With December comes a deluge of Holiday tunes.
Some of them good.
Some of them awful.
Many of them so awful, they are kinda good.
There is no escaping this (trust us, we tried) the tidal wave of Christmas tracks. Working on the fringes of the music industry, we finally gave in to this most perplexing of genres.
We sifted through tons of submissions, and in an attempt to bring you the very best holiday tracks, we accepted our inner Elf loving selves. Here is a surprising playlist of tracks that are surely to stoke that festive side of even our darkest readers.
*Of course, no Christmas album can compete with the best.
Brad Standley – “Going Home”
This track has a lot of the traditional elements you expect. Sleigh bells. Emotive vocals. A singing reindeer (not really). But what makes this a track worth spinning, is the great storytelling. Listeners genuinely want to hear the story unfold, and that is the mark of a great songwriter, regardless of genre. “Going Home” is a feel good story that all can relate to. It is an endearing piece of musical Christmas magic.
The Romantidote – “(Have Yourself) A Very Maudlin Christmas”
Okay, we love this one. We tried not to give in to the holiday spirit, but damned if this doesn’t include all things that make a Christmas jam perfect. It is clever, sarcastic, catchy as hell, and funny. The track serves as an anti-holiday track, which we deeply appreciate. The project is the alter-ego of Scottish songwriter Calum Bolland and it serves as the perfect avenue to release a stellar Holiday track. It is best to listen to this one after a few adult beverages. It really livens up the pipes for a proper sing along and spirit of cheer.
Jane’s Party – “I Want it Bad”
Again, sleigh bells. What else do you need? This is a near perfect pop rock mix of cheer and goodwill. Complete with a Nintendo reference, we can all relate to gifts not received and thus, dreams deferred. I will go out on a snowy limb and say that if you do not sing along to this one, or at least mimic the guitar solo, then your soul may be missing. Sure, it would be easy to do a cover of a highly treaded on classic, but this group did a fun and lively original, and we so appreciate it. Seriously, try not to dance to this one.
King Cardinal – “Sing, Sing, Sing”
If we had no reference of holiday music, we could be convinced that this is an incredible folk rock track. It soars and builds like an overstuffed sleigh on Christmas Eve. “Sing, Sing, Sing” showcases a talented band who has a knack for tight musicianship and wonder. Few Christmas tracks can be taken seriously, but not only do we take this one as such, we are actually prompted to explore a beautiful back catalog of music. Denver’s King Cardinal, does the holiday right.
Amy Lawton – “My Love’s Not For Christmas”
The young UK songwriter has an incredible knack for playful and biting storytelling. We appreciate the love lost holiday spin, mixed with incredible talent. We feel that this track is first, a great singer-songwriter track, and second a fun Christmas track. We deeply appreciate her vocals and the way it effortlessly frolics through multiple genres. With this being the first exposure to the music of Lawton, we are very intrigued to keep exploring a budding talent.
