Arch M is from London. He crafts spluttering, beautiful, barely-there songs from urgent guitar melodies and skittish, overdriven bass lines. You can find the seven track E.P. The Mountain Tan Commercials, free to download, by clicking here. It only lasts nine minutes long, but the brevity somehow adds to it all. Not included on that record is the excellent ’21st Union’, which can be heard at www.myspace.com/archm.

The Young Equestrians, who make rather lengthier songs, are from New York. They use, according to their myspace page, “ keyboards, electronics, accordion, guitar, cello, upright bass, electric bass, drums, glockenspiel”, and last but not least, “other things”, in their delightfully meandering improvisations. They also feature the excellently named Mikey ‘Freedom’ Hart. Particularly worth a listen are the tracks ‘The Flood Downtown’ and ‘The World Series’, both of which conjure up an atmospheric sense of nostalgia.

You can buy their splendidly produced album Beware of The Hurry Sickness, at their lovely website.

- Hamish.

Some things are just bizarre, and this is one of them.

The saxophone playing walrus that has adorned these pages over the past few years has come to life.

My Christmas wish may just have come true.

I don’t have a full Christmas mix this year due mostly to licensing issues, but I do have a trio of some beautiful Christmas tracks and a new Christmas compilation you can buy and feel all warm and fuzzy inside as your hard earned cach goes to a very good cause with Peace on Earth Vol.II.

First of all, here is a video of First Aid Kit playing Blue Christmas. It’s a beautiful, quite traditional, rendition with just a guitar and organ from the promising Swedish duo recently signed to Wichita.

and here’s the mp3 of the track:

First Aid Kit – Blue Christmas
[MySpace] [Buy CD] [Buy MP3]

Then I have my favourite Christmas track from last year which was performed by a fantastic group of New Orleans musicians for the Tipitina’s Foundation. Simply stunning.

Tipitina Foundation Musicians – O Holy Night [Donate]

Lastly, and most importantly It’s Hard to Find a Friend have produced another cracking indie Christmas album, with tracks from some of the best and most talented bands around at the moment ranging from Oxford Collapse to American Analog Set. A fantastic compilation that is a must for all those who enjoy a bit of Christmas love on the stereo but want something a little more original. That would be you lot then.

100% of proceeds go to The Children of Uganda Foundation so that is true Christmas – you get an awesome collection of original tunes and get to do some good.

Peace on Earth: A Holiday Album Vol.II

1. American Analog Set – Winter Birds (Original)
2. Telekinesis! – Father Christmas (The Kinks)
3. Jennifer O’Connor – Deck The Halls
4. Nathan Phillips – Cross-country Ski’s (Original)
5. The A-Sides & Sun Airway – Santa, Please (Original)
6. Jason Collett – A Beguiled Christmas in Sales (Original)
7. Laarks – Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
8. Oxford Collapse – Hester Xmas (Original)
9. The Jealous Girlfriends – Haircut (Original)
10. Via Audio – Home Before Dark (Original)
11. Karl Blau – Christmas Is Different This Year Now That the Aliens Are Here (Original)
12. Synthar – Pawn Shop Christmas (Original)
13. Pattern is Movement – O, Holy Night
14. Marla Hansen – Waltz (Original)
15. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Don’t Wrap the Puppy (Original)
16. Elizabeth & The Catapult – Christmas With The Jews (Original)
17. Laura Gibson – It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
18. The Prayers & Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers – Christmas Card to a Hooker in Minneapolis (Original)
19. Chris Garneau – It’s Almost Christmas
20. Vincent Koops – Silent Night
21. Anathallo – Red Plastic Globe (Original)
22. Bodies of Water – O Come, O Come, Emmanuel