But I cannot really complain because deep down in my electronic/rock loving heart, I have a soft spot for holiday music. The Little Drummer Boy. Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Jingle Bells. Hearing these songs reminds me of carolers in the snow, singing good tidings and cheer as snow gently falls onto the cobblestone streets below. Or at least that's how it looks in those Christmas movies...I live in Tucson, after all!
Because I have plenty of traditional holiday CDs, I decided to do some research on alternative Christmas songs available through the library and Freegal (three free downloads a week)! I found musical gifts for patrons both naughty (death metal Christmas anyone?) and nice, so follow the links below for the fun!
Classic Rock Christmas: Some of the great classic rockers (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Moody Blues, Elton John) lend their talent to this compilation. One of my favorites is the Ramones "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)," a great 80's punk rock ballad with machine-gun guitar licks!
Pop Christmas: While the title of the CD (Now That's What I Call Christmas) might not actually be how I would describe Christmas, hearing some of the biggest radio stars (Lady Gaga, Faith Hill, Maroon 5) sing holiday favorites is oddly satisfying. Like eating a whole bunch of candy canes right before dinner. And just when you are getting a stomach ache from all those sugary sweetness, the second CD features some classic crooners (Bing Crosby, Dean Martin) to settle your appetite.
Electronic Christmas: If you've ever thought that your holiday songs needed more bass drops, this Freegal album is for you. Christmas classics remixed by DJs calling themselves the X-Mas Robots: while not the best electronica by any stretch of the imagination (the We Three Kings Dub Remix sounds like Four Tet after having too much egg nog), you cannot go wrong picking your favorite song and replacing an angelic choir with some wub-wub-wubs.
Heavy Metal Christmas: As a fair warning, this heavy metal holiday album contains its fair share of profanity, so you probably don't want to play these songs while the kids are opening their presents. But I love the fact that in this world exists a heavy metal band called Austrian Death Machine, has Terminator artwork on their CDs, and covers holiday songs like "Jingle Bells" with double-bass drums and buzz-saw guitars.
Happy holidays, everyone! If you know of any other alternative Christmas CDs, feel free to share them in the comments section below.
-James
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