December 6: 8-Bit Synthtown

8-Bit Synthtown - A Very Chiptune Christmas

A little something different for the holidays.  The 8-bit culture is fascinating to me.  And, though I have dabbled in it, I doubt I'll ever fully understand it.
But I love it.  I mainly love it for albums like this.  I've listened to a handful of 8-bit Christmas albums before, but they never really grabbed me.  This one did.  It's short and beautiful.  It begs for repeated listens.  After I get done with one listen, I want to just put it on repeat and roll through it again.
If you really want, you can put this on and pretend that you're a character in a videogame, celebrating Christmas with all your pixelated buddies.  My imagination doesn't run quite that deep anymore.  For me, I listen to this album and it feels like I'm being called to sit in front of the Christmas tree and play RBI baseball on my GameBoy.  Which is what I will do.

It may not be for everyone, but it really is a beautiful little Christmas EP.  Each song is wonderfully crafted and layered.  It's quite lovely.

There are 5 songs here.  And, though the titles don't necessarily reflect it, you get unique renditions of "Winter Wonderland", "White Christmas", "Jingle Bell Rock", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree".

December 5: Kat Jones

Kat Jones - He's the One I Need the Most EP

It's short - 4 songs, with 1 of them not even being a Christmas song - but it's beautiful.  Of the 3 Christmas songs, 2 of them are originals ("I'll Be Home for Christmas" and the title track), and 1 is a gorgeous rendition of "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella".
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "He's the One I Need the Most" are filled out with quite a bit of instrumentation, while "Bring a Torch" is more sparse - just a rarely strummed guitar and Kat's voice seemingly filling the room.
It's short, but it's a great addition to your Christmas collection.  And it's available as a free download from her Bandcamp and Noisetrade pages right now.

December 4: Phil Spector

Phil Spector - A Christmas Gift for You

Rightfully at (or near) the top of pretty much every "greatest Christmas album ever" list.  Spector's signature wall-of-sound style is on full display here, and it's glorious.  His style works perfectly for Christmas music, and the collection of artists here (Darlene Love, The Ronettes, The Crystals, and Bob E. Soxx & the Blue Jeans) is wonderful.

If you've never heard this album, you need to fix that.  It works for all ages.  If this album doesn't get you in the Christmas mood, nothing will.

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"



"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"



"Santa Claus is Coming to Town"

December 3: Low

Low - Christmas

This is the only Christmas album I keep on my iPod year-round.  I usually don't listen to the entire album until December hits, but I usually find myself needing to hear "If You Were Born Today" a few times throughout the year.
This album finds them performing 3 Christmas classics and 5 originals.  Those familiar with Low will recognize their signature "slow-core" sound on a lot of these, but they also dial up the Christmas spirit a little, especially on the opener - a Spector-influenced gem of Christmas pop ("Just Like Christmas").
It may not be for everyone.  But on a snowy December day, this album is just about perfect.

"Just Like Christmas"



"If You Were Born Today"



"Blue Christmas"

December 2: Rosie Thomas

Rosie Thomas - A Very Rosie Christmas

If you know me, you know that I love Rosie Thomas.  I love everything she's done, going back to her brief stint with Velour 100.  So it's no surprise that I love this album.
For the most part, Rosie sticks to Christmas classics on this album.  She has a couple originals (including the eternally cheerful and catchy "Why Can't It Be Christmastime All Year"), and some fresh new takes on some Christmas standards (her heartbreaking take on "The Chipmunk Song" - titled "Christmas Don't Be Late" - is one of my favorite Christmas songs).
I cut off the last two tracks on my iPod (one is a track by her alter-ego Sheila Saputo, the other a "thanks for listening to this album" type closing), leaving me with 10 strong Christmas songs.
This is definitely worth adding to your Christmas rotation.

"Why Can't It Be Christmastime All Year"



"Christmas Don't Be Late"

Christmas Music Kickoff: Emmy the Great

It's December 1st.  We're past Thanksgiving, and Christmas is right around the corner.  I thought I would take this opportunity to highlight some of my favorite Christmas albums.
Having worked in retail for a number of years, I kind of got sick of a lot of Christmas music.  It's only recently that I've started listening to it again.  I attribute a lot of that to some great new releases by artists, I love, but I also have quite a few older albums that I listen to quite a bit.

My plan is to post every day between now and Christmas.  Each day I'll highlight an album and/or song that I love.  I'd love it if some of you felt like joining in with some of your own favorites in the comments.  And, of course, any recommendations are always welcome.

To the music!

Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler - This is Christmas

A beautiful and strange Christmas album.  The majority of the songs are originals, which is a nice departure from albums sporting the same songs over and over again.  Just a glance at the track listing tells you this isn't your standard Christmas album, with songs like "Zombie Christmas", "Jesus the Reindeer" and "Christmas Day (I Wish I Was Surfing)".
There is a fair bit of genre-hopping here, but it all seems to fit on the same album.  It's clear that they had fun making this album, and it's also clear they drew their sound from wide-ranging musical influences.

I love this album.  Here are 3 of my favorite songs:

"Christmas Moon"



"(Don't Call Me) Mrs. Christmas"



"Zombie Christmas"

The Gaslight Anthem - Unwritten

I'm still hopelessly addicted to this album.  I find myself listening to it multiple times a week, usually while I'm driving.  It's been pretty cold here in Kentucky recently, but I still roll the windows down and crank this album.  There's not a bad song on it.  My least favorite song ("Too Much Blood") is still awesome.
It's Springsteen by way of Foo Fighters.  I love it.
At the moment, you can download this album from Amazon for $3.99.  That's an absolute steal.

Rating: 5/5
Favorite track: "Handwritten".  Although "Mae" is creeping towards that top spot.