So it’s the first of December and I can now officially listen to Christmas music. I have actually been listening to it for the last few weeks, I couldn’t help it, I got the For Folk’s Sake christmas album and it sort of gathered momentum from there. This year it seems that there are a fair few new folky Christmas albums out from the likes of She and Him and Emmy the Great and Tim Wheeler and the old stuff like Sufjan Stevens’ five album Christmas epic, Bright Eyes, and something that surprised me was a Christmas album by Low.
Anyway the She and Him album, ‘A Very She and Him Christmas’ is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Zooey and Matt, the traditional mixed with their own stuff. Particularly good is Christmas Waltz, the whistling in Rocking Around the Christmas Tree and Zooey’s wonderful voice in Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. It properly gets you in the mood.
Last December when it was ever so snowy Emmy the Great and Tim Wheeler decided to make a Christmas album, this is pretty much all original songs except Marshmallow World, a song from way back in 1949. Christmas Day (I Wish I Was Surfing) is great track, very reminiscent of Ash. The other song off that album I recommend is Home For The Holidays, this one has very much got the touch of Emmy to it, here is the video, check out Tim’s jumper, it is amazing!
An amazing Christmas album that has been out for a while is the Bright Eyes one. From 2002, this album is all covers of traditional songs but with a certain Bright Eyes twist. With guest vocals from Maria Taylor, one half of Azure Ray. Particular gems are Away in a Manger, Oh Little Town of Bethlehem, Silent Night and The Night Before Christmas. In fact I think you should listen to the whole album; here it is –
So Sufjan Stevens did a Christmas album in 2006, and like any Sufjan album (I say album, there are five discs, all amazing) it is pretty special listening. Doing his own stuff like It’s Christmas! Let’s Be Glad! and Hey Guys! It’s Christmas Time, and then little instrumentals on traditional songs, and full covers. Worth a listen if you can find it, it’s stupidly expensive on Amazon.
Oh and I got the new Frank Turner album the other week. An album B sides and covers and stuff, and to my surprise there was a cover of Last Christmas, here he is playing it at Union Chapel a couple of years ago
And I can’t forget the amazing Christmas compilations that have been released by the great Folk website For Folk’s Sake. Last year they did their first one with people like Dan Michaelson, Emily and the Woods, and Laura Hocking, all are amazing. This year they did another one with the Leisure Society, Devon Sproule, Caitlin Rose and Darren Hayman. They are brilliant and raising money for charity, you can listen to them and buy them from Bandcamp here, last year’s album is on the left hand side.
So I hope I haven’t gone overboard on the Christmassy things, I know it’s only just December and that, I’m a little excited that’s all, and the Masters is driving me a bit crazy, that is my excuse for everything now.
