Thursday, December 4, 2009 » Elvis Presley � check! Mannheim Steamroller � check! The Chipmunks � check! I have all their albums, yet still I�m dissatisfied with my Christmas music collection. The holiday songs we sang in middle school choir were the same ones we sang in high school. The songs we sing in church are the same ones sung on the radio. And the songs on the radio are played over and over and over again. Can we escape this never-ending cycle of clich�d Christmas carols? Of course. Here are my four favorite non-traditional Christmas albums of the season:
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Album: �This Good Night is Still Everywhere� by Dustin Kensrue
One word to describe this album: gruff
What makes this album a favorite? Kensrue has a very gruff voice. Insert that gruffness in a genre of songs that are typically light and treble-heavy, and you get a new breed of Christmas music. �Hark! The Herald Angels Sing� sounds like it�s sung by a guy in a pub, not by a church choir. An original song by Kensrue, �This is War� compares the birth of Christ to an elaborate war tactic, as described in the book of Revelation. In short, Kensrue puts personality (and manliness) back into Christmas music.
Favorite song: �Fairytale of New York�
Favorite original lyrics: �This is war on sin and death / The dark will take it�s final breath / It shakes the earth, confounds all plans / The mystery of God as man� (�This is War�)
How to buy this album: www.amazonmp3.com, iTunes
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Album: �Christmas Songs� by Jars of Clay
One word to describe this album: textured
What makes this album a favorite? I�ve heard most of these songs for my entire life: �God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen,� �Drummer Boy,� �O, Little Town of Bethlehem.� But Jars managed to make these songs new. Sometimes by changing the tune or by quickening the tempo, classic Christmas songs sound like Jars of Clay originals. A few songs on the album are originally written as well. �Hibernation Day� is a love song about staying nestled inside on a snowy day.
Favorite song: �Gabriel�s Message�
Favorite original lyrics: �Little children born to chaos / Sojourn by the stars appear / Though your fears wrap all around you / Love has come and peace is here� (�Peace is Here�)
How to buy this album: www.amazonmp3.com, iTunes, local retailers
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Album: �Songs for Christmas� by Sufjan Stevens
One word to describe this album: quirky
What makes this album a favorite? Stevens is known for his quirky lyrics to begin with. Give him a holiday to sing about and you can only imagine what he can produce. Case and point: a forty-two song set, with 10 original songs about trimming the tree, angry Santa and holiday angst. I love Stevens� remake of �Once in Royal David�s City,� a song my Lutheran church sings every Christmas Eve. Stevens makes the monotonous song into a ballad, reminding me of midnight Mass.
Favorite song: �All the King�s Horns�
Favorite original lyrics: �I don�t care about family and shopping malls / Candy canes or the carolers decking the halls / I don�t care about what you say, Santa Claus / You�re a bad brother breaking into people�s garage� (�Get Behind Me, Santa�)
How to buy this album: www.amazonmp3.com, iTunes, local retailers
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Album: �Hark! The Christmas EP� by Aaron Hale
One word to describe this album: raw
What makes this album a favorite? I found Hale�s EP through a blogger I follow. I�m usually skeptical of indie artists to begin with (they can be so banal). I�m even more skeptical of an indie artist that gives his music out for free. But Hale�s Christmas EP is worth paying for. I love how his voice is very clear and has not been distorted by filters. His version of �I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,� backed by only an acoustic guitar, drums and bells, is one of the rawest Christmas songs I have ever heard � beautiful, to say the least.
Favorite song: �The First Noel�
Favorite original lyrics: �Do not be afraid / For I have good news for you / And everyone / Today in Bethlehem / A savior�s been born for you / And everyone� (�Good News (For Everyone).�) How to buy this album: www.aaronhale.bandcamp.com