Christmas Gift ::

Why so sad?

Christmas or not, the world isn't exactly 'roses and poetry', so let's dispense with the uber-cheerful ear-candy and cut to the chase: Christmas Gift is a beautifully wrapped package of 14 songs that pitch uncertainty and insecurity (however big or small) against the simple hope that everything might turn out fine next year.

A charity album?

Christmas is about giving, right? Decision made – we’re going to do something positive, make a bit of a difference (however great or small). All the income we receive from sales of this record will go to charity! 100% of it, every last penny in fact will be donated to Save The Children.

Get involved...

As much as we’d love to think music could change the world, it can’t. Not on its own. You need people in the equation. Songs are songs, and beyond the notes and the words, there’s reality. So please help us achieve what we set out to do by persuading people to buy this record: if we make the record a success, we’ll make some money. All of that money will be donated to Save The Children who will use it to help young people facing very difficult situations.

Please join (and invite everyone you know to join) us on Facebook and Twitter:

Various who?

The 14 songs on the album are from artists on our roster and friends of the label... here's some information about them (in the order they appear on the album):

The Animal Beat - If paddling against the tide were a sport, The Animal Beat would be Olympic champions. Check out their debut release, Ambient Jungle Noise, for the evidence.

Tyler Butler - Tyler Butler is a meticulous existentialist with a talent for wavering synth lines and lyrics that quietly speak of his tempestuous relationship with his hometown in Alberta, Canada.

Tina Refsnes - Tina comes from a small town on the west-coast of Norway; known to the world for little else than stuff that has to do with fish. She writes beautiful songs about things that take place inside her head (demons and enemies, horses and houses), but somehow resonate with most of the people that hear them.

The Whiskey Priest - The Whiskey Priest is the solo incarnation of habitually unshaven Texan maverick, Seth Woods. His first album, Wave and Cloud - an impressive, brooding hobo-folk masterpiece - was released in late August 2010 and met with a more than encouraging rabble of interest.

Sara Lewis - Sara is a New York-based singer-songwriter with a knack for playing the piano rather well. Her debut ep, Birds Without Cages was self-released in 2010.

Ben Holland - Ben Holland is the singer and songwriter from The Winter Hill Transmission. His songs are generally about transmissions, folded metro maps and the long distance romantic.

Trev Gibb - Hailing from Newcastle in the north east of England, Trev Gibb is an immensely talented, erudite songwriter who, through his bruised and battered songs, offers an often painfully honest insight into the ebb and flow of life’s everyday grind. Trev released several eps in 2010 all of which are well worth checking out.

The Kickliner - The Kickliner, a couple of bookish lads from Derby, write and sing effortlessly affecting songs about life, love, work, nights out and the state of this funny little island we inhabit.

James Neill - In the time it takes James Neill to sing just one song, he can paint a perfect picture of alienation and loss, pitched against the eternal and inextinguishable hopes of every dreamer... Like Sparklehorse in a power cut. Monsters Waltz, James' first ep for Rainboot, was released in November 2010.

Junkboy - Brighton-based brothers, Rich and Mik Hanscomb, formed Junkboy in the late '90s. Since then they've released a raft of acclaimed records culminating in 2010's Koyo (Enraptured Records).

April Maybe May - April Maybe May are Matt Kassell and Rosie Hillman from Cumbria. Purveyors of finely crafted acoustic folk rock, April Maybe May are currently writing and recording the soundtrack for the forthcoming independent movie, The Bell Pool.

Justin Levinson - It's country Jim, but not as we know it... His ability to create authentic pop music has earned Justin several songwriting awards from Berklee College Of Music in Boston, as well as a slot in the 2006 International Pop Overthrow Tour.

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