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Must-Add Christmas Songs To Your Spotify Playlist

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WHAM! – “Last Christmas”

Released in 1984, “Last Christmas” has become a holiday staple, re-entering music charts worldwide each December. In 2020, it finally reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, 36 years after its release. The song has sold over 1.8 million copies in the UK alone. Interestingly, the music video was filmed in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, a location chosen due to unexpected snowfall that disrupted the original plan to shoot in Gstaad.

Mariah Carey – “All I Want for Christmas Is You”

Since its release in 1994, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has become a defining holiday anthem. It has topped the Billboard Hot 100 multiple times, including a record-breaking run in recent years. The song has sold over 16 million copies globally, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. A lesser-known fact: the song was co-written in just 15 minutes and was originally conceived as a rock song before evolving into its current pop form.

Brenda Lee – “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”

Recorded in 1958 when Brenda Lee was just 13 years old, this classic has sold over 25 million copies worldwide. It continues to chart annually, reaching No. 2 on Billboard’s Holiday 100 chart. An interesting tidbit: the song’s distinctive guitar riff was played by Hank Garland, a renowned session musician of the era.

Ariana Grande – “Santa Tell Me”

Released in 2014, “Santa Tell Me” has become a modern Christmas favorite, frequently re-entering the Billboard Hot 100 during the holiday season, peaking at No. 17. The song has been certified double platinum by the RIAA. Fun fact: Grande co-wrote the song during the summer months, aiming to create a timeless holiday track.

Bobby Helms – “Jingle Bell Rock”

First released in 1957, “Jingle Bell Rock” has sold over 60 million copies worldwide. It reappears on the Billboard Hot 100 each holiday season, peaking at No. 3 in recent years. Interestingly, despite its enduring popularity, Helms recorded the song in a single take.

Ed Sheeran & Elton John – “Merry Christmas”

Released in December 2021, this collaboration debuted at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was a charity single, with proceeds going to the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. A fun fact: the song’s music video pays homage to various classic Christmas videos, including scenes reminiscent of Wham!’s “Last Christmas.”

Kelly Clarkson – “Underneath the Tree”

Released in 2013, “Underneath the Tree” has become a contemporary holiday classic, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. The song has been streamed over 200 million times on Spotify. Interestingly, Clarkson co-wrote the song and recorded it in just one day.

The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl – “Fairytale of New York”

Released in 1987, this song has become a holiday staple in the UK and Ireland, re-entering the charts annually and peaking at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. It has sold over 1.5 million copies in the UK. An interesting fact: the song was written over two years and was initially intended to be a duet between Shane MacGowan and bassist Cait O’Riordan before Kirsty MacColl was brought in.

Andy Williams – “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

Released in 1963, this song has become synonymous with the holiday season, reaching No. 5 on Billboard’s Holiday 100 chart. It has been featured in numerous films and commercials, contributing to its lasting popularity. Interestingly, despite its association with Christmas, the song never explicitly mentions the holiday.

These songs continue to bring joy during the holiday season, each with its unique history and charm.

5 Surprising Facts About Liz Phair’s ‘Exile in Guyville’

Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville didn’t just put her on the map; it reshaped indie rock as we know it. Released in 1993, the album has become a cultural milestone, but there’s a treasure trove of fascinating details behind its creation. Here are five unknown facts about this groundbreaking record that’ll make you appreciate it even more.

  1. Girly-Sound Beginnings
    Before Exile in Guyville, Liz Phair made waves with her Girly-Sound cassette demos—raw, lo-fi recordings filled with unfiltered emotion. These tapes were passed around Chicago’s indie scene, capturing the attention of Matador Records and paving the way for her iconic debut. Without these tapes, the world might never have known Guyville.
  2. An Unlikely Inspiration
    Phair designed Exile in Guyville as a song-for-song response to The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St., flipping the rock classic’s themes with her own sharp, feminist lens. While the parallels aren’t always obvious, the sequencing and pacing were deliberate, making it an album-length conversation with rock’s male-dominated canon.
  3. The Cover That Almost Was
    The original idea for the album’s cover featured Barbie dolls floating in a pool—a surreal concept that Matador Records rejected for being too unconventional. Instead, the final cover shows a topless Phair in a photo booth, captured and cropped by Nash Kato of Urge Overkill, adding an iconic edge to the album’s mystique.
  4. The Myth of Guyville
    “Guyville” wasn’t just a place; it was a cultural critique. Phair described it as a mix of small-town vibes, Chicago’s indie music scene, and personal isolation. It was where comic books, flannel shirts, and unpretentious grunge ruled the day, and women had to fight for a voice in a male-dominated world of art and music.
  5. Gold Status Took Time
    Although critically acclaimed upon release, Exile in Guyville didn’t achieve gold certification until 1998. Its legendary status grew slowly, fueled by its influence on a new generation of artists. By the time it hit that milestone, it was already cemented as one of indie rock’s greatest achievements.

Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville remains a cool indie rock classic, with its raw honesty making it still a must-listen. Put this on, and then Exile On Main St. You’ll want to go back to Exile in Guyville.

Leon Waves Reveals the Biggest Chord in Music—And It’s Mind-Blowing

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Leon Waves breaks down the largest chord possible in music theory, and it’s more than your hands (or feet) can handle. Even with extra limbs, you’d still need a musical miracle to pull it off.

DJ Cummerbund Serves Up One Of The Best Mashup Feasts of the Year

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DJ Cummerbund combines “Uptown Funk,” “Feed My Frankenstein,” and “Puttin’ on the Ritz” into a genre-blending masterpiece. It’s funky, spooky, and impossibly danceable.

My Next Read: “Two-Headed Doctor: Listening For Ghosts in Dr. Johns Gris-Gris” by David Toop

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Two-Headed Doctor is a forensic investigation into a single LP: Dr. John, the night tripper’s Gris-gris. Though released in 1968 to poor sales and a minimum of critical attention, Gris-gris has accumulated legendary status over subsequent decades for its strangeness, hybridity, and innovative production. It formed the launch pad for Dr. John’s image and lengthy career and the ghostly presence of its so-called voodoo atmosphere hovers over numerous cover versions, samples, and re-invocations. Despite the respect given to the record, its making is shrouded in mystery, misunderstandings, and false conclusions. The persona of Dr. John, loosely based on dubious literary accounts of a notorious voodooist and freed slave, a nineteenth-century New Orleans resident known as Doctor John, provided Malcolm “Mac” Rebennack with a lifelong mask through which to transform himself from session musician in order to construct a solo career.

Somewhere between puzzle, experimental rhythm, blues disguised as rock, and elaborate hoax, Gris-gris was a collaborative project between Rebennack and producer/arranger Harold Battiste (at the time musical director for Sonny & Cher). A few brief sessions held at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles brought together many of New Orleans’ finest musicians, including Shirley Goodman, John Boudreaux, Plas Johnson, Jessie Hill, Ernest McLean, and Tami Lynn. Along with their complex histories, the cast of characters implicated in the story includes Ornette Coleman, Lafcadio Hearn, Zora Neale Hurston, Cher, Sonny Bono, Sam Cooke, Ishmael Reed, Black Herman, Prince La La, and many others. The story details in discursive style the historical context of the music, how it came together, its literary sources, production and arrangements, and the nature of the recording studio as dream state, but also examines as a disturbing undercurrent the volatile issue of race in twentieth-century music, the way in which it doomed relationships and ambitious projects, exploited great talents, and distorted the cultural landscape.

Bill McClintock Mashes Up Iron Maiden and Chic, and It Works!

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Remix wizard Bill McClintock strikes again, blending the heavy metal epic “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” with the disco classic “Good Times.” It’s an unlikely duo that somehow becomes a headbanging, dancefloor masterpiece.

Lord Vinheteiro Turns Rubber Chickens Into Musical Gold With ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’

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Lord Vinheteiro takes the Bonnie Tyler classic to hilarious new heights, performing “Total Eclipse of the Heart” on rubber chickens that get smaller and squeakier as the song goes on. It’s absurd, it’s brilliant, and it’s exactly what you didn’t know you needed today!

SiriusXM Now Available in Tesla Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck

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For the first time ever, SiriusXM is available as a fully integrated feature in the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y – the top two selling EVs in the United States – and Cybertruck. SiriusXM’s bespoke streaming integration in Tesla delivers SiriusXM’s full lineup of audio entertainment content to drivers and a free one-month trial subscription with no credit card required, plus access to SiriusXM outside the vehicle on the SiriusXM app and on connected devices and speakers in the home.

