HARKpodcast

We get back into some Hanukkah music just in time for Passover, covering two modern takes on a traditional song - "Ma'oz Tsur/Rock of Ages" by folk musician Julie Silver and "Ma'oz Tzur" by bossa nova band Nossa Bossa Nova.

In what could barely pass as an April Fool's Day themed episode, we cover two versions of "Santa Baby" because fuck it this holiday is the worst. We come to Taylor Swift's version by way of an anonymous request, but including Michael Buble's version is our own damn fault. Things get a little rough for RJ.

An innocuous anonymous request uncovers Ian's deep-seated bias against a popular band - The Killers. We discuss two of their many Christmas originals - "Great Big Sled" and "Don't Shoot Me Santa" - and come to divergent conclusions.

As we await spring here in Canada, we take a week to recognize our friends who are right now moving into autumn. Two Australian holiday songs come to us by anonymous request: "How To Make Gravy" by Paul Kelly and "White Wine in the Sun" by Tim Minchin.

It's International Women's Day, and so we're doing songs about Mrs. Claus, goddammit. Santa's often-nameless wife gets a sort-of kind-of feminist anthem in "Mrs. Santa Claus" by Angela Lansbury. Then there's "Mrs. Santa Claus" by R Kelly. Guess what that one's about. Thanks again to Andy for the requests!

This week we cover some punk rock by request: "I'm Getting Pissed for Christmas" by Peter and the Test Tube Babies and "Oi to the World" by The Vandals. Thanks to cs2-6 for the requests! We had a technical issue while recording and Ian did his best to fix it, but the audio quality is a bit off on this episode. Apologies, angels!

Ian and RJ celebrate Mardi Gras the only way they know how: talking about Christmas music. Specifically, New Orleans themed Christmas music: "Christmas in New Orleans" by Louis Armstrong and "Santa's Second Line" by New Birth Brass Band.

This week we listen to selections for Black History Month, covering Billie Holiday's 1937 recording of "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" and the 1973 single by father-daughter team Akim and Teddy Vann, "Santa Claus Is a Black Man".

We keep knocking out requests with two songs for Valentine's Day! "Santa Forever" by Mia Crosby and "Dear Santa" by Girls Generation both implore Father Christmas to help solve romantic troubles - though one song pretty explicitly seeks matchmaking services while the other is asking for, I don't know, cheer? Who knows, but the costumes are amazing.

In our third straight week of covering requests, we tackle a recent Christmas original, "No Snowmen in LA" by Ms. Maura and the Misters. And since the Superbowl approaches, we make a tenuous sports connection, pairing it with a song we like MUCH less about a city we like much more: "Merry Merry Merry Frickin' Christmas (World Champion Red Sox Anthem)" by Frickin' A.

We joke a lot about not knowing anything regarding music on this here music podcast. This week, we take a request that has us analyzing another medium we're not particularly qualified to talk about: TV! Hear what we had to say about "California Christmastime" performed by the cast of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and "That's What Christmas is For" performed by the cast of Community, plus our unpopular opini...

This week, we get back to requests and cover two very different songs about the haves and/or the have-nots - "No Christmas in Kentucky" by Phil Ochs and "Toy Jackpot" by Blackalicious. Thanks again to Benito for the request!

This week on HARK, we cover a pairing of songs that we've had in mind for one hundred episodes - cover versions of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and "Wonderful Christmastime" by two bands that make us talk about high school again, The Polyphonic Spree and The Shins.

After some travel mishaps and a busy holiday season, we finally sat down to record this week's episode of HARK - with our family/friends, Emma Holliday & Ian Burnette! You may remember Emma and E from their fabulous parody episode of our show, "Hey You Over There" - in this episode, we talk with them about two satirical songs from "A Colbert Christmas", and also the nature of comedy, and Christmas...

As the Great Holiday Equinox of 2016 continues, we celebrate this rare overlap of winter festivities by introducing a new holiday to the list. It took us one hundred episodes to get there, but "Seven Principles" by Sweet Honey in the Rock marks our very first Kwanzaa song! We also hear a new jam from the band that produced one of our Hanukkah favorites - The Macaroons, who urge us to "Hurry Up and...

You there, boy! What day is this? Why, it's the day of the 100th episode of HARK! As per tradition, RJ and Ian introduce the 199th and 200th songs in the list by surprising each other with picks for the top and the bottom. RJ's pick for the top comes from the heart - will they sell you on their favorite song, or is this the episode in which we expose ourselves as a couple of sentimental know-nothi...

Our 100th episode approaches - but first we attend to our first-ever appeal in this very special episode! Some new context enriches our listening experience of the #3 song on our list, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love. Will our top three get a shake-up just one week before the Great Holiday Equinox of 2016? Thanks to Chris for both the original submission and the appeal!

This week on HARK, we're building up to episode 100 with two classic songs from two classic Christmas specials: "Christmastime is Here (Vocal)" from A Charlie Brown Christmas and "Welcome Christmas (Reprise)" from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

This week we cover "The Christmas Song" and "All I Want For Christmas" -- but not the songs you're probably thinking of. Inspired by an anonymous request, we let The Raveonettes and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs gently rock us to the recent past.

It's a good time to give. And to make fun of bad Christmas music. This week on HARK, we recognize Giving Tuesday by talking a bit about some organizations that might be worth supporting, and just like, totally taking the piss out of "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid and fellow well-intentioned infuriatingly-poorly-executed supergroup carol "Snow Snow Snow" by the Band of Merrymakers.

For the first time since the show's launch, Ian and RJ are taking the week off from HARK! What you're going to hear this week is a different podcast, which may or may not be from some kind of alternate universe. Many thanks to Emma & E for "filling in" this week! If you want to check out the other stuff Emma and E do, visit anopportunemoment.com and eandegames.com!

Hey. So, uh. It sure has been a year. We're about to take some time off, but before we do, here's a few new year's songs intended to inspire some hope that 2017 might be more bearable: "This New Year Will Be For You and Me" by Lacrosse and "My Dear Acquaintance (Happy New Year)" by Regina Spektor. Hang in there.

This coming Tuesday is November 8th, a very important day! Yes, it is RJ's birthday, and absolutely nothing else! NOPE. That means birthday boi's choice, and RJ decides to use this occasion to return to two Christmas favorites who have been featured on the show previously: the Muppets and Sufjan Stevens. If RJ's crying on the podcast, tell them you said Happy Birthday. (Also: vote please.)

Are you excited about Halloween? Chances are you're more excited than our resident Halloween Grinch, Ian. He is literally complaining about Halloween again as I type this episode description. Anyway, this week we covered two Christmas songs best suited to this spookiest of seasons: "Monster's Holiday" by Bobby Pickett and "All I Want for Christmas is Halloween" by Happy Fangs.

In this sort-of prequel to our Halloween episode, we listen to two metal holiday songs that conjure images ranging from kinda spooky to fairly upsetting to downright awesome - "I Am Santa Claus" by Bob Rivers and "Hanukkah Gone Metal" by Gods of Fire. Thanks to Jeri & Corey for the request!