Episode 148: Nothing and Other Things We Don’t Need

We know not everyone is as keen on the holiday season as we are, and this episode goes out to them. This week we review two melancholy Christmas tunes – “Nothing Left to Do (Let’s Make This Christmas Blue)” by The Both and “Things We Don’t Need Anymore” by Jenny Owen Youngs.

Thanks to the anonymous listener who requested these songs!

Episode 147: Puppets Ranked from Best to Worst

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We take on two puppet-related requests this week and end up hitting the extremes of our list. “The Christmas Wish” by Kermit the Frog, arguably the greatest puppet of all time, delights us — while “Christmas Tree” by Dustin the Turkey, an all-around troublesome audio-visual experience, dumbfounds us.

Philip Lopez’s amazing playlist of every song we’ve ever ranked is here!

You can support HARK on Patreon!

Episode 146: Fuck Yes Dragon Tuesday

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Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Dragon Tuesday. Join us as we celebrate with songs worthy of this fabled holiday. We stare into the face of our own mortality with Dragon Tuesday founder John Darnielle’s rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and harken to an epic tale of bravery and righteousness with Gods of Fire’s “The Quest For the Latke Oil”.

Support Hark on Patreon!

Episode 145: Songs From Last Year Debuting Next Year

We get back into some requests, covering two intriguing songs that were both released in 2016. “Joy” by Jeremih & Chance the Rapper is a deceptively simple jam that delivers some complex ideas, while “The Carol” by Loona is a sweet enough K-pop tune by a band that… only kind of exists?

Thanks again to Quincy and anonymous for the requests!

You can support HARK on Patreon!

Episode 144: Wham! Without Wham!

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We’re back and we’re celebrating RJ’s birthday! For their birthday boi’s choice, RJ has selected two songs themed around a Christmas standard that we’ve actually never covered on the show – the kind of thing they can get away with on their birthday. This year, to save us from tears, we listen to “Last Christmas” by Carly Rae Jepsen and “George and Andrew” by The Boy Least Likely To.

And FYI: you can now support HARK on Patreon!

Episode 143: Halloween Hanukkah Misfits Ghost

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Dim the lights… strike a match… because it’s HARK’s annual Halloween special, and this year we’re listening to two Halloween/Hanukkah songs! We start off strong with “Hanukkah” by the Manischefits, a mysterious Misfits cover band which might be composed of spirits who visited this plane only for a brief time to fulfill their one true purpose. “Halloween Hanukkah Christmas Ghost” by Hap Palmer tries to squeeze a lot of holiday content into one child-friendly tune, and while we admire that, we also find it lacking in either cheer or chills.

Episode 142: Real Music by Fake People

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This week, Ian and RJ are covering two real songs by fake brothers – The Geeta Brothers. What started as a comedy video by Punjabi-Canadian comedians JusReign and Babbulicious and turned into two* real albums of Punjabi Christmas music and a touring live Christmas spectacular for the whole family. “Frost the Snowman” and “Grinch” both turn out to be polished tunes with layers of jokes – including some that we are totally not the audience for, which really, is for the best!

*We recorded the episode thinking there was only one album. We’re sorry. There’s a jingle horse track we missed. We’re so sorry.

Episode 141: Hark! Ho! Let’s Go!

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We’re tying up some loose ends on our request list, putting the unused pairs for last week’s pick together – and it’s always better when we’re together, right? Jack Johnson’s rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and The Ramones’ “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)” may not seem like they have much in common at first glance, but they both make feeling bad sound pretty good. Thanks again to Alan and Matt for the requests!

Episode 140: Taxonomy of Santa Sex

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This week, by popular demand, we return to the nigh-inexhaustible subject of music about sex and Santa Claus. Fortunately, “Back Door Santa” by Clarence Carter is far from the worst song in this sub-genre we’ve covered, and we pair it with another tune that sounds better in execution than in concept, the sultry but sweet “Hanukkah Lovin'” by Michelle Citrin. Thanks to Matt, Alan, and anonymous for the requests!