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Christmas is around the corner! Technically it's a little early for most people, but I wanted to make sure my picks for Christmas tunes got out ahead of time so that if anyone wants to check them out, there's plenty of time to enjoy them for the season.
Let's be honest, this is the season for classic, traditional tunes. Frankly, the challenge is finding new or interesting Christmas music that I haven't heard before! Let's start with a few classic choices first.
As a reminder of the format, I'm writing one of these columns and filling it with songs from a variety of genres of music. I don't expect anyone to listen to all of these songs! Some months, you may even not be interested in any of them, and that's fine!
However, it is my sincere hope that some of you might find some new songs and artists that you like. All of these songs are widely available on streaming services and by doing some quick searching on Youtube and such, and if I want to highlight something harder to find, I'll include detailed instructions on how to do so.
Here are my picks for this month:
Carol of the Bells (Home Alone edition) -- John Williams
If you've followed along with my previous Songs columns, this probably won't come as a surprise to you: I'm a huge sucker for the Carol of the Bells. I've heard a lot of renditions of the song over the years and, in my opinion, nobody does it better than John Williams... which I suppose is kind of his thing. Either way, it's tragically short at just over a minute long, but it still manages to evoke just the right amount of gothic splendor into any holiday mood.
A Mad Russian's Christmas -- Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Yea, yea. This is the time of year that everyone is allowed to be basic, okay? Obviously I love most of Trans-Siberian Orchestra's discography, but that's not to say I don't have my favorites within that body.
A lot of their most famous songs are technically hybrid arrangements of multiple Christmas tunes combined into an evocative but new whole. Mad Russian's is no different, and comprises six different pieces of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker into a cohesive medley that feels like a sleigh ride through the hills with how it cools down and winds up over and over again.
Also: an all-timer for driving around looking at Christmas lights, as, to be fair, is much of TSO.
Adeste Fidelas
-- Bing Crosby
Like most people, I listen to a lot of "the greats" during this season -- lots of rat pack, the Carpenters, Jackson 5, Beach Boys and so on. But I think that of all of them, Bing Crosby has to be my favorite -- not just for his voice, which is clearly amazing, but also for a somewhat weird reason. A lot of what is deemed traditional Christmas music is older, but also a lot of it has been digitally remastered.
While I can't say for certain that none of Bing Crosby's work has been remastered, I think I can safely say that the version of his 1945 album "White Christmas" that I listen to has at least close to the original sound, even on a streaming service.
There's something about the sound that comes through as specifically old. You can hear crackles in the background, as from a record player, and the sound mixing isn't best -- which by modern standards is a tragedy, but by classic standards is exactly what I'm looking for. I very much want that sense of nostalgia and of ages past when I am in the mood for classic Christmas music, and this album, and this song specifically, hits that off the charts for me.
Greensleeves
-- Loreena McKennitt
All of this talk about classic Christmas music -- let's get a real classic in here. I've seen a myriad of stories and myths about the origins of the song, with most putting it somewhere in the 16-19th century range in Britain.
Much like Carol of the Bells, I've heard a lot of renditions of this song. Loreena McKennitt's is my favorite personally, but there are absolutely a lot of good versions out there. As long as it's represented at your Christmas celebration, I'm going to be happy.
Lost in the Christmas Dream -- Temperance
Let's get into the more off-beaten path recommendations. Unfortunately this song is a one-off -- when I found it, I had hoped that it was off an entire album of Christmas music...but alas. Temperance is an Italian melodic metal band, and as far as I'm aware it's an original song.
The duet in this song is unreal, and one of the core lyrics in the chorus -- "you must never be too grown up to search / the skies on Christmas eve" -- is a really fun and evocative concept. Check this one out! It's a trim 3:30 in length, and while there's a little bit of guitar-chugging, it's still well within the range for people who don't like metal to enjoy it.
Ghost of Christmas
to Come -- Majestica
Alright, how about an entire concept album by a Swedish power metal band that tells the story of A Christmas Carol, complete with operatic bluster and voice acted snippets by the various characters and explicitly inspired by Danny Elfman, Alan Silvestri and John Williams, among others.
If that doesn't pique your interest, I don't know what will. I mean, it's no "Muppet Christmas Carol," which is unironically the best rendition of the tale. But it's really good and worth checking out, and manages to be original enough in a sea of repeats to get a nod.
Valhalleluja
-- NanowaR of Steel
Alright. Stick with me for just a minute here. First of all, NanowaR of Steel is a parody band in metal music land -- so they make a lot of Weird Al style oddities, although they are surprisingly crass at times (this is actually the only song of theirs that I like). Second of all, this song morphs into an IKEA commercial halfway through (but is in no way sponsored by or affiliated with the company). Third of all, the production values, mixing and general musicianship is off the charts despite being a parody.
And I mean, we're all busy as heck and stressed out during the holidays. It's supposed to be fun! Sometimes amongst all the pomp and ceremony, we need to remember to crack a smile -- and I cannot recommend anything over Valhalleluja for that purpose. The first time I heard it, I was grinning like a buffoon and that trend has continued to the present day.
Still with me? Intrigued by the pitch? If so, give it a shot! There's a hysterical music video on Youtube with lyrics, which I do recommend here because there's a lot of chaos and references jammed in there and being able to read them makes it easier to follow along for sure.
The song starts off masquerading as a gentle tune with a gospel choir in the backdrop. Do not be fooled. It will get unhinged very quickly. If you last until guest singer Angus McFife comes in as Odin in the middle of the song to pitch IKEA -- and yes, I know how insane that sentence sounds -- you're probably hooked.
It's so good.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and all the rest!
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Arianna McKee is the Design and Editorial Page Editor for The Express.