Well, it looks like I have run out of time to write about free Christmas music for another year. As always, though, I still have a ton of excellent music that I just haven't had a chance to do a proper write-up about Much like I did with last year's "Stocking Stuffer" post, I'd like to post some links and brief comments on some of the other music that I've been enjoying this Christmas season. There's no real rhyme or reason to this - I'm pretty much just flipping through my Christmas playlist and looking back at notes that I've made about various albums and songs.
Hullabaloo's Holiday Hullabaloo is a short but sweet collection of fun Christmas songs (as well as a couple of Hanukkah songs) aimed at both the young and the young at heart. Consisting of nothing but acoustic guitar and vocals, the arrangements are short and simple, and the words can all be clearly heard. I've really enjoyed listening to it while playing with my 2 year old this year.
Canadian indie pop band Ohbijou have released a very nice version of Wham!'s "Last Christmas". The female vocals and violin give it a pleasant sound that really helps it to stand out.
"Last Christmas" is also the first track on Sikora's The Sound of Christmas. This EP has a slick pop feel to it, which is not a type of music that I listen to regularly, but I've still been really enjoying it - Christmas music just has that kind of effect on me. "O Holy Night" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" really showcase Sikora's voice very well, and he also does a nice version of John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" (here titled "So This Is Christmas (War Is Over)").
Jason Silver's ChristmaSongs features beautiful piano- (and occasionally acoustic guitar-) based arrangements of traditional Christmas carols. "In the Bleak Midwinter" is very nicely done, as is "Joy to the World", which starts off as a slow ballad but soon changes to a more upbeat, swinging arrangement.
A Jolly J.E.L.L.i. Christmas by J.E.L.L.i. is one of the most fun albums I have come across this year. It opens with a version of "Linus and Lucy" (from A Charlie Brown Christmas) that just rocks - it pretty much floored me when I first heard it. "Happy New Year" does a similar thing to "Auld Lang Syne". The album closes with "The 12 Days of Christmas", a song which I normally find pretty dull, but this one goes through a few style changes, including a funk breakdown and a big melodic rock outro, to actually make it fun and interesting.
And that is all for now. I wanted to write even a few brief words about a bunch of other music, but I was even more pressed for time the past few days than usual. I may do something unconventional and make another post before the end of the year, as I personally don't put the Christmas music away until around New Year's Day (otherwise I wouldn't get a chance to listen to any newly-acquired Christmas music until the following year, which just seems wrong). Other than that, I'll be back sometime next week with this year's "Auld Lang Syne" post (yes, I managed to find a few more versions without actually searching for them). Merry Christmas!
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