If I get good behaviour, I'll be out of here by July

Download: Paul Kelly - How to Make Gravy

It's early morning Boxing Day here at Screw Rock 'n' Roll central, which means that Christmas is over for me, though I do know that a lot of you out there are only just waking up to Christmas morning around right now. If that is you, I hope you have a great day. And I hope the rest of you have had a most excellent ecks-mass.

I won't be doing a proper entry for this one, because, well, right now I'm more interested in drinking than writing. Still, some things to bring your attention to:

First, some Christmas reading. Have a look at Barry Schwartz's irrepressible look at Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas album, which still makes for marvellous reading a year later. It's absolutely wonderful, and you should be reading it right now. Another thing you should be reading is Andrew Unterberger's Seven Days of XMas series at Intensities in Ten Suburbs. Also, please note that Belle and Sebastian have a satisfyingly cozy, though hardly essential, track called "Are You Coming Over for Christmas?" up at its MySpace. And should you be seeking more visual entertainment, there are a couple of different people Cranking dat Santa Claus on Youtube, the latter of which, superbly, "cranks dat Mrs Claus".

In other news, you should be thrilled to know that the old editor of Stylus' Singles Jukebox, Will Swygart has started a new blog, and you should all be reading it. And, with Stylus now an ex-web site, I've been looking for writing opportunities elsewhere, which is why you can catch me reviewing albums like Miranda Lambert's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Beasts of Bourbon's Little Animals at Lost at Sea. I also contributed to their 2007 albums list. You can see my individual, though not entirely satisfactory, year end list here. Grindin'.

I've also made available for your download pleasure Paul Kelly's "How to Make Gravy" (those of you who failed to notice: the link is at the top of this post). The song is one of the few Australian Christmas songs, and even more surprisingly (given the general shit-ness of Christmas songs), it's a good one.

I don't have time right now to properly explain Paul Kelly to those who aren't familiar with him, so let's keep it at him being a distinctly Australian singer-songwriter, whose lyrics draw from country storytelling tradition, while his sound springs from populist pub-rock. There are many reasons why calling him the Australian Bruce Springsteen would be glib and facile, but its a comparison that is not entirely untrue. This song is a letter from a guy who's "screwed up" and found himself in jail this Christmas, so he writes a letter to his brother telling him how to do the job he can't be there to do: make the gravy for the roast. He drops in all kinds of heartbreaking details; instructions to comfort his kids, and for his brother to stay away from Kelly's character's wife. Kelly makes the song sentimental but not cloying, an impressive feat. He also makes the song sound admirably summery. This year's Christmas was a rather chilly one in this corner of the country, but Christmas seems nevertheless like it should be a warm affair, and Kelly's Christmas sounds every bit the hundred degrees he predicts for the 25th in the song.

So, enjoy the song and have a merry Christmas, Screw Rock 'n' Rollers, I'm getting a beer. L'chaim!