yesterday’s Advent Calendar treats were a trio of tracks from Aussie label Bird’s Robe, including Furnace & The Fundamentals‘ festive take on Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing In The Name Of’, Toehider‘s punk acapella take on ‘Carol of The Bells’ and clayhands‘ post-rock beauty ‘Polars’. Today we have three bands from rather closer to home.
As always, the tracks are completely free to download and there’s no need to sign up to any mailing lists to access the songs (though if you’d like to you can join ours here), but if you’re enjoying the tunes we’d love you to make a donation to the wonderful charity Help Musicians, who offer health and welfare support to musicians at all stages of their lives.
Let’s see who’d bringing today’s tunes…
They’re a talented and hardworking bunch our writers and photographers at Joyzine, each giving up their spare time free of charge to help spread the word about exciting new music, books, films and culture on top of their day jobs, studies, families lives and all of the other everyday stuff, and some of them even find the time to make some music of their own. Today we’ve got tracks from three of the Joyzine team for you to enjoy.
First up it’s Caroline Low, who in addition to writing ace live reviews for Joyzine also plays bass in Oxford alt-rock band Wonderland. Originally formed in the nineties they got back together in 2018 for their first live shows in almost 20 years, and have since released three singles on their Bandcamp page, including today’s Advent Calendar track ‘Vampyre’.
Download ‘Vampyre‘
Find out more on Wonderland’s official website
Perhaps Joyzine’s most prolific scribe and a man certainly not shy of a hyperbolic turn of phrase, Paul F Cook can also be found playing guitar in Skylon alongside singer, songwriter and keyboard player Dorothy Bird and composer, cellist and bassist Luke Moore.
The trio recently launched their debut EP, Postcards, with a show at LEAF in Liverpool and for today’s Advent Calendar they’re offering a 50% discount on all orders of the EP – just use the code joyzinexmas when you order the EP on Bandcamp here.
Find out more on Skylon’s official website
Follow Skylon on Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
Joyzine editor Paul Maps took his first steps towards swapping his usual spot in the front row for a place onstage by taking part in the 2019/20 edition of First Timers’ Fest, which offers workshops and speed-bandmating to new musicians (read his article about the experience here). Sadly Covid led to the cancellation of the all-day music fest at the end of the event, which would have been his first time playing an instrument in front of an audience since his xylophone solo on ‘Little Donkey’ in his primary school Christmas performance.
Not to be deterred, he was welcomed into the fold by local friends Peridromes, with whom he finally made his bass-playing bow in November – keep your eyes peeled for more performances in the new year (hopefully).
For today’s Advent Calendar Paul has teamed up with Peridromes guitarist Stewart Muir (who those with a long memory may recall from the ill-fated Joyzine Soccer Six football team) for a festive home recording of Half Man Half Biscuit’s lo-fi ode to childhood toy inequalities, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit’.
Download ‘All I Want for Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit‘
If you’d like to join us as a writer or photographer, click here to find out how.
If you enjoy today’s tracks, please consider making a donation to Help Musicians
Come back tomorrow for more exclusive tracks + check out the tracks from previous windows, all of which are still available to download:
#1: Piney Gir – Everybody Knows It’s Christmas
#2: Lost Map Records
Gordon McIntyre – You and Me and The Ghosts of Christmas Past
#3: Hey You Guys! – I’m Sorry
Peter With Rosie – The Oxen
Peter Richard Adams – The Roaring Twenties
#4: Salt The Snail – Matador Print
#5: Dead Horse – Eating The Reindeer
#6: Blang Records
Sergeant Buzfuz – In The Bleak Midwinter
Paul Hawkins (Awkward Silences) – Christmas Doesn’t Love Me
Faux Fibbers – All The Nutters Come Out At Christmas
#7: The Scaramanga Six – Dog Form
#8: Hatcham Social – If You Go Down To The Woods Today (Three Cheers for Our Team)
#9: Alcopop! Records
Beach Riot – Modern Dinosaur
Frauds – Woke Life
Tokky Horror – Eden on Acid
#10: The Mining Co. – Last Stop for Tired Reindeer
#11: Sonic Tonic
Firestations – Long Year City
The Leaf Library – Tired Ghost
Shattercones – In The Bleak Midwinter
Maggie The Cat – The Cherry Tree Carol
Naomi In Blue – Colour of Blue
#12: Cruel Nature Records
Distant Animals – Hyperacusis
Omnibael – The Repetition
#13: The Fades – People In General
Silent Star – To Hell or Hackney (Too Late)
#14: Reckless Yes Records
Paper Birch – Summer Daze (Mild Peril Remix)
Nervous Twitch – You Ruined Christmas + Boredom & Distraction
Bitch Hunt – Shapeshifter
LIINES – Keep On Going
Duck – Santa Claus (ft. Charley Stone)
Hearts Beating In Time – Simone’s
The Crystal Furs – Drinking Alone On Christmas
French for Rabbits – Money or The Bag (Alternative Live Version)
Japan Review – Lose Them All
#15: Dedstrange Records
Plattenbau – Hollywood
Data Animal – Future Primitive
Jealous – K-Hole
Lunacy – Dust
A Place To Bury Strangers – Let’s See Each Other (Grimoose Remix)
Wah Together – Sayonara
#16: Another Christmas: ESKA & Duke Garwood – Silent Night
#17: Bird’s Robe Records
Furnace & the FUndamentals – Giving In The Name Of
Toehider – Carol of The Bells
clayhands – Polars
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