The Latest from Radio Free Cruze

  Just in time for Christmas, I've got a little holiday list for you!

  This is totally subjective, and just for fun.  That said, here's my list of the TOP 11 New Rock/Indie/Alternative Holiday songs up to and including this year.  Ready?

#11)  FALL OUT BOY/Yule Shoot Your Eye Out

  Honestly, kind of hard not to like this one.  It sounds very "Fall-Out-Boy" and very "Christmasy" all at the same time.  And I've mentioned on RFC before about how I don't share some alt fans' disgust with this band.  I think they make great pop-rock songs.  Who cares about Pete's internet photos or Patrick's hairline?  Bottom line...this is a great song!

#10)  ANOTHER MAN DOWN/The Dreidel Song

  THere aren't as many good rock Chanukah songs as there are Christmas ones.  That said, the genius of this rocked-out version of the classic "Dreidel Song" is when they lapse into an homage to Brian Adams' SUMMER OF '69 about two-thirds of the way in.  Makes spinning a dreidel actually sound fun!

#9)  JIMMY EAT WORLD/Last Christmas

  Yes, I know that this a cover of "Wham."  Yes, I know I'm biased towards anything that Jimmy Eat World ever does.  I don't care.  This is #9.  (And I kind of liked "Wham" anyway.  There.  I said it.)

#8)  PEARL JAM/Let Me Sleep (It's Christmastime)

   Ok, Pearl Jam fans...don't hate me, but this is actually one of my very favorite Pearl Jam songs.  There's just something about the "offhand" way that Eddie handles the vocals, and how casual this is.  And, oh yeah...it has a "big melody."  IMHO, Pearl Jam could use a few more of those in the last couple of albums.  Anyway, the perfect Gen-X Christmas song.  I love it.

#7)  THE KILLERS/Great Big Sled

  Brandon and the boys are the only act with two songs on my Top 11, but I just couldn't leave either one of them out.  This was the first of the two released, and it's the more "normal" of the two.  It could earn its spot on this list based on the strength of the first lyric line alone:  "The snowman is shaping up to be an eight...but not out of ten..."  Brilliant.

#6)  THE POGUES f. KIRSTY MacCOLL/Fairytale Of New York

  We just played this song on RADIO FREE CRUZE as I was writing this, and I must say that I was struck by both how dated it is beginning to sound, and how incredibly brilliant it still is.  There is no black and white with The Pogues--you either love them or you hate them.  I'm in the former category.  This song probably does a better job of portraying the lonliness and despair that so many feel at the holidays than any other one that I can think of.  And Kirsty MacColl was so cool...she is totally missed!

#5)  LINKIN PARK/My December

  While not TECHNICALLY a Christmas song, it's at least December-specific, and coming after LP's first studio album, this track was one of the first real clues we got to the band's depth.  If nothing else, it said clearly that they were much more than just another rap-metal band.  I love its inherent darkness, which probably says something about my twisted holiday point of view.  Great stuff! 

 #4)  THE WAITRESSES/Christmas Wrapping

  One of the most enduring of the "modern-day" holiday songs, and during the season it seems to fit on just about any format.  It sounds surprisingly more current that any of the Waitresses' "non-holiday" music, and will probably still be played at Christmas 20 years from now!

#3)  SOMETHING CORPORATE/Forget December

  This is one of my personal favorites, and was the song that actually clued me in to what an amazing songwriter Andrew MacMahon, formerly of Something Corporate and now of Jack's Mannequin, truly is.  I'm not sure if this is commercially available, but if it's not, Andrew should make it available for download at the Jack's Mannequin site, or do something to let people get their hands on it.  Bit Torrent, anyone?

#2)  THE KILLERS/Don't Shoot Me Santa

  Easily the most bizarre of the holiday tracks we play at RADIO FREE CRUZE, and it had to beat out a couple of pretty odd ones to win that crown.  But despite how weird it is, I think that The Killers have actually crafted a little holiday masterpiece here.  The "Sweet Mojave Rain" chorus seems to come out of nowhere, both musically and lyrically.  Brilliant...

