A Very Micah Christmas 2016

Shepherds, why this jubilee? Because I *finally* finished my annual Christmas mix! It's been an especially physically, emotionally, and spiritually draining season working at the Monolithic Online Retailer, but I still managed to put together some songs for your Yuletide enjoyment. At least I got it out there before Festivus.

This year you'll be grooving to:
1. "I Walk So Slow Under the Mistletoe" - Walter Martin & Kat Edmonson
2. "Christmas Sweaters" - Noah Glenn
3. "Holiday Road" - Tennis
4. "All I Want Is Truth (For Christmas)" - The Mynabirds
5. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Savoir Adore
6. "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Weezer
7. "Silver Bells" - She & Him
8. "A Willie Nice Christmas" - Kacey Musgraves with Willie Nelson
9. "Stay In" - Army Navy
10. "Christmas Clown" - The Rosebuds
11. "I'll Be Home on Christmas Day" - Elvis Presley
12. "The 12 Days of Christmas" - Straight No Chaser
13. "Fairytale of New York" - Clive Murray
14. "Christmas Is Holy" - John Wesley Harding
15. "O Holy Night" - Katie Melua
16. "White Winter Hymnal" - Birdy
17. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" - Kyle Cox
18. "A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" - Glasvegas
19. "Stille Nache, Heilige Nacht" - Vienna Boys' Choir
20. "Joy to the World" - Eef Barzelay

You can snag it here.

However, I realize that streaming is the cool, hip thing to do, so I give to you the mix in Spotify playlist form:



Note: the playlist is missing three or four songs from the downloadable version, so you won't be getting the full AVMC experience. Such is life.

Okay, this worker elf is off to bed. I hope you like the mix. Merry Christmas!

Weezer made another great album? Say it ain't so!

Ha. Clever, but now outdated. (Hat sold by this guy.)

These days I mostly listen to podcasts, but for a long time now I've silently lamented that I no longer consume music like I did in high school and college: endless listens, memorizing lyrics and liner notes, studying the artwork. I'll still like new music by artists old and new, but I just don't devour it like I used to.

And then Weezer put out The White Album.



I swear, I have had this thing on repeat for the past couple of weeks, letting new episodes of most of my podcasts pile up. The album is really, really, REALLY good.

I'm not going to be one of those guys proclaiming "Weezer is back!" because for me they "were back" with 2014's Everything Will Be Alright In The End. Its release was a refreshing return from years spent in the pop music wilderness. There are plenty of catchy tunes on it. So that album, too, is much worthy of your time. But folks, this one is even better.

And I'm going to stop short of saying it's as good as their debut and its follow up. The Blue Album was a lightning bolt guitar strap in a bottle, perfectly capturing a moment in time for the Alternative Nation. As for Pinkerton, I doubt Rivers Cuomo is going to get that personal ever again. So don't set your expectations that high. (Heck, I'm a staunch Green Album defender and White *almost* matches it. Your mileage may vary.)

Weezer's White Album is a lean, Beach Boys-influenced ode to California. Harmonies abound. There are pianos and surf sounds. It's got earworms for days. It starts, throws out ten fuzzy pop gems, and then leaves before it wears out its welcome with ill advised genre experiments and Lil Wayne cameos.



I flip flop when it comes to my favorite new song of theirs. For a while it was "Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori", with its effortless singalong chorus. (Pro tip: listen to Rivers explain the writing and recording of that song here.) Right now it's "L.A. Girlz". Oh, that sublime bridge! Check back with me next week and I'll have a different one I'm obsessing about. Probably "King of the World".



The point being that if you fell off the Weezer train sometime over the past 15 years - believe me, I wouldn't fault you for that - give them another shot. You'll probably like what you'll hear.

And given the choices we have during this election season, we're going to need all of the clever sunshine alt rock pop we can get. Weezer 2016!

Operation: Podthanks pt. I

These days the things that occupy the most of my recreational time are podcasts. I decree that 2016 is the year I give back for all of the free entertainment they provide me. In the past I paid lip service to doing that, but the extent to which I put it into practice was shelling out a buck or two for the Comedy Film Nerds' ebook when it was on sale.

First up: I ordered a bunch of Relevant magazine merchandise. I've been listening to their podcast every week for 10 years - no, Serial didn't invent the medium last year - so it was about time I showed my appreciation. I picked up a couple of shirts and a sticker for my laptop. Free advertising for the gang!

Back when I was unemployed last year I let my subscription lapse as a cost cutting measure, but now I'm back in full force. Bonus: I can finally enjoy the slick tablet version like the millennial that I am.