Andros and the Mouse - Oh Mistletoe
Artist Andros and the Mouse
Title Oh, Mistletoe
Genre Indie rock/Art-rock
Recorded Konk, London - December 2012
Producer Andros Angelakos
Release December 2012
Label KCM
Written by Andros Angelakos, Katie Coyle
Oh, Mistletoe is the all new single from English indie/art rock quintet Andros and the Mouse, and marks their second official single release since being signed by folk legend Katie Coyle earlier this autumn. With the band's debut single Geek Girl hitting number one on the Top 20 Airplay charts in the first week of its release, the five Cambridge University graduates are now looking to capitalise on the success and hype they have created by releasing a "festive" and fun track to celebrate the holiday season and try to reach the lucrative Christmas number one slot. The track was recorded late in 2012 for fun and to somewhat embrace the festive spirit, and the band said that it will be available for free via a number of different digital channels, as well as on physical CD from all good record stores.
Oh, Mistletoe was penned by Andros Angelakos, the band's frontman in conjunction with his boss Katie Coyle, and attempts to take a tongue in cheek look at the times surrounding Christmas, and how frustrating it can be, especially for the single man. In a continuation of the theme from the band's debut single, the track looks at how a lonely person feels through the holidays as they try to enjoy their sense of freedom, as well as battling the notion of desperately wanting to find a partner. It takes on a comically bitter yet somehow still sweet and funny aura, and embraces the bah humbug notion of Christmas, from that one character that we all know in our office who complains about everything, but not totally seriously.
The song begins in a very traditional festive fashion, with the sound of sleighbells jingling merrily starting to fade into the consciousness of the listener across the sound of cracking and fizzing that is reminiscent of an old vinyl record. After a few seconds of this, the distinctive guitars of Andros and the Mouse come in, overpowering the sound of the bells and playing a quick yet punchy and quirky guitar riff that is framed by some softly brushed percussive sounds on the drums and a sweeping keyboard section that helps to give the song an obscurely hymn-like notion that just lingers in the mind of the listener and makes them think "Yes....yes, this must be Christmas after all." After this, the chorus comes in quickly with its faux-group vocals, a trademark of Andros and the Mouse choruses, whereby both parts are sung by the same person (Angelakos), but sound so much morelayered, allowing a depth and warmth to the punchy, quirky, and funny lyrics that he sings. Throughout the opening chorus, the guitars and drums are louder, and the keyboard fades out to give way to something that is much more lively and packing a punch than you might expect from the average Christmas song, breathing a veritable breath of fresh air into the season and kicking Slade and Mariah Carey right in the balls/vag.
When the first/opening chorus comes to an end, one guitar plays a high pitched chord over and over again quickly, while the rest of the instruments stop for a brief two seconds, before the original sound comes back in again with the hymn-style keyboard and the slightly slower and picked guitars, as opposed to the very fast and energy-powered chorus. For the verse, the track is slower, and the vocals are broken into two parts. The first half of each line is sung with a much slower pace, before there's a brief pause, and the second half is sung much faster, with the drums helping to keep the pace with Andros' voice. After they reach the line,
You see my breath hang in the air, the slow part is eliminated though, and the rest of the verse is faster, with the keyboard still hanging in there to help promote the festive notion over the comical look at the Christmas period that contains some of the most cynical and bitter words ever said about embracing the spirit of the holidays.
The track continues alternating between the chorus and verse in style for two times, before the music quietens a little, and a single strum of Andros' guitar is heard over anything else. The soft jingle of festive bells comes in during this quiet moment, which begins at
But don't get me wrong, though I might moan, where the start of each line of the bridge is punctuated with a single strum of a sad sounding guitar chord, this in itself quite humorous against the backdrop of the bells that seem to exemplify the notion of Christmas.