#1)  BLINK 182/I Won't Be Home For Christmas

  This one has been around for about ten years or so, but is perhaps the best example of a modern band putting out a holiday track that is not only perfect for the season, but also a perfect representation of what THEY are about, too.  My favorite lines:   "Oh God, I hate these Satan's helpers..." and "You people scare me...please stay away from my home..."

   All of these are on RFC over the holidays, of course.  To you and yours--a perfect, and happy holiday season!  Ho Ho Ho...

--Cruze

Posted by cruzeblogrfc at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

  Brandon Flowers and company have shot to the Top Spot on the RADIO FREE CRUZE Most-Played List, as THE KILLERS new track SPACEMAN has had the most play in the last week!

  The new KILLERS disc is DAY AND AGE, and the band has steered toward musical territory that seems somewhere in between the alt sound of HOT FUSS and the more arena-friendly vibe of SAM'S TOWN. 

  Other notable items on the chart:  TONY LUCCA's version of DEVIL TOWN, from the FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS soundtrack, and the Top 11 debut of INNERPARTYSYSTEM.  Some really great music on the chart this week!

1. THE KILLERS/Spaceman  (Day And Age)
2. ANGELS & AIRWAVES/Call To Arms  (I-Empire)
3. RISE AGAINST/Audience Of One  (Appeal To Reason)
4. INNERPARTYSYSTEM/Don't Stop  (Innerpartysystem)
5. BLOC PARTY/Talons  (Intimacy)
6. TONY LUCCA/Devil Town (Friday Night Lights Soundtrack)
7. CHAIRLIFT/Bruises  (Does You Inspire You)
8. FRIGHTENED RABBIT/The Modern Leper  (The Midnight Organ Fight)
9. PARAMORE/Decode  (Twiilight Original Soundtrack)
10. BECK/Gamma Ray  (Modern Guilt)
11. DEAR & THE HEADLIGHTS/I'm Not Crying, You're Not Crying, Are You?  (Drunk Like Bible Times)

  Thanks again for listening...and don't miss Feature Artist Thursday this week with JACK'S MANNEQUIN!!!

Posted by cruzeblogrfc at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

  Newcomers DEAR AND THE HEADLIGHTS grab the top spot on the RFC Top 11 this week!  This indie band from the Phoenix, Arizona area released their second album, DRUNK LIKE BIBLE TIMES in September, and this track has been slowly gaining more and more airplay on RADIO FREE CRUZE since it came out.  Yet another thing you'd never see happen at Corporate Radio...if they had the foresight to actually play a song like this just because it was good, they would have certainly dropped it by now. 

  At RFC we're proud to be able to showcase artists like this and give you a chance to get to know them.  Once you do, at least in the case of DEAR AND THE HEADLIGHTS, you let us KNOW that you like them, so we keep it up! 

  Here's the full list of the Top 11:

1. DEAR AND THE HEADLIGHTS/I'm Not Crying, You're Not Crying, Are You?  (Drunk Like Bible Times)
2. THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT/Sometime Around Midnight  (The Airborne Toxic Event)
3. BLOC PARTY/Talons  (Intimacy)
4. SNOW PATROL/Take Back The City  (A Hundred Million Suns)
5. KINGS OF LEON/Sex On Fire  (Only By The Night)
6. THE SUBMARINES/You, Me, And The Bourgeoisie  (Honeysuckle Weeks)
7. PHANTOM PLANET/Do The Panic  (Raise The Dead)
8. PARAMORE/Decode  (Twilight Original Soundtrack)
9. THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART/Young Adult Friction (The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart)
10. BECK/Gamma Ray  (Modern Guilt)
11. MY MORNING JACKET/Evil Urges  (Evil Urges)

  Thanks again for making us one of the fastest-growing stations on the web!  Have a great week!

Posted by cruzeblogrfc at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)