Hooray for Boxing Day sales. While I generally buy less CDs overall in a year nowadays than maybe I once did, I usually open up the wallet throttle for the post-Christmas sales – pick up some stuff that I’ve had as promos or downloads and want in proper art-laden form as well as try out some new stuff, see how it goes. Here’s yesterday’s haul:

Richard Buckner / Meadow (Merge) – I’ve had this one as an art-less promo copy since the Summer and intended to pick it up at his show in September but, for whatever reason, didn’t. It makes me want to go on a road trip. If I had a car. And come on, it’s Gillard-powered.

MP3: Richard Buckner – “Town”

Califone / Roots & Crowns (Thrill Jockey) – Califone have forever been filed under the “mean to investigate” pile, but I never have. This record made more than a few appearances in my reader’s poll and I got it for dirt cheap, so why not? I’ll report back on my findings when I’ve actually had a chance to listen to it.

Video: Califone – “Spider’s House” (MOV)
MySpace: Califone

Jarvis Cocker / Jarvis (Rough Trade) – Of all the bands from the Britpop era, I think it’s Pulp that has aged the best and whom I still have the most affection for. Jarv has been out of sight for a while now but from what I’ve heard from this one, he hasn’t lost his edge. I’m eager to get into this one.

Video: Jarvis Cocker – “Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time” (Youtube)

Destroyer / Destroyer’s Rubies (Merge) – An eMusic acquisition I’ve meant to get in physical form for some time now. Maybe the biggest grower of the year for me, starting from “WTF” back in May or so and now a firm “OMG”. It will certainly get more spins now that I can listen to it somewhere besides work (on the iPod).

MP3: Destroyer – “European Oils”
MySpace: Destroyer

Early Day Miners / Let Us Garlands Bring (Secretly Canadian) – You may recall EDM’s latest Offshore appearing as a dark horse in this year’s year-end list. I’m now delving into their back catalog, starting with this album on which the original “Offshore” song, which inspired this year’s full-length, appeared. It turned it up used in the most unlikely of shops – a second-hand store specializing in classical vinyl.

MP3: Early Day Miners – “Autumn Wake”
MySpace: EArly Day Miners

Jose Gonzalez / Veneer (Mute) – I hadn’t really intended on getting this but I found it second-hand for a good price and I’ve definitely liked what I’ve heard, so why not? Only buying what you plan on buying makes for boring shopping.

MP3: Jose Gonzalez – “Stay In The Shade”
Video: Jose Gonzalez – “Hand On Your Heart” (MOV)
Video: Jose Gonzalez – “Stay In The Shade” (MOV)
MySpace: Jose Gonzalez

Great Lake Swimmers / Great Lake Swimmers (Weewerk) – I’d initially thought that just getting the second record, Bodies & Minds, would satisfy my GLS joneses but as it turns out, it just makes me want more. And I’m a sucker for grain silo records.

MP3: Great Lake Swimmers – “I Will Never See The Sun”
MP3: Great Lake Swimmers – “Moving Pictures Silent Films”
MySpace: Great Lake Swimmers

The Hold Steady / Almost Killed Me (French Kiss) – I don’t think I need to talk about The Hold Steady anymore. Their first album is another eMusic acquisition that I’ve played to death, which raises the question of why then I would want to get it in a much more fragile, physical form? Because, that’s why.

MP3: The Hold Steady – “The Swish”
Video: The Hold Steady – “The Swish” (YouTube)
MySpace: The Hold Steady

Mazzy Star / So Tonight That I Might See (Capitol) – I’ve meant to pick this up for, oh, about 13 years or so but never have. Actually the last few years I’ve been waiting for the Unreflected best-of but it’s been delayed so many times that I doubt it’ll ever see the light of day. And considering they only have three proper albums and they’re all dirt cheap, it seems silly to put it off any longer. Their narcoleptic blend of folk/blues, dreampop and Hope Sandoval’s deliciously languid vocals are right up my alley and I’ll neglect this band no longer.

Video: Mazzy Star – “Fade Into You” (YouTube)
MySpace: Mazzy Star

Joanna Newsom / The Milk-Eyed Mender (Drag City) – Yet another eMusic album made flesh. Like The Hold Steady, (too) much e-ink has been spilled on Ms Newsom so I’ll just say that I like this record more than Ys and now that I’ll be able to play it at home, proper-like, I’ll probably like it even more.

Video: Joanna Newsom – “The Sprout & The Bean”

Also picked up the new Cat Power-ed issue of Magnet – and correct me if I’m wrong, but did she not acquire the bling medallion in the cover photo at the Toronto show in September? Pretty sure she did.

And also in the new Magnet – Kevin Shields contributes a long piece, setting the record straight about the making of Loveless and declares, “we are 100 percent going to make another My Bloody Valentine record unless we die or something”. Bring it on, Kev-o.

And despite the post title, there is no Boo Radleys content in this post. Except this.

MP3: The Boo Radleys – “What’s In The Box? (See Whatcha Got)”

I’m not a big Christmas music guy, but I inevitably end up collecting a fair bit of decent seasonally-themed stuff over the course of my travels and since there’s only one time of year to post it, now’s the time. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate and happy statutory holiday to everyone else.

