The Musical Advent Calendar @2012mac - Tumblr Blog

The 2013 Audio Advent Calendar

Rather than create yet another blog I thought I'd just continue 2012's Musical Advent Calendar.

Let's get this party started with a joke.

#2013

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Cranberries… bitter as anything!

For our American cousins who are probably still wondering what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers here's the classic Bob & Ray bit that contains many helpful suggestions for what to do with your remaining cranberries.

The 2012 Musical Advent Calendar

Download it here.

Note: the file is 122 MB. If using iTunes, import the tracks as you normally do and import the XML file as a playlist.

Enjoy Responsibly.

#advent

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Front Row Centre with Thaddeus Bristow

David Sedaris

David Sedaris reminds grade school children what theatre criticism is all about. It shall be noted, that this is the only Christmas track that appears in the Advent Calendar. My work here is done.

#advent #NPR #Spoken Word

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Delibes: Lakmé – Viens, Mallika, les lianes en fleurs ... Dôme épais, le jasmin

That's a rather long title for what is more commonly known as “The Flower Duet”. I know that this aria is so often used in film that it's become cliché. I call bull crap on that. Calling something this beautiful cliché would be like calling a sunset cliché or oh I don't know, the Grand Canyon cliché. What is cliché is that I love this piece without knowing a damn thing about it.

Of course, I turned to Wikipedia:

“Nilakantha's daughter Lakmé (which derives from the Sanskrit Lakshmi) and her servant Mallika are left behind and go down to the river to gather flowers where they sing the famous "Flower Duet." As they approach the water at the river bank, Lakmé removes her jewellery and places it on a bench. A party of British officers, Frederic and Gérald, arrive nearby while on a picnic with two British girls and their governess. The British girls see the jewellery and request sketches: Gérald volunteers to stay and make sketches of the jewellery. He sees Lakmé and Mallika returning and hides. Mallika leaves Lakmé for a while; while alone Lakmé sees Gérald and, frightened by the foreigner's incursion, cries out for help. However, simultaneously, she is intrigued and so she sends away those who had responded to her call for help when they come to her rescue. Lakmé and Gérald begin to fall in love with each other. Nilakantha returns and learns of the British officer's trespassing and vows revenge on him for his affront to Lakmé's honour.”

Buy it from iTunes (Dame Joan Sutherland version)

#advent #opera

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Oh Kesario Hazari Gul Ro Phool Daoud Langa

Oh man. I got so drunk last night. At one point I ended up in the middle of this crazy whirling dervish / gyspy (okay, "Roma") party. There was this little girl who belted out this song. I asked someone what it was called, but they handed me a bottle wrapped in rattan and that's the last thing I remember.

This track is from the soundtrack to Latcho Drom and this is as close as I could come to finding it online, the CD from Amazon.

#advent #international

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Outta My Control Fjord Rowboat

How do you name a contemporary band? Add two nouns together. Thus Fjord Rowboat, “Shoe Gazer” rock from Toronto. I think they are just looking at a pedal board, not their shoes, but who can say?

Get it on iTunes

#advent #Toronto #canadian

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The Outer Skin The Hope Blister

Wait. Is that Kate Bush? No? Really? It should be. Why isn't it? Maybe this tune sounds a little like the soft, Euro-ethereal-pop of Enya but it stuck in my head. Despite it seeming like "nothing can penetrate the outer skin" this song did. Can't explain it.

Get it on iTunes

#advent

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Hwe Towe Hun

T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo

T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo are having a party. I'm standing outside their place with some friends and we are dying to get in. My buddy's older cousin said he could get us in, but he never shows. We leave and walk home dejected until we start singing this song, making up lyrics because we have no idea what it's about. It's the only thing we remember about that night.

Get it on iTunes

#Advent #International

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Beyond Belief

Elvis Costello

If I had a time machine, first I'd kill Hitler (Happy?), then, moral obligations out of the way, I'd bring Elvis Costello back and introduce him to Elvis Costello.

Get it on iTunes

#advent #British #time travel

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In Particular

Blonde Redhead

This song is in French, thus it is urbane and sexy sounding. Surprisingly, it's about irritable bowel syndrome. Sexy, urbane IBS. Which is something I will probably experience over the Holidays.

Buy it on iTunes

#advent #French #IBS

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Lydia the Tattooed Lady

Groucho Marx

“…she once swept an admiral clear off his feet, the ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat, and now the old boy is in command of the fleet, for he went and married Lydia.”

This piece of archival footage was discovered in an ancient tomb of the Columbian Broadcasting System and provides proof of what was thought to be long lost, a uniquely American sense of humour (or as Americans might write, “Humor”).

#advent #humour