Erasure - She Won't Be Home

She phones her mum
Says this time she cannot come
Don't worry I'm with friends this Christmas
Dad gets upset
But in time he soon forgets
Here comes another lonely Christmas

And I wanted to say to you
How much I want to be with you
I wanted to say to you
How much I need to be with you
Christmas time comes once a year
She knows this time he won't be near

This song from 1989's Crackers International doesn't come up much (or ever) on the Christmas radio stations or playlists, but that makes it more of a surprise and delight to hear, despite the sad bassoon and longing lyrics. 

Alternate happy, cheesy, early 80s Christmas Eve song by The Waitresses:

RIYL: Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Yaz, OMD, Eurythmics

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The Fame Riot - Heart Stray

She's running out of breath this time
(oooooh)
I know what I want but it's bringing me down
Said, I know what you want and it's bringing me down
Said, I've got this song racing through my head
'Cause I know what you want when you know when I'm there

I heard this song when it was first released on Spotify, liked it, but was kind of sitting on it, waiting to see what else might come from this band. Oh, but these gender-bending clean-but-glam brothers (Liz and Shazam) from Tacoma, Washington don't want to be called a band. Their website and Facebook page have the same description: "The Fame Riot is not a band; it's a religion. The two brothers are at the forefront of a shift in musical style and culture, drawing influence from the last 4 decades of rock, pop, electronica, disco, and everything in-between." Well then. I'm not one for religion but I do get down to this song, and imagine their live set is tremendously entertaining. 

RIYL: Chromeo, Empire of the Sun, Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga

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Sun Club - Tropicoller Lease

I can’t decode this shit
AH AH!! 
But when it comes it really comes
And I can only feel this way with some
and it might sound dumb, 
but it’s kinda fun. 

Let's kick off Monday with some fun from Sun Club. If you like your indie rock with a liberal dash of pop and some well-timed jangle, then "Tropicoller Lease" is right up your alley. Their latest album, The Dongo Durango is a lot of fun and their debut, Dad Claps at The Mom Prom is definitely in the running for best album title of 2014. Both are packed with a lot of enjoyable feel good music and putting them on blast is a great cure for the dreaded Mondays.

RILY: Little Comets, Fidlar, Diet Cig, Los Campesinos!

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Scavenger Hunt - Lost

Where did we start
I can't remember at all
We used to fit together
Now we're falling apart
Like a song I used to know
Lost the lyrics long ago
There's no way to measure
How fast we will fall

You say
Nothings wrong well I'm all right and
I know dreams are darker in the night and
I say
Don't let it go, lets hold on tight but
You know
Only we can make it right

I saw the movie Arrival this past weekend (really good, I recommend it) and it put me in an introspective, but romantic, frame of mind. Which served to remind me of this song, specifically this remix, that I came across about a year ago via one of Keith's Vinyl Moon mixtape records. The opening sounds recall Close Encounters (clip below for fun) but the lyrics are a love story. 

RIYL: Chvrches, Chairlift, Poliça

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Amber Clouds - Need to Know

She doesn't want you
Someone else has occupied her mind
Stop trying
Wishing, wanting, it's not worth the time
She doesn't know, she doesn't know (x2)
Friends just doesn't do it

From the land of Santa Claus (Norway, so I may have that wrong but close enough) comes the latest dream pop band to be featured on TMIS: Amber Clouds. Their unsigned, debut EP was released just a month ago, but lucky for us someone at Sirius found them, and I happened to hear it during my commute. The self-title 4-song-plus-intro EP has a lovely, semi-sad story arc to it, perfect for an emo mood. 'Cause sometimes you need to rock (i.e. Keith's Sunday post), but sometimes you need to chill.

RIYL: Tame Impala, My Bloody Valentine, DIIV, School of Seven Bells

Upcoming Shows