The Cocteau Twins released a Christmas single in 1993 with a couple of classic covers, one of “Frosty The Snowman” and this one, “Winter Wonderland”, featuring a rare appearance by Liz Fraser’s native tongue. MP3: Cocteau Twins – “Winter Wonderland”

Boy George and Antony Hegarty last year collaborated on this John Lennon cover for the star-studded Help: A Day In The Life benefit album for War Child. Their version is arch, rich and sweeping – but considering who’s involved you’d expect no less. MP3: George & Antony – “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)”

Dreampoppers Asobi Sesku teamed up with Detroit’s PAS/CAL for a holiday 12″ single featuring a Christmas cover by each band on coloured vinyl. PAS/CAL tackled Wham!’s “Last Christmas” while Asobi paid tribute to fellow New Yorkers The Ramones. MP3: Asobi Seksu – “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Wanna Fight)

Way back in the day (1992, to be exact), Velocity Girl teamed up with Tsunami to release a the Season’s Greetings 7″ on Simple Machines. Their contribution was this (I believe) original Christmas ditty. MP3: Velocity Girl – “Merry X-Mas, I Love You”

Everyone has their own favourite bits of Christmas pop culture ephemra (hands up for A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Story, etc etc) but I’m particularly fond of the utterly surreal 1977 pairing of David Bowie and Bing Crosby on a version of “Little Drummer Boy” spruced up with a hastily-written counter-song they dubbed “Peace On Earth”.

The full story of the song is recounted by The Washington Post and you can both see and hear the song in question below – watching the video is essential to fully appreciating this particular crossing of wires, especially with the skit used to bring the two together. Does anyone know whose house it’s supposed to be? Someone real or fictional? I’ve listened repeatedly but can’t make out the names.

MP3: David Bowie & Bing Crosby – “Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth”
Video: David Bowie & Bing Crosby – “Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth” (YouTube)

Speaking of The Thin White Duke, I recently read Dave Thompson’s Hallo Spaceboy: The Rebirth Of David Bowie, a biography of Bowie notable for the fact that it documents not in 70s when Bowie was one of the biggest stars in Britain, but instead starts in 1987, after the conclusion of the Glass Spider tour when he was arguably burned out and at his creative nadir (and Thompson already covered the earlier stage of Bowie’s career in the book Moonage Daydream). Though the music from this period is far from his best work, getting a look at the mindset of Bowie as he restlessly sought to rediscover his muse is quite interesting. Thompson is a bit too fawning and fannish at points but manages to maintain sufficient critical distance for the most part. Bowie himself was not interviewed specifically for the book but he is quoted from interviews over the fifteen years covered and I think that actually gives greater insight into him – he is fervently excited about and believes strongly in everything he’s doing at the time, even if history would prove it to be a misstep.

One thing I took away from this book, if not a desire to hear Tin Machine again, is the realization that I’d always thought of Bowie as a pop artist – and any of his best-ofs certainly prove he’s brilliant at that – but the downside of that is that I tended to dismiss any of his records that didn’t have a hooky pop hit on it. So while I’m not diving right into it immediately, I will be re-examining his more “difficult” records (I’ve been slowly accumulating the 70s stuff on vinyl) as well as maybe trying out Reality or Heathen at some point.

But what’s Bowie doing these days besides playing man-about-town in NYC and anointing next-big-things like Arcade Fire and watching TV? Composing songs for Ricky Gervais on Extras.

Video: David Bowie on Extras

Check out the new video from Jarvis Cocker as well as an old chestnut from Pulp, which coincidentally features a Bowie sound-alike (if not a lookalike). That Jarv has one wicked sense of humour, yes he does.

Video: Jarvis Cocker – “Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time” (Youtube)
Video: Pulp – “Bad Cover Version” (Youtube)

Boo-ums – Billboard reports that Paul Westerberg put a screwdriver through his hand (!) and won’t be playing guitar for up to a year. Get well soon, Paul.

Kaiser Chiefs are at the Kool Haus on April 18. Yes, they’re apparently still around.

Doves have posted a holiday greeting on their blog and will be returning to the studio in February to record their fourth album, hoping for a Summer/Fall release.

So Much Silence got a sexy extreme makeover for Christmas. This song is for him. And I probably should have posted it yesterday, but whatever.

MP3: Shearwater – “A Makeover”

Though recorded several months ago, the session that Shearwater recorded for Daytrotter is finally online. There’s four tracks from Palo Santo as well as one lovely new song that I want to say something about but which I must refrain from doing so for the time being.

Even though Jonathan Meiburg was “appalled” at the sound of his voice, which was a little worse for wear after their Fall tour. Listening to these tracks, it’s obvious he’s being far too hard on himself – the only evidence that anything’s amiss is a bit of a rasp and that he doesn’t quite reach for the high notes. But the whole band is in fine form and the songs sound stately, moody and marvelous, regardless.

There’s also an interview with the band about the relationship between Shearwater and Okkervil River, Jonathan’s interests in ornithology and Howard Draper’s first meeting with Joanna Newsom. Meiburg has just returned from one of the sojourns to the Falklands mentioned in the piece and promises big happenings with the band in 2007 (including an April tour with Xiu Xiu) and I for one can’t wait to find out what.

The band behind almost everyone (else)’s album of the year, TV On The Radio, hit the road this Spring and stop at the Kool Haus on March 4. Full dates at BrooklynVegan.

Ocean Drive celebrates the year in Cat Power (via RBally) while Aversion reports why you won’t be getting the Cat Stevens cover she recorded for a diamonds commercial anytime soon.

The Canadian Press talks to Julien Mineau of Malajube about the inroads made by Francophone bands in the English-speaking Canadian music markets this year.