After this, the bells stop, and for the next section the guitar is more upbeat, backed up only by the drums as Andros sings about taking a walk in the snow. This section is slower than earlier parts, but faster than the bridge below it, as if to signal the build up to something louder and with more pace coming after it. On the last line, just as he starts singing, the drum and guitars both play a striking note at the same time, to leave just the vocal and give it a framed sound as it resonates slightly and echoes within its own silence, before a chorus comes back in again, as it was at the start of the track with the same punch, humour and vigour that it carried at the earlier points in the song.
When this comes to a close, the last section is just Andros and the Christmas bells, before the track comes to an end with a slight laugh that tells the listener the whole notion of hating Christmas and all the festivities has been nothing more than tongue in cheek.
Andros Said: "This was really fun. I mean that, I really do. I got the chance to work with Katie Coyle, and although we wrote this very quickly, and recorded it in the space of like a day, I think we captured the spirit I really wanted to. It reminds me of that song from a few years ago by the Waitresses that talks about spending Christmas alone and how she would rather miss it. I was trying to capture the same holiday spirit along with a little bit of comedy hatred of Christmas just to make it a little bit different from the sort of thing I'm used to hearing on Christmas festive charts. I think it came out well, and at the end of the day it's just a bit of fun. Hopefully the fans like it and get behind it. We really enjoyed recording it, which was what we set out aiming to do."
Mistletoe, oh mistletoe,
Come under and I'll kiss ya
I'm heading down woah camel toe!
If you don't mind I'll miss ya
Hang the tinsel, green and red
Don't want the turkey, come to bed
Mistletoe, oh mistletoe,
Come under and I'll kiss yaAutumn's gone and all the leaves have fallen
A golden carpet on the ground but you look sullen
How can I make your winter blues just blow away
Open another advent door yeah here comes Christmas day!
You see my breath hang in the air
I'm getting kinda perky
This is my fav'rite time of year
So fill me up with turkey
I'm out the office party time
It's time to finish working
I don't even mind this hangover
But memories are murky!Mistletoe, oh mistletoe,
Come under and I'll kiss ya
I'm heading down woah camel toe!
If you don't mind I'll miss ya
Hang the tinsel, green and red
Don't want the turkey, come to bed
Mistletoe, oh mistletoe,
Come under and I'll kiss yaOh can you hear those jingle bells a-ringing
I'll give a fiver to these carollers to stop singing
Santa Claus is taking credit for all my parcels
Where was he when I was queuing for hours, that arsehole
I Won't let the stress bring me down
I'm feeling so damn happy
Even if these roads keep makin' me frown
They're kinda Apple Mappy
It's time for movies and sipping mulled wine
While the North pole readies the sleigh
So many reasons I try not to whine
But what the fuck is eggnog anyway?Mistletoe, oh mistletoe,
Come under and I'll kiss ya
I'm heading down woah camel toe!
If you don't mind I'll miss ya
Hang the tinsel, green and red
Don't want the turkey, come to bed
Mistletoe, oh mistletoe,
Come under and I'll kiss yaBut don't get me wrong, though I might moan
I don't hate this festive season
Though Santa Claus and candles make me groan
I've still got a better reason
To love this Christmas time of year,
when all the geek girls feel romantic
I'll choose my own new red-nosed reindeer
But please don't think I'm being pedantic
While lights and trees and wreaths of holly
Might make you feel quite pleasant
To feel your lips under that mistletoe
Is my favourite kind of present
So hang your stocking up on the fireplace
And let's take a walk in the snow
I wanna see that smile on your pretty face
When you've got nowhere to go
Except underneath my mistletoe so pucker those lips
I wish you were wrapped up with a bow
I'll kiss you from your head to your hips
Mistletoe, oh mistletoe,
Come under and I'll kiss ya
I'm heading down woah camel toe!
If you don't mind I'll miss ya
Hang the tinsel, green and red
Don't want the turkey, come to bed
Mistletoe, oh mistletoe,
Come under and I'll kiss yaMistletoe oh mistletoe
Don't let me go, don't let me go
Mistletoe, oh mistletoe
I'll never go, I'll never go
Oh darling pleeeeeeeeease
Let me kiss you under thaaaaaaaaat
Mistletoe
