Auld Lang Syne - as performed by Joel Rakes

'tis the time of year.
Joel Rakes bases himself out of Nashville, TN.  Originally from Delaware, then Philadelphia before Nashville, he's been writing, recording, & producing music for himself & for others.  Drawing influences from the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Jon Foreman, & Derek Webb, he has thus far released 2 EP's, starting with "A Sudden Change in the Atmosphere"[ind.] in 2008, followed by "The Philadelphia Session"[ind.] two years later.  Alongside those, he's also released a handful of Christmas songs & compilations.
The song itself comes from a Scots poem, the first version written in 1788 by Robert Burns.  One of the first major versions that popularized the song in North America was of course Guy Lombardo's late 1920's version.
Rakes has released two versions of Auld Lang Syne for free (if you wish) for this New Years - the first aptly titled "Auld Lang Syne (Happy)" & the second - you guessed it - "Auld Lang Syne (Sad)".  Enjoy   :)
http://christmas.joelrakes.com/album/auld-lang-syne

(Happy new year!)

I Robot - by the Alan Parsons Project

From the band that brought you what came to be the Chicago Bulls' entrance music... (that is, "Sirius", from the album "Eye In the Sky"[Arista; 1982]
The Alan Parsons Project* was from the UK & consisted of engineer/producer/keyboardist Alan Parsons (b.1948) & writer/vocalist/producer/pianist Eric Woolfson (b.1945).  The two of them met in 1974 at Abbey Road Studios where Parsons already got experience in the music field working on such albums as The Beatle's "Let It Be"[EMI; 1970] & Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon"[Harvest; 1973].
In 1975, after Woolfson approached 20th Century Records (whom Universal now owns the rights of) & they accepted his proposal to follow through with this 'Alan Parsons Project'**.  The pair of them subsequently released 10 studio albums into the late 80's with the help of a number of studio musicians & additional singers.  Parsons is still currently doing live shows, however, & sadly, Eric Woolfson passed away just two years ago, in December 2009, from cancer.  This song is from their sophomore album "I Robot" released in 1977 on Arista.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td56XAHxLpw

* - this links to the official fan website
If you wish to read a bit more concerning the name of the Alan Parsons Project & its importance, go here:
** - http://www.the-alan-parsons-project.com/whyapp.php

Falling In Love With Glaciers - by Listener

Been meaning to post this one for a while, so here it is.
Listener is based out of Atlanta, GA.  Dan Smith (from Deepspace 5) heads the project with Chris Nelson. They've been touring since 2002 (starting with more of a hip hop sound), & they've had 8 releases, starting with "Whipsermoon", released July 29th, 2003 on Mush Records.  The mentioned touring has been all around the world, including dates in Japan, England, Norway, & Canada, among the few; & appearing alongside the likes of mewithoutYou, The Myriad, Cool Hand Luke, Astronautalis, & more.  This song is from "Wooden Heart".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI7brs4yfJo

Also: you can download their "Wooden Heart Poems" album for FREE here, from their BandCamp page:
http://listener.bandcamp.com/album/wooden-heart-poems

Jesus Gave Us Christmas - by Emery

Another one of my absolute favourite Christmas songs.
& I guess, just as some FYI: Emery is based out of Seattle, WA.  They formed in 2001 in Rock Hill, SC before being signed to Tooth & Nail Records.  Most recently, they were officially 'moved' to T&N's 'daughter' company Solid State Records where they released their latest studio album "We Do What We Want" on March 29th, 2011.  This song was released on T&N's "Happy Christmas Vol. 5" compilation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuiTQPEO5ys

& at that:
Have a merry Christmas.

Beneath the Snow - by The Gentlemen with Philippa Hanna

The countdown's almost over (that is, if you're counting down until Christmas).
The Gentlemen are from Sheffield, England.  The band is made up of guitarist Sean Walsh, brothers Joel & Josh Cana who do drums & bass, respectively, & the "enigmatic wizard-like lead singer"* Nicholas Noble.  They've released 2 studio albums - "Smile Back At Me"[Authentic; 2007] & "A Candid History of Faith, Hope, Love"[The Stereo Tree; 2009] - since their inception about half a decade ago.  Most recently, they released this Christmas single [for FREE, too - link below...] earlier this month.
Philippa Hanna is also from Sheffield, England.  She changed some of her direction in 2005 & she started to appear on the bigger scene with her 2007 LP "Watching Me" when she was 23 years old.  She has also performed alongside the likes of Chris Tomlin, Third Day, Delirious?, & YFriday.  More plans her are also on the horizon for 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlK94mBPZO4
(& here's the... erm... 'cute'... preview that came before the official release...  :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lUJuZ3-JkY

& as they have on the YouTube video, you can download the single for FREE from here:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/-xsbfTsc/Beneath_the_Snow_Mix_2.html

* - http://www.yourmusiczone.com/artists.php?area=details&code_artist=GENTLEMENT

His Favorite Christmas Story - by Capital Lights

One of my favourite Christmas story songs...
Capital Lights is based out of Tulsa, OK.  They started initially as a screamo band called afterEIGHT, but after a couple people left, bassist/vocalist Bryson Phillips rewrote some material & they became Capital Lights.  They signed with Tooth & Nail Records in 2007 & released their debut LP "This is an Outrage!" on July 8th, 2008.  As fate would have it, however, they broke up, announcing this in August 2009.  But don't be disappointed - they announced late last year that they plan to record a new album!  A couple of things have changed in their personal lives since, as guitarist Brett Admire got married & guitarist Jonathan Williams got engaged (& if either of you see this: Congrats to both of you!).  As such, they tweeted a tweet on Twitter just 2 days ago, stating: "Just got some mixes back for the new record!! Can't wait for you guys to hear them".  It's still going to be released on T&N, however, I do not believe they have released an official date.  This song was released in 2008 with T&N's Christmas compilation "X Christmas".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNgSMCaje4c
& here's a cool music video that someone did for their senior thesis at university:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU6Dtb5tcoI

11th & final...

Hey, The Gentlemen have posted their 11th & final mashup for 2011 - check it out! (features a number of... ummm... 'guests' from their previous videos, too!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVY-GwM4R18