There’s a lot of love for “Christmas Time Is Here” this year, with artists freely spreading the joy without asking you to open your wallet. On Saturday, I featured Jody Watley’s version and now Chicago’s Moneypenny are offering their own unique take on the Charlie Brown Christmas classic.
The female DJ duo turned electro act give the Peanuts tune a singularly synthy spin, steering the song into moodier territory toward the end. Hear here:
Keeping in the spirit of the holiday season, this Moneypenny will cost you neither. The gift-giving gals even turned out a bonus b-side, a cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (which, unless I’ve missed some very well hidden subtext all these years, has nothing to do at all with Christmas).
Download Moneypenny – “Christmas Time Is Here” / “Love Will Tear Us Apart.”
And for your holiday-party listening pleasure, don’t miss out on
Spandexxxmas, the latest edition of Moneypenny’s free monthly Spandexxx mixtape series.
Though the 30-minute set kicks off with Louis Armstrong’s “Zat You, Santa Claus?,” Moneypenny’s mix consists mostly of straightforward dance tracks with a sprinkling of dark and twisted Christmas-themed TV and movie samples. The mixtape art does, after all, feature characters from the Island of Misfit Toys, indicating the directional tone.
Tacked onto the end of Spandexxmas is another present: Julian Casablancas’ spirited cover of SNL‘s “I Wish It Was Christmas Today,” included in its entirety.
Download Moneypenny – Spandexxxmas via UR Chicago.