Since 2007, IRC has put together the largest collection of the indie rock Christmas songs on the web, featuring popular, and lesser-known, indie, alt rock, pop, folk and classic rock Christmas-themed songs from indie artists of the past 15 years, alternative rockers of the 90s and classic rock legends from the 60s through the 80s.
You won’t find any Dean Martin, Bing Crosby or other traditional Xmas songs – that we’ve all heard again and again year after year – in our playlists. Altogether, IRC’s playlists collection contains hundreds of Christmas and holiday-related songs.
[zbplayer]This is a new Christmas and holiday playlist mix for 2014, featuring highlights from previously published playlists posts (more than 30 since 2007).
First up are a couple of tracks from Bad Religion‘s Christmas Songs covers album released last year (which we didn’t learn about until after the holidays).
“O Come All Ye Faithful” – Bad Religion from Christmas Songs
“Little Drummer Boy” – Bad Religion from Christmas Songs
- Readers’ Top 30 Most Played Christmas Songs – Feautring holiday tracks from The Killers, Sufjan Stevens, The Walkmen, The Flaming Lips, The White Stripes, Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie, Arcade Fire, The Polyphonic Spree, Mojave 3, Low, XTC, and many others.
Listeners’ Favorite 25 Indie and Alt. Rock Christmas Songs – There’s definitely overlap between this playlist mix, created last year, and the 2010 Readers’ Top 30, but there’s also enough of a difference including Pearl Jam, The Late Greats, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The National, Mazzy Star, The Kinks, Guster, The Ramones, Raveonettes, Jimmy Eat World, and many others.
This year marks the ninth year in a row that The Killers have released an original Christmas song to raise money for AIDS (RED) relief in Africa. In the past, the band has collaborated with Dawes, Elton John, Ryan Pardey and others.
This time around they’ve teamed up with Jimmy Kimmel for a new Christmas-themed music video, “Joel, The Lump of Coal” .
Here are a few of the other Christmas song releases by The Killers from years’ gone by, including “Boots,” “Don’t Shoot Me Santa Claus” and “Christmas in L.A.,” featuring Dawes and Owen Wilson.
YT: “Boots” – The Killers
YT: “Don’t Shoot Me Santa Claus” – The Killers
YT: “Christmas in LA” – The Killers and Dawes
Christmas Stuff from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Futureheads, Wham, and Blitzen Trapper
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ “All I Want For Christmas” video release.
Watch and listen to “Christmas Was Better in the 80s” – The Futureheadss original Christmas music video.
Speaking of the 80’s, you can’t forget Wham’s “Last Christmas” video, viewed over 67 million times! For those of you not old enough to remember, this was before George Michael figured out he was gay – even though everyone else knew it for years (before it was “OK” to come out).
Stream or download “Christmas Is Coming Soon” from Blitzen Trapper
Sleepy Rebels, ‘Steampunk’ Christmas, The Davenports and Weird XMas
Santa as you’ve never seen him before in “A Very Sleepy Christmas”, featuring the song “Sweet Things” by NYC indie band Sleepy Rebels.
The band released the video as part of their Bah Humbug album release, which also featured the track “California Christmas” (via Mapanure), among other Christmasy tracks.
View a rare collection of Christmas-themed songs from A Very Steampunk Christmas compilation, featuring Comfort and Oi, Stille Nacht and others.
We’re not sure what to make of Jack‘s Christmas songs spoof video other than to say it’s not what you’re expecting, and it’s totally not politically correct. And neither is The Davenports’ “Whore For The Holidays,” a satirical song about a fool at an office Christmas party who goes a bit too far with the meaning of giving.
Plus, NPR’s Annoying Songs for Christmas audio feature.
Rarely Heard Christmas Songs from Various Indie Bands
Here’s a six-pack of Christmas-themed songs – both covers and originals – that you’ve likely never heard before from The Bewitched Hands, The Sky Drops, The Border Brass, Pedro The Lion, John Ralston and The Delfields.
“Christmas Tree” – The Bewitched Hands
“Tijuana Christmas” – The Border Brass
“I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day” – Pedro The Lion
“A Very Delfields Christmas” – The Delfields
The National with Sufjan Stevens and Richard Parry Christmas Songs’ Collaboration
In 2009, The National’s Aaron and Bryce Dessner guest DJ’d on BBC6 and surprised and delighted listeners and fans with the debut of two Christmas-themed tracks – a special cover of “Silent Night” and an original track, “Barcarola (You Must Be A Christmas Tree) – that feature the brothers with Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire bassist Richard Parry.
“Silent Night” – The National, Sufjan Stevens and Richard Parry
“Barcarola (You Must Be A Christmas Tree)” – The National, Sujfan Stevens and Richard Parry
Darker My Love delivered one of the most catchy and memorable of all new Christmas tracks in 2010 with “Snow Is Falling.” The Christmas cheer continues splendid covers, including the fabulous Catwalk’s cover of “Christmas Don’t Be Late,” followed by The Late Greats‘ impressive cover of “Sleigh Bells.” Next, a reverb-heavy cover of the classic “Winter Wonderland” comes to us by way of Santa Cruz lo-fi artist John Blaze, followed by a terrific cover from Banjo or Freakout of the kid’s classic, “Frosty The Snowman.”
“Snow Is Falling” – Darker My Love
“Christmas Don’t Be Late” – Catwalk
“Sleigh Bells”– The Late Greats
“Winter Wonderland” – John Blaze
Wavves/Best Coast’s X-Mas Track; Plus, Tape Deck Mountain and Maps
In 2010, two of the biggest new California indie acts of the time, the dynamic duo of Wavves, featuring Nathan Williams, and Best Coast, fronted by Bethany Cosentino, teamed up to record the Christmas-themed track, “I Got Something For You”. Williams and Cosentino are one of indie’s hottest couples; in fact, they first started dating when the two artists were still known only to San Diego area stoner hipsters and college students.
“I Got Something For You” – Wavves & Best Coast
“In The Bleak Midwinter” – Mapswith Polly Scattergood