It’s a funny thing — I don’t spend a lot of time focusing of rock music in my Christmas blogging. I post about pop, R&B or jazz, but I end up shortchanging straight-ahead rock. I aim to fix that today.
First, from Sweden, The Higher Elevations. The group’s leader Niklas Gustafsson lists as his guitar influences Johnny Marr, Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine and their jangly sound does reflect the Sixties filtered through the Eighties. “All These Winter Nights” is from 2006.
Much like The Higher Elevations, Robbers on High Street have been around for more than a decade and also have that mix of late Sixties British rock and early Seventies Power Pop. The band has been a quartet, a trio and a quintet, and have taken some time off over the years, but are still rockin’ hard. This is a 2007 cover version of a track from Teri Summers & The Librettos on The American Song-Poem Christmas.
The Higher Elevations – All These Winter Nights — BUY
Robbers on High Street – Season’s Greetings — BUY