We’ve had one or two Christmas songs already but not as many yet as in prior years. We’ll take all-comers but the two we’ve got for you tonight are lighter in tone to say the least.
Morgenrøde (Denmark) – Intet trumfer jul (single)
The first is from Morgenrøde (‘Dawn’) (aka Jens Christian Haar) a one-man band from Northern Jutland; a middle-aged family man with a background in Philosophy and Psychology and with no prior connection to music.
He makes lofi indie/alternative rock with punk-ish attitude and a mix of genres. Morgenrøde insists that “there are no creative compromises. I create whatever suits me. It is complete and utter uncompromised self-expression. In my opinion this is what true art is about.”
He does everything himself; not only the music but also the production, cover art, videos and so on. Probably makes the tea as well.
Just the type of muso we support at NMC although I have to admit that at first I could not make head nor tail of the song ‘Dia De Los Muertos’ that he sent to me in October in celebration of The Day of the Dead (Halloween).
It turns out that it was a representation of his Danish interpretation of Halloween in which positive images of those that have gone are presented to us rather than those of people in Michael Myers costumes slashing with zombie knives like it’s going out of fashion. Or – get this – in body bags, which were this year’s must have fashion accessories in the UK. Can you believe that?
Anyway, that was then and this is now and Morgenrøde returns with his Christmas ditty, which he introduces with the question “Are you, as I am, already fed up with Mariah Carey and Wham?” He knows that is a rhetorical question. I’ve had it with them and with Chris Rea, Slade, Wizzard, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Greg Lake (well perhaps not Greg, his song is at least different) and everybody else from the ‘top tier’ that clambers aboard the Christmas song gravy train for a couple of months every year.
Instead he offers the Danish alt Xmas song which is ‘Intet trumfer jul’, or ‘Nothing Trumps Christmas’, a well chosen one given that the world awaits hesitantly the return to the White House of the Big Orange in a few weeks time.
Hand on heart it’s the weirdest, most manic Christmas song you’ll ever hear. Forget Baby Jesus in the manger, shepherds, wise men and the rest of it. It sounds like a football chant, a call to action that a gang of Ultras might sing while they’re lacing up their boots ready to confront the opposition.
It’s riddled with bum guitar notes but on the other hand there is surprisingly subtle use of a synthesiser or mellotron and a heavenly bridge that with a little imagination could be the Star of Bethlehem rising in the east.
More to the point it’s from the heart. When he contrasts
“Sleighing down the street/with our family by our sides/and we will love everything about the time/’cause we know nothing trumps Christmas” with…
“Overcrowding and noise/push and tearing/we must all buy/more, more hustle and bustle/across the world/we need to do/more, more”
Oh, such a gnaw/here in my mind/why must we necessarily/capitalise everything”
…you just know he genuinely means it.
He released his first songs in February 2024 and now has five singles, 600+ monthly listeners on Spotify, 10,000+ views on YouTube and 17 radio spins thus far. With a budget of 0€.
Jesus would have been proud.
Find him on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Morgenrde
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgenroede/
Somewhere (Sweden) – The 12 Days of Progmas (single)
Prog-rockers Somewhere were here twice quite recently, with two eloquent 1970s style songs that channeled the likes of Genesis, King Crimson, ELP, Yes, Gentle Giant and the rest but with their own imprint indelibly stamped on them.
These guys have a sense of humour and they’ve come up now with a take on The 12 Days of Christmas, the Christmas carol accredited to Frederic Austin in its current form.
There are plenty of such takes on it. There was a particularly funny British political one a couple of years ago and Somewhere’s ‘The 12 Days of Progmas’ keeps the tradition going brilliantly.
To a spot-on Genesis ‘The Lamb lies down on Broadway’ riff the countdown includes:
11 Roger Dean sleeves
10 keyboard free runs
No Ladies dancing
Eight Classical rip-offs
Seven really weird key changes
Six spacey Hammond solos
Five Mellotrons
Four Stage Theatrics
Three pretentious lyrics
Two Concept Albums
And a bass riff in 7/4time (alternates with “a strange little bit in 5/8”).
The 12th Day by the way is this, I had to copy it from the screen:
Not only that statement, but the entire song manages to sum up what 1970s prog was all about, or more correctly what it became as it smashed its way out of its cage to become increasingly extravagant and irrelevant before it was pushed out of the door by the punk explosion.
Perhaps they should record ‘The 12 Days of Punk-mas’ next year.
It’s full of funny little send ups such as a cover for a Rick Wakeman album called ‘The Six Wives of Santa Claus’ that are too numerous to mention here, while the background music changes frequently to match the subject matter of different ‘days.’
That’s clever. Very clever.
Find them on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SomewhereProg
