With exactly 100 days left until Christmas, today, She & Him are pleased to announce their latest album, Christmas Party out October 28th on Columbia Records. Christmas Party is the sixth album from the duo comprised of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, and is the follow up to their wildly popular A Very She And Him Christmas. Christmas Party features guest appearances by Jenny Lewis, The Chapin Sisters and Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley.
Christmas Party is replete with holiday favorites – including classics like Darlene Love and Phil Spector’s “Marshmallow World,” Bing Crosby’s “Mele Kalikimaka” and Chuck Berry’s “Run Run Rudolph.” But, Ward and Deschanel also may introduce listeners to the more obscure tracks such as folk-singer Vashti Bunyon’s “Coldest Night of the Year” and the lesser know Sinatra track “Christmas Memories.” Pop favorites such as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and The Chipmunks “Christmas Don’t Be Late” round out the celebration. Throughout the album is She & Him’s signature organic stripped down take on production.
Track Listing:
1. All I Want for Christmas Is You
2. Let It Snow
3. Must Be Santa
4. Happy Holiday
5. Mele Kalikimaka
6. Christmas Memories
7. Run Run Rudolph
8. Winter Wonderland
9. The Coldest Night of the Year
10. A Marshmallow World
11. The Man with the Bag
12. Christmas Don’t Be Late
Christmas Party will be available digitally, on CD and vinyl on October 28th. Enjoy a track from A Very She & Him Christmas album while we wait.
♩ French Horn Rebellion – Swing Into It (ft. HAERTS) [from Swing Into It EP]
“Here’s how the story goes. Last winter, we did a performance at LowBrau in Sacramento – which has become one of our favorite places to play – and after the show, a group of beautiful ballerinas came up to us, wanting to congratulate us on a show well done. After recovering from shell-shock that such pretty girls would talk to us, we learned that they were members of the Sacramento Ballet Company, and we both began to lament the deteriorating interest the public has in classical music, ballet, and the fine arts.
Together we thought – hey, let’s do something about this ! Let’s collaborate and make something special that is truly fun and artistic – nothing ironic, nothing satirical, just an upbeat and beautiful collaboration using our classical skills. FHR had a track featuring HAERTS coming up, so they sent it to the Sac Ballet, and Rex Wheeler, the choreographer, was immediately inspired. Alexandra Cunningham- the Sacramento Ballet’s social direct was recovering from a ballet-related injury at the time, and hit up all the local Sacramento boutique shops for costumes, and got funding for the dancers from nights at LowBrau, while FHR found the production team, ‘The Strangers’ to put together lights, camera and action. What you see is the final product of working through the internet and on the ground, and we’re so proud of it.” (via blog.frenchhornrebellion.com)
♩ The Apache Relay – Katie Queen of Tennessee [from Apache Relay]
“The Apache Relay’s ‘Katie Queen of Tennessee’ is easily one of the catchiest tunes I’ve heard this year. And in the song’s new video, a troupe of 40 young dancers raise the fun to heights I hadn’t imagined with a blissfully, perfectly choreographed routine.” (via Bob Boilen, NPR Music)
“I was on a train listening to music, getting deep into it, and this girl started staring at me,’ says London-based artist and poet Sofia Mattioli of the genesis of her video for Jamie xx’s ‘Sleep Sound.’ ‘After a while I took my headphones off and she came up to me, started signing and then wrote me a note to say that she was deaf but could almost feel the music by my movement.’ With the germ of an idea from this chance encounter, Mattioli was asked to create a video for the member of The xx and Grammy-winning producer of Alicia Keys, Gil Scott-Heron and Drake. During the course of one day, she danced with 13 members of the Manchester Deaf Centre with ages ranging from five to 27 years old, who responded to the movement of the artist and the vibrations in the air given off by the song. ‘The relationship between silence and music is a big part of what I am trying to express with my work,’ says Mattioli. ‘The first kid in the video, Archie, was bliss—all of them were amazing. I hope this is a project I can develop further.'” (via NOWNESS)
♩ Walter Martin – Sing to Me (feat. Karen O) [from We’re All Young Together]
“Is there a sweeter song or video than this right now? The Walkmen’s Walter Martin has made a family-friendly record, and “Sing to Me” — recorded with Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O — will warm your heart.” (via Bob Boilen, NPR Music)
A few of my favorite new releases this week, including new stuff from Mikal Cronin, She & Him, Tom O’dell, and the highly anticipated soundtrack for the Baz Luhrmann Film: The Great Gatsby. As always, be sure to visit Largehearted Boy for more new music.
