The Rebel Palate

I have a love-hate relationship with marketing gimmicks, which sheds some light on how my brain works.   (Click here to jump to the recommended song, Santa Claus is Back in Town by Elvis Presley!) Howdy rebels. This is one of many times of year when we're bombarded by cheesy, tacky and sometimes slimy advertising. As a rebel, I don’t like corporate tomfoolery. I don’t like it when companies try to make you want something you never thought to buy. Especially when it’s supposed to “solve” an incredibly minor inconvenience that affects all humans for simply existing. I see things like this every time I walk into a store. Especially the “aisle of shame” at Aldi and pretty much all of Walmart. Unnecessary products with some “revolutionary new feature” that’s meant to make it better or easier or some other “er”. Honestly I hate the implication that someone’s actually buying those things instead of living their everyday lives th...

It's officially December, but not everybody likes Christmas tunes. That doesn't mean you can't listen to winter music! Here's my ten cents in eight songs. Happy December, Rebels. Do you hate Christmas songs, or know someone who does? Are you throwing a religiously inclusive holiday party? Here are eight songs you can play for Christmas that technically don’t mention Christmas. I can imagine there are many lists like these, so I’ve given myself some rules: 1. I must write at least 100 words about each entry. Super meta, but if there’s nothing to say I won’t try to say it. This prevents me from throwing up a bunch of links and calling it a day, and means I have to get creative in both my descriptions and song choices. 2. If they’re non-lyrical, they shouldn’t be covers of lyrical Christmas songs or belong in a Christmas-themed setting. For example, Brian Setzer Orchestra’s Carol of The Bells is instrumental, but a cover of a song with Christmas lyrics. Cocoa from ...