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Soundcheck

Tuesday, December 23, 2008
  • Plastic carolers
    (MoToMo/flickr)

    Smackdown: Christmas Music

    The right Christmas carol can melt hearts -- or turn stomachs. Today: the battle over Christmas music, in a Soundcheck Smackdown debate. Later: the early music group Lionheart previews the medieval Italian Christmas music it will perform tonight at the Met Museum. Plus: the Soundcheck staff reveals their CD picks of the year.

The War on Christmas Music

Today, our Soundcheck Smackdown series dares to enter the annual battle over Christmas music. Joining us are Dr. Gerard J. Grzyb, seasonal music coordinator for the public radio station WRST-FM at the University of Wisconsin, and Nigel Rodgers, the president of Pipedown International.

A Soundcheck producer is responding to your comments today and sharing the conversation on the air.

Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer on the scrap over Christmas music

Tell us: Is Christmas music essential for the holiday season? Does it drive you batty? Leave a comment.

Pipedown International
WRST-FM in Oshkosh, Wisc.

CD Picks of the Year

Each week, the Soundcheck staff digs through our inbox for three outstanding new releases. Today, we present the best of the year. Read our full picks on the Soundcheck blog.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Bach’s "The Art of Fugue" (Deutsche Grammophon)
--picked by Brian Wise

Girl Talk, “Feed the Animals” (Illegal Art)
--picked by Joel Meyer

Avishai Cohen Trio, “Gently Disturbed” (Razdaz)
--picked by Gisele Regatao

Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, “The Bairns”
--picked by John Schaefer

More about these picks

Lionheart

Lionheart Braves Christmas Music

Rick Porterfield of the early music group Lionheart shares medieval Italian Christmas music that the group will sing tonight at the Met Museum.

Lionheart site

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Los Amigos Invisibles

Soundcheck

The Venezuelan funk-rock band "Los Amigos Invisibles" was discovered by David Byrne in a Manhattan record shop. They perform live on Soundcheck.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

Soundcheck

The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.