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I am writing this on Sunday, November 22. AKA before the storm. Come Thursday, around 3:00, I'll be stuffing myself so full of mashed potatoes that the edges of my vision start going white. By 7:00 I'll be listening to Christmas music. This is not a choice I have made. This is a choice that has been made for me - for all of us - by some invisible hand of Santa songs. Heck, the Hallmark Channel - that harbinger of jolly doom - has already begun digging into their holiday repertoire. They don't even have the decency to wait until the turkey's on the table.
There is a unique sort of terror that arrives around this time every year, a sort of joyful dread that comes with the knowledge that, within the week, you won't be able to turn on your radio without hearing sleigh bells. It's like walking through a haunted house, holding your breath, knowing Mariah Carey could jump out at any second. For some, I understand this is one of the most magical parts of the season (I would imagine this is Michael Bublé's Super Bowl). For others, it means the beginning of earmuff season, regardless of the weather outside. Still, there is a certain beauty to the inevitability of it all. We're powerless to it, it just arrives of its own accord and, as Boxing Day dawns each year, disappears with the night like Santa Claus himself. It's like the tide - you can't stop it, you can't change it, you've just got to let it wash over you. You can run all you like, but no man can hide in the glare of the tacky lights.
Still, there are some songs that still manage to wake a certain holiday spirit, no matter how deep within me it has been buried. This year more than ever, I think there's a real value in the sort of optimism that has come to define the music of Christmas. If ever there was a time to search for the jolly in all the junk, it's right now. So, in the interest of really leaning into it this year, I've compiled a short list of the songs that I think deserve a seat on your soundtrack to the season. Happy holidays, folks, and happy listening.
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers, not exactly the poster child of cheer, still quietly releases a Christmas single every year, each one excellent in its own way. Though she's written some beautiful holiday music of her own (check out "Christmas Song"), this song feels especially pertinent in a year like 2020. It was released in 2017, but in a moment where it seems like all anybody can talk about is next year, this song comes off especially bittersweet.
"Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" - Sufjan Stevens
Songs For Christmas was a holiday staple growing up in my family. I vividly remember the cardboard booklet of CDs that resurfaced every December, emblazed with a colored pencil tree and a name nobody was 100% sure how to pronounce. Sufjan has written some of the best latter-day Christmas carols out there ("Come On! Let's Boogie to the Elf Dance" is almost frustratingly great), but "Come Thou Fount" has long been one of my favorites.
"Someday At Christmas" - Stevie Wonder
First recorded in 1966 by a 16-year-old Stevie Wonder, "Someday At Christmas" still feels as relevant as ever. A modern Christmas classic, the song's been covered by everybody from The Jackson 5 to Pearl Jam to Rascal Flatts. The original, however, replete with multiple key changes and Stevie Wonder's iconic voice, remains my favorite version of this song and the one that felt most at home on this list.
"River" - Joni Mitchell
Everyone's favorite anti-carol, Joni Mitchell may well be the only person to sneak a random Christmas song onto an all-time classic record. The eighth track off of Blue, a decidedly unfestive album, catches you off guard in the context of the rest of the record. And, to be fair, the song isn't necessarily about Christmas. Still, it's become a melancholy holiday anthem for the spirited and dispirited alike and undoubtedly deserves a place on any 2020 holiday playlist.
"Greensleeves" - Vince Guaraldi Trio
Ask me to distill December down into one sound and I won’t even hesitate: it’s the drums from A Charlie Brown Christmas. I can't explain it, but those drums just sound perfect, more like walking through a layer of late-autumnal leaves than jazz percussion. Throw in some killer upright bass and the piano genius of Vince Guaraldi and you might as well be sipping eggnog by a fire. This album isn't just a classic, it's the classic Christmas album, so perfect even Schroeder can't turn his nose up at it.
"Eight Candles" - Yo La Tengo
There is a severe deficiency of good Hanukkah songs out there, folks. Besides "Rock of Ages" and "Dreidel" (both certified bangers, don't get me wrong), almost all that's left is either overly schticky novelty music or, well, Matisyahu. Last year's Hanukkah+ sought to rectify this musical deficit, enlisting a wide array of Jewish musicians to get the ball rolling. The album featured everyone from Jack Black to HAIM, but this song - laid-back, effervescent, and determinedly un-schticky - was the one that earned a spot on this list.
"Jingle Bell Rock" - Sierra Ferrell
I've written before about how much I love Sierra Ferrell's voice, at the same time distinctly contemporary and completely unstuck from time. It's that same timeless quality that lends itself so well to this song (and its companion, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"). Somehow, she manages to take a song I am entirely tired of and pull me back in. The instrumentation is, as far as I can tell, entirely faithful to the original versions, but something about Sierra Ferrell's voice just takes them to the next level.
"Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (Live)" - Bruce Springsteen
Clarence Clemons. 'Nuff said.
Recommended Reading
The pieces I published this week, conveniently congregated in a lovely little list:
Sierra Ferrell - “Jeremiah/Why’d Ya Do It”
Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
Joan Shelley - Like the River Loves the Sea
In One Ear
All the songs that slipped through the cracks:
Brave the Storm - Last Year's Man
A new recruit among the ranks of that specific brand of modern male indie-folk. You know the type: the kind where you can hear the dude's beard through his voice (a sound I have just decided to call "Beardfolk," which I now intend to copyright). Still, a solid album if that's your thing! Does it sound like something that would pop up on my dad's Pandora? Sure! Definitely worth a listen, though, and perfect for this time of year.
DNA Activation- Witch Prophet
Though this album came out back in March, I only stumbled across it this week. Between the hypnotic vocal delivery (with multi-lingual lyrics that span English, Amharic, and Tigrinya) and the relaxed, mesmerizingly groovy instrumentals, this album pretty much blew my mind.
instrumentals/songs- Adrianne Lenker
The Big Thief frontwoman's first solo releases since 2018, instrumentals and songs were recorded together and released in the same way, on October 22 & 23, respectively. These are Lenker's most personal albums in subject matter - arriving in the wake of a breakup - and most timely in their conceptions, recorded in a small cabin in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts following a string of canceled tour dates, just Lenker and her producer. The result is something between Pink Moon and Blue, but with that certain shimmering, ghostly quality only Lenker can achieve.
"Walls" - Angel Olsen & Hand Habits
By far my favorite cover of one of my absolute favorite Tom Petty songs. Well worth a watch, and another, and another, and anot-
This Week's Mixtape
Each edition of Nightswimming will come complete with a companion mixtape. Some of the songs relate to this week's newsletter, others not at all. As with any mixtape, listening in order is recommended, but if you don't have Spotify Premium or - heaven forbid - you just prefer to shuffle, then don't worry. The songs are still great, and nothing's set to self destruct.
or listen here.
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David Lefkowitz is a writer, musician, and former Latin NHS president. His work has been featured by Melted Magazine, The Outbound Collective, and Vinyl Tap Magazine, among others.