Last week, I posted a list of some of this year's major commercial holiday music releases. These are albums made by artists you've probably heard of and released by record companies whose principal interest is making money. The records I wrote about contain some decent music, but it's hard for me to get too excited about many of them. Most of what I go for these days doesn't come from the major labels but rather has to be tracked down and located – on websites, in blogs, by word-of-mouth, or via such services as Soundcloud, Artist Direct, Bandcamp and the like. When it comes to interesting new holiday music, the best way to start looking is to visit the various sites listed near the top of the right-hand column of this blog under the heading "Favorite Holiday Music Sites." Each of these sites has its own unique style, of course, and you never know which one might offer up some beautiful new song on any given day. Today, for example, several different sites pointed me toward a terrific new song by the British band The Disappointment Choir called "A Pretty Good Christmas." It's a beautiful song with a truly inspirational message delivered with classic British understatement. The video's cool, too:
For my money, stuff like this is better than most of the music you'll find on the major label releases. Just saying.
Thanks to Santa's Working Overtime, Elves' Bells, and Chistmas A Go Go.
Now don't get me wrong, because I thing there are plenty of great renditions produced for the holidays, but I just always find myself returning back to the classics this time of year. For instance, I am listening to Mannheim Steamroller as I right this comment which has been a favorite of mine since I was young. Additionally, I stumbled across this list of classic holiday jingles which I felt like suggesting in case you are looking for something to listen to. Everything from "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" to "Jingle Bell Rock" is on this great list.
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