Come November 1st, I had a real problem on my hands. My roommates are huge holiday cheer fanatics, so on the day after Halloween (very early in the morning mind you), they were already blasting Santa Clause is Coming to Town amongst other holiday classics. Now, with a very limited repertoire of go-to’s, I was quickly looking to the interwebs to help find us some new tracks capable of bringing the cheer without me losing my mind.
My most proud find? Well, it turns out that tearjerker and Seattle U favorite Sufjan Stevens has, like, a thousand holiday songs out there. These songs range from the thoughtful and heartfelt Sufjan we all know and love in Sister Winter to a side of Suf we never imagined we’d see in this live video of Christmas Unicorn.
Still not convinced? Check out this promotional video for Sufjan’s album Silver and Gold which features him in some kind of Sumo Suit?
If you are into the shoegazy and experimental stuff, for sure check out Banjo or Freakout’s Christmas album XA2010 on Bandcamp here.
It’s actually pretty cool, Banjo or Freakout takes well known songs, such as Do you hear what I hear? And mixes them to be almost unidentifiable, but all without losing their holiday charm.
Lastly, take a look at musical legend Belle and Sebastian’s Jazzy Are You Coming Over for Christmas?
This is a nice relaxing tune to throw on when dealing with holiday stress i.e finals and trying to pack up everything in your dorm for winter break.
Whether you are looking for a spin on the classics, a whole new song, or something just so out of the ordinary (I’m looking at you Sufjan), it IS possible to find holiday music for every occasion and taste. All this said and done, I have to give credit where credit is due. This whole, “I’m so tired of mainstream holiday music” complaining aside, you still can’t go wrong with a good ol’ Michel Bublé, or yes, even Justin Bieber holiday tune every now and then too.
JULIA OLSON | Ho Ho Hoe | SU Student Correspondent