Subscribers will enjoy a SiriusXM experience fully tailored for Tesla and built upon the audio company’s next gen platform, offering unparalleled choice, content discovery, and a personalized listening experience. Highlights include:

  • Hundreds of live, ad-free and curated music channels across all genres, decades and moods.
  • Custom stations that can be originated from any artist or band.
  • An extensive library of podcasts across comedy, news, entertainment and more.
  • A comprehensive offering of live sports coverage and analysis from more than 20 sports-focused channels that deliver reactions and analysis from industry experts and insiders 24/7.
  • Dozens of channels that keep subscribers informed and entertained with the latest in news and politics, entertainment, comedy, and beyond, with celebrity interviews, iconic hosts, trusted opinions, non-stop laughs, and so much more.
  • A personalized “For You” landing page that delivers content recommendations based on driver affinity that evolve throughout the drive and are responsive to time of day, along with a personalized greeting.
  • Easy access to new content discovery while browsing SiriusXM’s Music, Talk/Podcasts, Sports and Library navigation pages, as well as pages dedicated to teams, shows, personalities, artists that bring fans closer to what they love.
  • An easy to navigate “All Channels” guide that allows drivers to see all SiriusXM channels in numerical order.
  • A library that allows drivers to save the content they love – from live channels to podcasts, from artists and bands to teams and leagues – in one centralized location, making it easier and faster to tune in to selected content.
  • Integrated voice search to initiate playback.
  • And much more.

SiriusXM is becoming available in Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck as part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update. After the software update is installed, SiriusXM will appear in the media sources menu where drivers can begin a free one-month trial subscription to SiriusXM. A Tesla Premium Connectivity or active Wi-Fi connection is required to access the SiriusXM service. To continue SiriusXM service after the trial, owners can scan the QR code on the Subscription tab. Owners who subscribe prior to March 31, 2025 can access a special limited-time offer of $9.99 a month for their first two years. SiriusXM will also remain available in its current form on every Tesla Model S and Model X. For more information visit www.siriusxm.com/tesla.

Recovering Lost Audio Files with Stellar Data Recovery for Mac

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By Mitch Rice

Data loss is a common and frustrating issue for Mac users, but Stellar Data Recovery for Mac offers a robust solution to recover lost files with ease. From accidental deletions to corrupted drives, this software is designed to handle a wide range of recovery scenarios, providing peace of mind for users dealing with critical data.

Why Stellar Data Recovery Stands Out

Stellar Data Recovery for Mac is a professional-grade tool with features that cater to everyday users and tech-savvy individuals alike. It supports the recovery of various file types, including documents, photos, videos, and audio files, from internal and external drives—even those that are formatted or encrypted.

Some of its standout features include:

  • User-Friendly Interface: The intuitive design makes the recovery process straightforward, even for beginners.
  • Advanced Scanning Modes: Choose between a quick Standard Scan for recently lost files or a thorough Deep Scan for older, harder-to-find data.
  • Preview Functionality: Preview recoverable files before committing to recovery, ensuring you retrieve exactly what you need.
  • Support for Encrypted and Formatted Drives: Stellar can handle complex recovery scenarios, such as encrypted or accidentally formatted drives.

Easy Installation and Compatibility

Installing Stellar Data Recovery on a Mac is simple:

  1. Download the software from the official Stellar website.
  2. Open the disk image file and drag the application to the Applications folder.
  3. Launch the software, enter the product key (if purchased), and start recovering files.

The software is compatible with macOS versions from 10.11 (El Capitan) to the latest updates and requires minimal system resources.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Data Recovery

  1. Select File Types: Upon launching the software, choose the file types you want to recover—audio files, documents, photos, etc.—or opt to recover everything.
  2. Choose the Drive: Select the drive or external device where the files were lost.
  3. Scan the Drive: Start with a Standard Scan for quick results or opt for a Deep Scan for a more exhaustive search.
  4. Preview and Recover: Use the preview feature to verify recoverable files before saving them to a secure location.

Performance and Limitations

Stellar Data Recovery is efficient, with Standard Scans completing quickly, while Deep Scans may take longer depending on the drive size. The software’s performance is reliable, though users with larger drives should anticipate some patience during intensive scans.

Pricing and Plans

Stellar Data Recovery offers multiple pricing tiers:

  • Free Version: Recover up to 1GB of data, ideal for small tasks or testing the software.
  • Professional Plan ($89.99/year): Covers essential recovery features for personal and small business use.
  • Premium Plan ($99.99/year): Adds the ability to repair corrupted photos and videos.
  • Technician Plan ($199/year): Designed for IT professionals, offering advanced recovery features.

Lifetime licenses are also available for users who prefer a one-time investment.

Final Thoughts

Stellar Data Recovery for Mac is a dependable and versatile tool for recovering lost data. Its intuitive interface, advanced scanning options, and robust recovery capabilities make it a top choice for Mac users. While the free version provides a useful trial, the paid plans unlock its full potential, making it worth the investment for anyone dealing with significant data loss.

Whether you’re recovering critical files or safeguarding against future mishaps, Stellar Data Recovery is a reliable solution that delivers results for the free Mac recovery tool. For those unsure about committing, the free version offers a great starting point to experience the software’s effectiveness firsthand.

