Thomas Rigby
Thomas Rigby
Thomas Rigby
A Gen-X/Millennial cusp (Xennial), I'm old enough to remember life before the internet but not (quite) old enough to have seen Nirvana live. Or, as my wife puts it, I adapt to technology like a Millennial but get angry about it like a Boomer.
Latest Posts
"In Dulce Jubilo" by Mike Oldfield He of Tubular Bells fame, Mike Oldfield throws down the gauntlet for the most heavy metal Christmas song of all time — and it's not even heavy metal! This is a bouncy bombastic folk tune that gets the...
"A Mad Russian's Christmas" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra Orchestral heavy metal just works. In general, but especially at this time of year. Shredding Tchaikovsky conjures up images of swirling snow, pine trees, and wolves pacing a steam...
Daenerys Targaryen has a history of bad decisions, reckless behaviour, and burned bridges. Can a chance meeting with enigmatic do-gooder Tom change her for the better in time for Christmas? "Last Christmas" absolutely smashes it out of...
"Gothic Christmas" by Within Temptation This has been on my Christmas playlist for so long. Straight up Scandinavian viking symphonic metal with operatic vocals and Norse mythology but it's all about Christmas. Firmly tongue in cheek and...
A year ago, I tested the responses from Google's Vision API using a tool called They See Your Photos which showed Google's analysis was riddled with inaccuracies and weird judgements. I ran another experiment this year to see what, if...
Following the rules of sequels, this follow-up to 2022's "Haul Out The Holly" ramps up the Christmas and shows the student becomes the master by introducing a nemesis for Lacey Chabert's character who I'm still annoyed isn't called...
Hallmark hit another homerun1 with this heartwarming Christmas romantic comedy. Lacey Chabert and a guy who isn't a Baldwin but looks very like a Baldwin star in this tale as old as time: she is not a fan of Christmas, he loves it. Will...
"O Come All Ye Faithful" by Bad Religion Back when I was a naughty little boy dragged along to Midnight Mass, this is how I'd sing along to the hymns; at least, I thought I sounded all clever and punk like Greg Graffin but I probably...
1st December - 7th December There's no real idea of "winding down for Christmas" where I work. Clients release budget and work ramps up towards pre-break deliverables. This is the long way of saying I've been busy! I had my annual...
"Hating you for Christmas" by Everclear Shimmering along in that "post-Grunge" era that didn't seem to take off so much, Everclear had some absolute tunes. Weird flex to go Christmassy but I'm not mad at it! Thanks for reading this post...
"Is this Christmas?" by The Wombats Scouse jangly indie that is considerably less serious than most scouse jangly indie, The Wombats can definitely put out a good tune and this original ode to Chrimbo hits all the hallmarks of their...
"Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)" by The Darkness Dismissed as a joke, The Darkness are actually a bunch of extremely talented folks with an ear for a banging tune. This is no exception. Thanks for reading this post via RSS! Let...
Retro Bar in Manchester has closed. I wasn't the most regular bar fly but it was a constant venue in my decades living in Manchester; known for a decent club night or two and as a cracking venue for seeing bands of a certain...
"I Want an Alien for Christmas" by Fountains of Wayne Twee but not saccharine, this ode to an imaginary interstellar Christmas gift drips with childhood fantasy and earnest awe. Thanks for reading this post via RSS! Let me know your...
"Do they know it's Christmas?" Far (feat. Chino Moreno and Grady Avenell) A bunch of Sacramento bands put out a Christmas covers album to support a school music program and inadvertently created the greatest version of this song — mostly...