I didn't not name this post "Christmas Carols" just to be obscure. Quite on the contrary, I'm trying to be more specific. As the holiday season bears down on us, we are accosted by cheery plastic snowmen, haunted by eerily glowing reindeer, and tormented by the same mushy Christmas carols. Of course I can't touch the classics (ie. Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Eartha Kitt, etc.), but anything on the radio/in the mall/in the supermarket.... I can't go for that (no can do.)
Anyway, there is so much seasonally relevant music to enjoy! In today's holiday edition, I'll bestow you with some music that is relevant regardless of the weather, but especially during the holidays. Winter doesn't have to be sappy!
1. This one's old, but it's been my favorite Christmas song every year as far back as I can remember. Sure it's a bit cynical, but the Kinks rule:
2. Radiohead makes "Winter Wonderland" a whole lot dreamier and blearier. I usually imagine winter wonderlands as twinkly and glittery, with saccharine women shrilling about how wonderful it all is. Radiohead's rendition is just way more cool. Definitely the vibe I prefer while walking around in the snow. (Phantom Planet and CaP'n Jazz both did interesting takes on this song too).
3. If you agree that getting in the Christmas spirit entails "chillin' and coolin' just like a snowman," look no further. Run-DMC has got you covered:
4. Christmas doesn't necessarily have to be about wholesome family fun. Spend Christmas with the Black Lips and uh... well.. you know how the Black Lips party. "I'll Be With You" isn't as raucous as their usual fare, in fact it's pretty sweet:
5. If you're lucky enough to both have a wintertime romance and to have come upon my playlist, then curl up with your love and listen to the Doors:
6. Stay curled up with your wintertime love, we're just switching eras right quick. The Raveonettes make the woozy romantic , and tastefully add a few silvery jingles to keep it Christmassy:
7. Oh no! Not another banal Christmas ballad! Chill, baby, chill. Just leave it to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to cut the cutesy without evicting emotion.
8. Ah, then Blitzen Trapper weaves together a montage of lovely Christmas associations, without sounding trite or morosely nostalgic. I could have picked any song by Blitzen Trapper for this list (come on, Blitzen Trapper), but if I start making freer and freer associations I might end up talking about Gregorian Chants or something. Thus, I will continue to err on the side of specificity...
9. Whatever the season, Beach House is appropriate. A dainty spring morning, a languid summer day, a golden autumn afternoon, an icy winter night. Victoria Legrand may not care for the winter sun, but I do adore the song she's written about it:
10. Santa Claus and consumerism and gaudiness aside, I shall leave it to the Velvet Underground to remind us what all this hullabaloo is really about:
Happy Holidays.
