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Songs for Christmas
Every year it's an issue: how does one stomach the onset of holiday music? With an endless stream of overplayed pop stars stirring what Sufjan Stevens calls "That Creepy Christmas Feeling," how does one navigate the sound of the season? Back in 2001, Stevens began making annual EPs of traditional carols and songs mixed with his own holiday-themed tunes. With 2006 and Volume 5, he's compiled a perfect gift for the Christmas-inclined indie rockster: all five EPs in one box, separately slipcased, plus a booklet filled with lyric sheets, chord charts, a Rick Moody essay, and more. Yes, Stevens knows that "Jingle Bells" features him playing (as he notes) "insipid piano," but he also writes gorgeous arrangements. Check out the three versions of "O Come O Come Emmanuel"; each aches. And "O Holy Night" from Volume 3 is lo-fi genius, never mind anyone's resistance to theology; it's a time-stopper. Stevens's own tunes are unmistakably his, hushed vocals highlighting a unique mix of whimsy and yearning--much like the justly-lauded Illinois and Michigan. In the end of the liner essay, Stevens writes that the Christmas story is about love, and on that note, he proclaims that these songs and the "Creepy Christmas Feeling" prompt "a transformation of the heart" for him and bring out affection and reflection. Isn't that a great holiday vibe? --Andrew Bartlett
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Tracks| 1 | Silent Night | | 2 | O Come O Come Emmanuel | | 3 | We're Goin' To the Country! | | 4 | Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming | | 5 | It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad! | | 6 | Holy Holy, etc. | | 7 | Amazing Grace | | 8 | Angels We Have Heard on High | | 9 | Put the Lights on the Tree | | 10 | Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing | | 11 | I Saw Three Ships | | 12 | Only at Christmas Time | | 13 | Once in Royal David's City | | 14 | Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! | | 15 | What Child Is This Anyway? | | 16 | Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella | | 17 | O Come, O Come Emmanuel | | 18 | Come on! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance! | | 19 | We Three Kings | | 20 | O Holy Night | | 21 | That Was the Worst Christmas Ever! | | 22 | Ding! Dong! | | 23 | All the King's Horns | | 24 | The Friendly Beasts | | 25 | The Little Drummer Boy | | 26 | Away In A Manger | | 27 | Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time! | | 28 | The First Noel | | 29 | Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!) | | 30 | The Incarnation | | 31 | Joy To The World | | 32 | Once in Royal David's City | | 33 | Get Behind Me, Santa! | | 34 | Jingle Bells | | 35 | Christmas in July | | 36 | Lo! How A Rose E'er Blooming | | 37 | Jupiter Winter | | 38 | Sister Winter | | 39 | O Come O Come Emmanuel | | 40 | Star of Wonder | | 41 | Holy, Holy, Holy | | 42 | The Winter Solstice |
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