Artists put their personal spin on gifts

Christmas Day has passed, but the holiday ain't over. Don't you remember that there are 12 Days of Christmas?

To celebrate, Los Angeles duo the bird and the bee is offering up the free holiday song "12 Days of Christmas," on their Web site (www.thebirdandthebee.com). It's a beautiful psychedelic version of the holiday staple.

The duo — vocalist Inara George and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin — have a sound that's described (strangely but accurately) on their MySpace site as "a futuristic 1960s American film set in Brazil." Recently, their cover of the Bee Gee's song "How Deep Is Your Love" appeared in "Sex and the City: The Movie." Keyboardist/producer Greg Kurstin also produced Lily Allen's upcoming album "It's Not Me, It's You."

The group recently premiered a video for their lead single "Love Letter to Japan" from their upcoming album, "Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future." You can find it at their MySpace (www.myspace.com/thebirdandthebee).

The album, on Blue Note Records, comes out Jan. 27, and the bird and the bee play Seattle's Chop Suey on Feb. 12.

Marian Liu: 206-464-3825 or mliu@seattletimes.com

More A&E news

Want more holiday online benevolence? Here you go:

• Portland punk rock band The Dandy Warhols covers "Little Drummer Boy" on their site — www.myspace.com/thedandywarhols.

• Brandon Curtis, the lead singer/bassist/pianist from the psychedelic band The Secret Machines, redoes the classic "Silent Night." The song is available with a pay as-you-will option, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the children's charity Safe Horizon. Find the download at the Secret Machines' site (www.thesecretmachines.com).

Hiroshima to play Snoqualmie. Jazz band Hiroshima will be bringing its world-flavored beats to the Snoqualmie Casino.

The eclectic band fuses Japanese sounds with smooth R&B and jazz, using traditional instruments like taiko. The band, whose home base is in Southern California, has a multicultural perspective with Asian, Latin American and African-American styles. Hear their music online (www.hiroshimamusic.com).

The show starts at 8 p.m. Monday, at the Snoqualmie Casino, 37500 S.E. North Bend Way. Tickets: $20-$40 (206-628-0888 or www.ticketmaster.com); information, http://snocasino.com).

Marian Liu, Seattle Times staff reporter