Eaten by Monsters

[There’s plenty of great Christmas songs out there, but most suffer terribly from over-exposure.  To remedy that, EbM presents a selection of alternative Christmas songs.]

We’ve got another cover for you today, although this time it could be seen more as a ‘re-imagining’, with Banjo or Freakout messing with the melody, scansion, and time signature of White Christmas to create this ethereal, smoke-like version.

Banjo or Freakout – White Christmas 

[There’s plenty of great Christmas songs out there, but most suffer terribly from over-exposure.  To remedy that, EbM presents a selection of alternative Christmas songs.]

Greg Lake’s I Believe in Father Christmas is one of the few ‘proper’ Christmas songs that I can still stand to listen to, but it just sounds too dated (and – like all ‘big’ Christmas songs – overexposed) to make this list.  Thankfully we have this up-to-date cover of it to see us through, performed by Pictures of Then, and discovered through the XO For The Holidays compilation.  This version manages to quite effectively bring the air of menace and frustration – which was merely an undercurrent in the original – right into the foreground.

Pictures of Then – I Believe in Father Christmas 

[There’s plenty of great Christmas songs out there, but most suffer terribly from over-exposure.  To remedy that, EbM presents a selection of alternative Christmas songs.]

My enjoyment of Sufjan Stevens‘ music is directly proportional to the amount of time and effort I put into listening to it.  The shifts and dynamics of his work are so subtle that it really doesn’t work well as background music; it needs your full attention to prevent it sounding boring.  Illinois is a favourite album of mine because I took the time to get to know it, but Sufjan’s output is so prodigious that I simply haven’t the time nor the inclination to give it all such attention.  Every now and then, however, one of his songs comes to my attention more or less by accident, and I find myself – predictably – growing to like it; thus was the case with the two Christmas songs below.

Sufjan Stevens – That Was The Worst Christmas Ever! 

Sufjan Stevens – Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!) 

[There’s plenty of great Christmas songs out there, but most suffer terribly from over-exposure.  To remedy that, EbM presents a selection of alternative Christmas songs.]

I mentioned in the first post of this Christmas series that I am a big fan of the XO for the Holidays compilations, and here’s further proof of that.  I’m not usually a fan of bands that put a Micro Korg front-and-centre, but despite doing this The Winter Sounds have thoroughly won me over. The second of the tracks below, Stranded In Snowville, is taken from this year’s comp which you can download in full from here.  The first, The Anthem Is A Gift, was featured on the second XO comp back in 2009 (which can still be downloaded from here), and is one of that rare breed of Christmas songs that make me sad I can’t listen to them for the rest of the year.  Obviously to actually listen to it all year round would wear away some of the magic and excitement that December provides, so if you need The Winter Sounds in summer, head over to their bandcamp page.

The Winter Sounds – The Anthem Is A Gift

The Winter Sounds – Stranded In Snowville 

[There’s plenty of great Christmas songs out there, but most suffer terribly from over-exposure.  To remedy that, EbM presents a selection of alternative Christmas songs.]

Way back in 2007 – before he’d even released his first album, Falling Off The Lavender Bridge – Dev Hynes, a.k.a. Lightspeed Champion, built his reputation by releasing several home-recorded EPs.  One of those was the creatively-titled Garageband Xmas EP, the two best tracks of which can be found at the bottom of this post.

Lightspeed Champion – Another Song About Being Alone At Xmas

Lightspeed Champion – I Forgot To Wrap Your Present… My Bad

[There’s plenty of great Christmas songs out there, but most suffer terribly from over-exposure.  To remedy that, EbM presents a selection of alternative Christmas songs.]

In order to make this Christmas song list a little more relaxing I present this track from Scotts Godspeed-wannabes Mogwai, taken from their imaginatively titled EP, EP.  I’m only a casual fan of the band, but the little I’ve heard I’ve liked quite a lot, and this track seems to be fairly representative of their output.

Mogwai – Christmas Song 

[There’s plenty of great Christmas songs out there, but most suffer terribly from over-exposure.  To remedy that, EbM presents a selection of alternative Christmas songs.]

I stumbled on this little gem quite recently, and although it describes a scene totally alien to the cosy, insular, traditional English Christmas enjoyed at casa EbM, but for some reason it struck a chord.  Originally a Robert Earl Keen song, this version feels like it has more heart.  I have, at best, a delicate relationship with country music, and the Keen version sounds a little too close to the dreaded Garth Brooks so beloved by my better half (plus I can’t seem to find a version of the original that doesn’t have insufferably enthusiastic audience whoops on it).  This Ruth/Hull version can be found on her bandcamp page, or via the link at the bottom of this post.  I’m sure you’ll agree that the delivery in this one, tempered as it is by a female voice, turns the somewhat sinister edge of Keen’s country drawl into an altogether more heart-warming affair (and the Blue Christmas coda doesn’t do any harm, either).

Lindley Ruth and Her Tipsy String Band feat. Jordan Hull – Merry Christmas From The Family

[Not everyone loves Christmas songs but I, for one, can’t get enough of them.  Every year it seems we get the same old perennial hits, and I guess that’s part of the charm – Christmas is a time for comforting familiarity after all – but most of these aren’t as fulfilling as one might hope, musically speaking.  Never fear, however, as this Yuletide help is at hand, in the form of Eaten by Monsters’ selection of the best alternative Christmas songs out there.]

Argyle: Mind if we hear some tunes? [plays cassette tape] Hey, that’ll work!

John McClane: Don’t you got any Christmas music?

Argyle: This is Christmas music!

Run-D.M.C. – Christmas In Hollis 

[Not everyone loves Christmas songs but I, for one, can’t get enough of them.  Every year it seems we get the same old perennial hits, and I guess that’s part of the charm – Christmas is a time for comforting familiarity after all – but most of these aren’t as fulfilling as one might hope, musically speaking.  Never fear, however, as this Yuletide help is at hand, in the form of Eaten by Monsters’ selection of the best alternative Christmas songs out there.]

Following on from yesterday’s move away from the saccharine sweet, schmaltzy nature of most Christmas songs, today’s choice drags us down even further.  As with all Sonic Youth’s output, it takes a not-inconsiderable effort just to sit through the bally thing but is ultimately well worth it.

Sonic Youth – Santa Doesn’t Cop Out On Dope 

[Not everyone loves Christmas songs but I, for one, can’t get enough of them.  Every year it seems we get the same old perennial hits, and I guess that’s part of the charm – Christmas is a time for comforting familiarity after all – but most of these aren’t as fulfilling as one might hope, musically speaking.  Never fear, however, as this Yuletide help is at hand, in the form of Eaten by Monsters’ selection of the best alternative Christmas songs out there.]

My christmas picks have been a decidedly cheery of late, so who better to bring the mood down than EbM favourites Frightened Rabbit? There’s a couple of versions of this little ditty kicking about the place – including one sung by a choir (minus lyrics, sadly; it’s just humming) – but this one is my favourite.  It’s slightly tougher and less, well, smooth, and that’s generally how I like my FR to sound.  When reviewing their recent EP, I bemoaned the lack of producer Peter Katis’ glossy presence, but in this instance the homemade rough-and-ready aspect works wonderfully.

Frightened Rabbit – It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop