The Smiles Release Free Christmas EP "Mary, Christmas Baby"

California indie surf pop/garage rock band The Smiles have just released a free Christmas EP entitled Mary, Christmas Baby. The 6-song collection features 3 Christmas classics placed among entertaining skits -- probably the closest the band will ever come to making a rap album (get it? I hope so). So, if you ever wanted to hear "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Feliz Navidad" in the context of surf, now's your chance. Stream/download the whole EP after the hop.

The Smiles on Mary, Christmas Baby:

We recorded these two/three/six songs while trying to take some finals, so it was a little hectic but it is finally ready!

The album cover is a picture of Will as a kid. What a smile.

UNDER THE COVERS: Slow Club Takes On Darlene Love

UK folk rock duo Slow Club released one of the year's best albums with their debut Yeah So (ok, so technically it was first released last year, but only received its U.S. release in March of this year). The band also released a Christmas EP entitled Christmas, Thanks For Nothing last year that was finally released in the U.S. yesterday via Moshi Moshi. The 6-song extended player features reinterpretations of two Darlene Love classics. Check out one of them, the Phil Spector-penned "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", below.

Slow Club - "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"


Slow Club emphasize the rock 'n' roll roots of the song, somewhat minimizing the original's prominent baroque pop sound -- and, yeah, it works quite well. The duo's take on this Christmas classic isn't that much of a far cry from their own material, and it seems like a rather fitting selection for them to reinterpret. The rollicking rhythm, acoustic strumming, and backing choir that characterize the song here all provide an added sense of joy. Both the original and this cover are great. Win, win!

Hear the original after the hop (if you aren't familiar with it already).