I hate Christmas music. Go ahead, call me a scrooge! I just can’t help it though, it’s all very annoying to me. Everyone thinks my hatred of holiday music stems from working at the mall for four holiday seasons straight, where the Christmas music was non stop, but that’s not true. I can remember disliking it long before my four year stint at PacSun. So I put together a list of music recommendations for the holiday music haters, to hopefully drone out a whole lot of fa la la’s!

Nick Jonas: Jealous – Pleeeease judge me for this one! I think this song is so catchy it hurts….it especially hurts my pride for enjoying it. I rarely play the radio, I opt for plugging in my iPod instead, but if I’m running errands that are within a five mile distance of my house I begrudgingly play the top forty hits. This is the one song on the radio that I can actually tolerate listening to…and by tolerate I mean singing poorly to it at the top of my lungs. Nick Jonas is all grown up and cute as can be, so now that the purity ring is off – holla atcha girl. 😉

The Wombats: Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) – Ohhh yes, this song is indeed a PacSun throwback. We played this song within my first year of working there four long years ago, and I still love it. I actually was playing this about ten minutes ago when I was painting my face for the day. I think that if you can hear a song that was played at your work and not wanna roll your eyes at it, then that means you really do enjoy the song. I quite like The Wombats too, the album that this song is off of “The Wombats Proudly Present: This Modern Glitch” is simply delightful.

The 1975: Girls – I had to include The 1975 on this list considering I’m seeing them in concert in Cleveland tomorrow. I’M SO EXCITED!!!! First of all, Matt Healy is a babe with the voice of an angel. Having said that, I really adore this song. It reminds me of a more mature version of their fan favorite “Chocolate” especially when Healy uses the lyrics “I think you better go” which are used in “Chocolate” as well. I really enjoy the entirety of their self titled debut album, but this one is definitely one of my favorites. I can’t wait to tell you guys all about the concert tomorrow! Yippy hurray!

Usher ft. Juicy J: I Don’t Mind – I actually DO mind that I like this song…I mind it a lot actually. We play this raunchy jam at my current job, and it grew on me like a fungus. It’s a definite ear worm too considering I can never get it out of my head once I hear it. Juicy J’s verse absolutely cracks me up in this track, just like all of his songs do. He opens with “I’m just tryna cuddle up, tryna bust a nut” so be prepared for the feeling of “what did he just say?!” My mom loves her some Usher, but she refuses to listen to this song because of the suggestive content. Lucky for her, this song can definitely be classified as one of my funky time jams, so we balance each other out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Ycy95mJGs

Phantogram: When I’m Small – This song is good for more than just being featured in the commercials for Gilette razors. I love this song. I’ve had Phantogram on my iPod for a while now, but have never really chosen to listen to them avidly until my beau played them in the car a few nights ago. I always wondered what the song they were using in the razor commercials were, so I was shocked to find out that it’s been on my iPod for months now and I haven’t even realized it. I love the lead singers vocals, they remind me of an extremely indie version of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, and considering the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s are one of my favorites, I can definitely get down to some Phantogram.

Mona: Teenager – I forgot how much I liked this song until I had it playing in the Little Red Love Machine yesterday. This track is a PacSun classic, and I am SO not mad about it. Mona is a SEVERELY underrated band, so hopefully this will shine a light on just how fantastic they are. Do yourselves a favor and listen to their self titled album and their newest one “Torches & Pitchforks”. You’ll be glad you did.

Ed Sheeran: Don’t – This song plays at Next on occasion and I hate myself for liking it. BUT WHATEVER. This is definitely another tolerable song that’s playing on the radio, along with “Animals” by Maroon 5, which I mentioned a few posts ago. Anyways, I can’t tell if I’m attracted to Ed Sheeran’s leprechaun looking self, but I have no problem listening to this sexy track until I figure it out. Don’t even get me started on his accent. Lord have mercy on me.

The Killers: Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine – I’ve been on a HUGE The Killers kick lately, and if you say that you dislike the album “Hot Fuss” – then you’re a liar…plain and simple. This is the opening track on the album and it really is the perfect opener. I know too many people that think that “Hot Fuss” is only good for the crowd pleasers like “Somebody Told Me”, “Mr. Brightside”, and “All These Things That I’ve Done” but that is far from the case. I enjoy literally every song on this album, therefore, I think that it’s brilliant. “Hot Fuss” is ten years old now, and it’s still insanely relevant to this day.

Modest Mouse: March Into The Sea – Modest Mouse is one of my all time favorites, and they always will be. I wrote a paper on them recently in one of my college classes on their effects on indie rock over the years, so I’ve been listening to them more than usual. Isaac Brock’s vocals on this song are just INSANE. The things that this man can do with his voice is truly a gift from above. And that’s something that you will rarely hear me say about anyone. The fact that he can go from this amazing stylized screaming to gorgeous crooning in this song at the drop of a hat makes my heart flutter. My heart is also VERY warm at the news that they confirmed the release of a new album in the future!!!!

American Authors: Luck – I’ve been listening to a lot of these guys lately, and I really really enjoy them. This song touches my soul in the sense that I can relate to it so purely that it has moved me to tears multiple times. So many lyrics in this song are so relevant to the way that I’ve been feeling lately such as “I’m sorry mother (father, brother, ect) – I know I let you down” and ESPECIALLY “How can I set us free? I’m what you taught me to be – shouldn’t that be enough?” So needless to say, if you’re ever in the Ohio area, and see a little red headed girl in a little red car with her red lipstick on and crying hysterically into a cup of coffee…you’ll know that I’m listening to this song.

So there you have it, my latest funky time jams. Hopefully some of these tracks will get you through the annoyance of hearing holiday music day in and day out if you’re anything like me and can’t stand it. Sorry that I’ve been MIA over the weekend, by the way. My beau is home from college for the holidays so I’ve been spending a lot of time with him! It’s been fantastic 🙂

What have you guys been listening to lately? Leave me a comment with your music suggestions and let’s chat! Have a lovely Monday! -Sarah