Spotlight on the Hottest New Drum Brands and Their Signature Products

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By Mitch Rice

Whether you’re an aspiring or a seasoned drummer, the search for a top-notch drum kit and accessories never ends. Just like your skills are always improving, so can your drum kit to better fit your current preferences and technique. Thankfully, drum manufacturers all over the world have only become more innovative in the past years, and whatever aesthetic or sound you’re looking for, chances are, there’s someone out there who can make it happen.

This is why it’s important to keep up with the trends in the drum industry – it’s an opportunity to further develop your playing style and music potential. We’ve prepared an overview of the hottest new drum brands and their signature products that could be the right fit for your drumming ambitions.

Canopus Drums

It’s no secret that Japan is home to some world-renowned brands from the drum industry, like Pearl and Yamaha, and Canopus Drums follow in their footsteps. If you’re on the lookout for a relatively young brand with an original take on sound quality and manufacturing process, then these guys could be the right fit.

In the past years, Canopus Drums garnered a loyal following for their meticulous level of craftsmanship and innovative design that lets them stand out. You may have heard of their flagship product, the Yaiba II Drum Kit, in which they brought together all the perks of modern sound engineering and traditional Japanese woodworking techniques. 

This is a match made in heaven that brings forth warm, rich tones and fantastic sustain. Canopus hardware parts from Drum Center of Portsmouth will help you bring all that quality and a beautiful sense of nostalgia to the sound of your kit while maintaining the perfect balance between durability and aesthetic appeal.

A&F Drum Co.

Let’s move our spotlight to the other part of the planet and talk about the wizards from the A&F Drum Co. The reason they have the spotlight in this article is their minimalist design combined with modern sound. If you’re looking for clean lines and A-game sound in your kit, these guys will deliver in spades.

A&F Drum Co. is based in Austin, TX and they’ve made waves with their raw brass and wood-shell drum kits. The best example of their approach to drum production is their Raw Brass Snare Drum, which is highly versatile and boasts warm and cutting tones that could perfectly complement your playing. 

Maybe you prefer to play a wide range of genres and need an instrument that can keep up, in which case these discreet kits could do the job well. An additional bonus is the company focuses on handmade techniques for building their drums, plus they source all the necessary materials locally. This means you’ll get a drum that’s unique, eco-friendly, and a work of art in its own right.

British Drum Co.

While British Drum Co. has been on the market for almost a decade, their dedication to the quality and beautiful design of their drum kits is unprecedented. Their products will suit well drummers who are looking for A-game resonance and a punchy, fully focused sound. If you’re recognizing yourself in this description, this brand has a lot to offer you.

The product that put British Drum Co. on the map for drummers worldwide is their Lounge Series Drum Kit. For this drum kit, they joined forces with Palladium to include their hardware in the design that’s based on handcrafted birch shells that look and sound good. 

These drum-makers also use cold-press molding to provide that signature resonance we mentioned, as well as the consistent shell thickness necessary for it. Similar to A&F Drum Co., 

British Drum Co. is dedicated to keeping sustainable practices in their manufacturing processes, so you know your kit and accessories are all ethically sourced.

Sakae Osaka Heritage

We’re finishing this article in the same place where we started it, in Japan. The meticulous craftsmanship that’s singular to Japanese drum makers is mirrored in the work of Sakae Osaka Heritage, where dedication to detail is everything, and putting time and attention into the drum-making process is a must.

This is why drums that come from the Sakae Osaka Heritage workshop are nothing short of exceptional. These drums are predominantly built for professionals who can get the most out of the signature balanced, dynamic sound that will do great in the studio and during live performances. 

The best representative of this level of quality is the Celestial Series, made with high-end maple and birch shells. Sakae Osaka Heritage also excels in creating versatile snares, such as the Almighty Birch Snare, which will quickly become your favorite for its crisp attack and warm undertones. The brand deserves our spotlight for blending tradition with innovation and giving highly skilled players an instrument worthy of their experience. 

Conclusion

The world of drumming is ever-expanding, and nowadays we have opportunities that would have been all but unimaginable only a couple of decades ago. If you’re looking to buy a new drum kit or accessories and aren’t sure where to start, we recommend listing your needs and preferences and then finding the drum brands that fit the bill. 

It may take time to find the right fit, especially if you want a handmade instrument that delivers a particular type of sound. All the brands we mentioned have a lot to offer to a passionate drummer, it’s just the question of whether they check all your boxes. Dedicate a bit of time to your research – finding the right drum kit for you is well worth it!

Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.