Here at the Dope it’s become rather an annual tradition for the oh-so-hip to start at least a few threads announcing one’s contempt for Christmas Music. It starts too early in the year. There are songs I can’t stand. If I hear (insert song title here) one more time I’m gonna slit somebody’s wrists. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
I’m here to announce my love for Christmas music. At any time of the year. Yes, I listen to it all year round. Can’t get enough. I even started a website devoted to it. And I know there must be others like me out there.
Right now I’m digging on Annie Lennox’s new album “A Christmas Cornucopia.” Given her output in the past, you’d think it would be more post-modern and edgy, but she pretty much gives straight renditions of a lot of holiday favorites with some interesting, but not ostentatious instrumentation. And, at least to me, her voice does sound more mature than it has previously, although I did detect some autotune use here and there. All in all, it’s one of the best Christmas albums I’ve heard in a long time!
Some Christmas music you might not have - Bruce Cockburn “Christmas.” He’s quite a guitar player; the songs are mostly acoustic, I believe (I didn’t listen to the whole album).
I love Christmas music myself, but as a retail worker at a place where the store radio only picks up one station—the one playing solid Christmas music—I can attest: even the ones you like can get old quickly.
The problem is there aren’t enough songs. I’m constantly got my ears open for NEW Christmas songs, but they don’t ever get radio play*. I’m done with the classics, the favorites, the traditionals, whatever. A new rendition of an old song we’ve all hear hundreds of times over is not a new song, no matter how many times a computer reads the release date and says it’s new.
*: Footnote rant about KOIT radio here in the Bay Area - I swear to fucking Og their playlist this season could fit on three or four CDs. Three renditions of “My Grown-Up Christmas List,” five or more of “The Christmas Song,” three of “Rudolph,” four of “Jingle Bells.” Really? Would it kill you to play, I dunno, some John Denver, maybe; “Aspenglow” and “Please Daddy…” are great songs. Widen up that Trans-Siberian Orchestra catalog, or is “Wizards in WInter” too hard-core? Why not try some anti-Christmas stuff? (Nobody really listens to your crap anyway, bleep out one word of “Slower Than Christmas” by The Boxmasters and your good.)
Yes, much like with their regular formats they play the same 40 or so songs over and over and over again.
I recently set up a Christmas channel on Pandora and it was awesome. I don’t think I heard one “classic” radio station song in the entire hour that I had it on.
I don’t remember exactly. I either used a version of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” by Weezer or something by Trans Siberian Orchestra. I think I tried both and liked one more than the other, but I can’t remember which it was.
I think it is just a matter of finding a non-radio playlist song of your liking and putting it in there. You might need to try a couple if the first one seems to be boxing you in to a particular style too much. I am not a Pandora guru though and have only barely fiddled with it on my Bluray player.
I’ve started listing to my “Kitchen Sink” playlist, which is nearly every single track I have, since early November and my “Christmas” playlist since Thanksgiving night.
As for Pandora, try artist seeds Reverend Horton Heat (Holiday) and The Dukes of Dixieland (Holiday) with song seeds like “Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24 (Instrumental)”, “Christmas All Over Again”, and the Cincinnati Pops’ version of “Sleigh Ride”.
I’m with you, Eutychus. I have a folder on my external hardrive called “Christmas” and within it contains subfolders, each of which is titled after a Christmas song. And in those folders you can find classic (like Bing and Elvis), alternative, and indie bands’ covers of: 14 versions of “All I Want for Christmas is You,” 17 versions of “Carol of the Bells,” 31 versions of “Last Christmas,” 13 versions of “Jingle Bell Rock,” 8 versions of “(I Wish I Had a) River,” 17 versions of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”, 11 versions of “We Three Kings,” 20 versions of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and so on for a total 129 different songs. And I like to play all versions of a song one after another, which makes people stabby.
I don’t listen to it year round, but I break out all my CD’s and load my iTunes playlist the day after Thanksgiving, and listen to nothing else until New Years Day.
Mary Chapin Carpenter’s from last year is a current favorite.
For some amusing takes on typical carols, try seeding a Pandora station with The Roches (Holiday). Three ladies from Joisy who really bring out the accent on “Frosty the Snowman” and “Winter Wonderland”.
I’m a another fan of Christmas music I have just short of 400 Christmas song on rotation through my ipod. Variety helps with burn out but by January I’m ready to take a break until I do my quiet Christmas in July celebration of 24 hours of Christmas music.
The video (on spinner.com) for God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is the singularly most beautiful thing I’ve seen and heard all year. (some wise guy said throw in a dwarf and you have The Safety Dance). My favorite Christmas song, beautiful beautiful Victorian imagery in the snow, Annie Lenox and a hurdy gurdy - it’s a perfect storm.
I think I picked up Sting’s Christmas album last year because someone here recommended it, and I adore it. It’s got songs I’ve never heard before – my favorite is “Soul Cake”. After that, I suppose would be the ancient but beloved John Denver and the Muppets Christmas album. After all, I was born on Christmas Day!
I’m going for Wilson Phillips “Christmas in Harmony” next. Any album that starts out with Roy Wood’s forgotten classic “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day” has already won a space in my heart.