WILLIAMHAUN

I love it when a good indie band puts out a Christmas song – or even better – an entire Christmas album. Two of my favorite indie Christmas albums are Sufjan Stevens’ five volume box set and Low’s Christmas album. Two exciting releases this year were Great Comfort record’s new “Salvation is Created” and electronic artist Lindstrøm’s 40-minute long version of “Little Drummer Boy”. No that isn’t a typo – forty minutes of Scandanavian holiday electronica!

The first half of this mixtape is nice and mellow. Things start to pick up speed when The Raveonettes start jamming on track 9.

You can listen to the individual tracks below, or download the zip of them all by clicking the green arrow to the left.

Sparkplug Minuet (Mark Mothersbaugh)
From The Royal Tenenbaums Soundtrack
www.markmothersbaugh.com
This track from the grand finale in the film is one of my favorite pieces of music. It is so simple and the way it builds and builds just gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. Then again, that long shot in the movie during which this track plays gives me goosebumps too.

O Little Town of Bethlehem (The Innocence Mission)
from the free 2008 compilation Sounds Familyre Christmas Vol. 2
www.theinnocencemission.com
One of Heidi’s favorite bands, The Innocence Mission’s lead singer Karen Peris has one of the most beautiful and unique voices. Though this arrangement of the classic song is nothing special, her vocals make it so.

Little Drummer Boy (Mark Kozelek)
from his 2006 live album “Little Drummer Boy”
www.markkozelek.com
Kozelek fronts the Americana band “Sun Kil Moon” which my Top 20 albums of 2008 list. This song has always been my favorite Christmas song and I love his rendition of it without drums.

Star, Star (The Swell Season)
from their 2009 Daytrotter Session.
www.theswellseason.com
This duo was behind the much-beloved 2008 film “Once”. I haven’t seen the movie or heard much of their music, but this quiet song won me over last week when I heard it for the first time.

Joy, Joy!!! (Bifrost Arts)
from their 2009 compilation Salvation is Created
www.greatcomfortrecords.com
One of the best Christmas albums released in years! Support this fledgling record label (brain child of Daniel Smith of Danielson) and buy the album.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Laura Gibson)
from the 2008 compilation Peace on Earth: A Charity Holiday Album
www.myspace.com/lauragibson
Another incredible female vocalist – Laura Gibson takes a classic Christmas song and breathes new life into it. The layering of her voice in this version reminds me of old Christmas carols sung in the 1930s.

If You Were Born Today (Low)
from their 1999 Christmas album
www.chairkickers.com
This Mormon couple’s Christmas album is a mix of classic and original songs. This song could be a bit depressing as it sings to baby Jesus that “If you were born today, we’d kill ya by age eight.” It is good reminder that God’s plan and timing for the birth of Christ were perfect and that His message of joy, peace, forgiveness, meekness, and humility are more important than ever.

Sister Winter (Sufjan Stevens)
from the 2006 box set Songs for Christmas
www.asthmatickitty.com/sufjan-stevens
One of my favorite Sufjan originals from his best-thing-ever 5-CD Christmas album.

Christmas, Baby Please Come Home (The Raveonettes)
from their 2008 EP Wishing You a Rave Christmas
www.theraveonettes.com/
Have a noise pop filled Christmas!

Little Drummer Boy (Lindstrøm)
www.myspace.com/feedelity
This is a 5-minute edit of the 40-minute track. Fun stuff!

Home for Christmas (Half-Handed Cloud)
from his 2009 album Cut Me Down & Count My Rings
www.halfhandedcloud.com
This song originally appeared on last year’s Sounds Familyre Christmas Vol. 2 but was re-released this year on HHC’s 46 track collection of b-sides & unreleased songs.

What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve (remix of Ella Fitzgerald)
from 2008 compilation Verve Remixed: Christmas
www.ververemixed.com
Verve Records have put out five great compilations of classics from their catalog that have been remixed by popular DJs & producers. This track is a highlight off their Christmas release.

Christmas Reindeer (The Knife)
released as a single in 2008
www.theknife.net
Leave it to Swedish avant-garde siblings The Knife to create the weirdest Christmas song you’ve ever heard (and enjoyed).

Angels We Have Heard On High (Sufjan Stevens)
from the yet-to-be released Songs for Christmas Vol. 8
This song leaked online last year along with the rest of “Astral Inter Planet Space Captain Christmas Infinity Voyage”. The album has a lot more electronic sounds in it (much to my delight) and reminds me a bit of his earlier “Enjoy Your Rabbit” tunes.

Winter (Fennesz)
from Adult Swim’s free compilation Warm & Scratchy
Not necessarily a Christmas song, but it is a nice moody piece to end this mixtape with.

If you are a copyright owner of one of these tracks and wish to have it removed, please contact me and it will be promptly removed. These tracks are not posted for profit, but to promote the artists and their labels.