The holidays are once again upon us, and I partake of my annual tradition of enriching the musical tastes of my friends and family via the Christmas mix CD. Hey, I'm a music geek that spends way too much time and money discovering great new bands and tunes. They might as well reap the benefits- the holidays are all about sharing, after all.  This year has a decidedly indie feel, celebrat... [+]

The holidays are once again upon us, and I partake of my annual tradition of enriching the musical tastes of my friends and family via the Christmas mix CD. Hey, I'm a music geek that spends way too much time and money discovering great new bands and tunes. They might as well reap the benefits- the holidays are all about sharing, after all.

This year has a decidedly indie feel, celebrating the year when the major labels might be finally crumbling under the power of the iPod, net-savvy indie labels, music blogs, MySpace, eMusic, Pitchfork and countless others. And that's something to celebrate, because the music is just getting better. Most of these tracks came out in 2006, except for a few other recent 'discoveries' of older gems. The list also boasts quite a few covers. I've always been partial to a good cover with an original twist- not a slavish copy, but neither a jokey novelty.

So now I share my annual craft with my FIQL friends and family. Enjoy. [-]