This time LITM rings in Christmas with tunes bringing in groovy tunes in alternative rock, pop, experimental pop and a lot more brought to you by Sanity Clause, Why Another, The Domi, Will Gray, You Bred Raptors
Ma Bells Don’t Jingle - Sanity Clause
Sanity Clause brings you a holiday song with a twist with My Bells Don't Jingle. Heard it? It takes Christmas cheer upside down by pairing snarky lyrics with hard-driving punk-rock energy.
Opening riffs are sharp and unapologetic, setting up a rebellious ride through holiday frustrations. Raw, edgy vocals are the sentiment we all feel from time to time: when the season's sparkle does not quite align.
What is notable in the track is how it holds together its humour and good, clean emotion. Underneath all of the playful poking at holiday clichés hides a familiar message about just getting through the ups and downs of the season; it is the perfect mix of wit and grit that comes out, making it rise above the rest of that predictable holiday fare.
Does it make you laugh? Nod your head in agreement? Tap your feet to the beat? However, this Christmas carol is anything but average.
2. Need To Know - Why Another
Why Another dives deep into emotional vulnerability with Need to Know, a track that’s as introspective as it is mesmerizing. From the very first note, you’re drawn into a sonic world where haunting melodies meet reflective lyricism.
Vocals full of raw emotion tell the story of curiosity, longing, and uncertainty, all within a minimalist but very evocative arrangement with subtle beats and dreamy instrumentation to build up to a quiet intensity.
What really brings the song together is the way it is paced, but ebbs and flows so perfectly to mirror these themes in the lyrics, similar to a stream-of-consciousness. It makes for that kind of music track that gets you paused thinking, and questioning a couple of things.
Is it the last jam of the night over which you reflect, or resonate with you even on a deeper level? Whatever it is, it would be an experience worthwhile staying with: Need to Know.
3. Days of Wonder - The Domi
The Domi crafts a sonic masterpiece with Days of Wonder, a track that feels like a dream brought to life. The song's ethereal soundscapes transport listeners to a place where nostalgia and hope intertwine.
The track opens with lush, atmospheric tones and draws you in quickly with the delicate instrumentation. It has that gentle, yet authoritative sound quality, almost hypnotic in the delivery of the words speaking to magic and transience of the beautiful moments of life.
The dynamics between rhythm and melody, are interlocked like a gentle ocean, so serene verses, and then swelling crescendos just catch you in like waves going gently rising and falling.
Does it bring a sense of wonder? Or lose you in the introspection? However, in any case, Days of Wonder is definitely one of those trips that you'll want to do again.
4. O Come All Ye Faithful (Reimagined) - Will Gray
Will Gray revives a classic O Come All Ye Faithful with his Reimagined rendition. It is very refreshing to see tradition meeting innovation in an experience, being both reverent and refreshingly modern.
This rendition starts with a soothing piano melody that sets an eerie reflective tone. As it continues, layers of strings and subtle percussion build on a crescendo of emotional depth that doesn't overwhelm the original's sacred essence.
Gray's vocals are really the heart of this remaking—soulful and full of conviction. He turns familiar lines to a deeply personal level such that you feel you hear them for the first time.
Is this the perfect remake of a classic song, or does it make you look at holiday music through different eyes? Either way, it's gorgeous and adds a beautiful dimension to any holiday playlist.
5. Telemarketer Terrorists- You Bred Raptors
You Bred Raptors deliver a daring and hectic anthem with Telemarketer Terrorists, a genre-bender that injects intensity and creativity into a daring track that hooks you from the opening bars with its grit and nonconformity in instrumentation.
This soundscape with sharp rhythms and dynamic melodies is aggressive yet artful. Bass-heavy grooves propel the track forward, and one never knows what twist of tempo or tone will keep him on his toes. It's all about tension and release for this track that feeds off that frustration in the title.
The lack of traditional vocals is only a magnification of its storytelling, where it lets the music itself to be the voice of rebellion and satire. Experienced its raw, unfiltered edge yet? Telemarketer Terrorists is just not a song-it's a visceral statement that cannot and will not be ignored.