soundtrack for your Advent season

by D.O.

I unashamedly love Christmas music. Even working in a retail store that plays it non-stop from Black Friday to Christmas Eve can’t hinder my adoration for music of the Season. That isn’t to say that I love all Christmas music though. Chipmunks singing anything and “Silver Bells” sung by anyone have generally never been enjoyable to me. That said, here are a few Christmas albums that I feel greatly enrich my Decembers, and will doubtless do the same to yours.

Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God album has been the most edifying Christmas album I’ve ever laid ears on, bar-none. He tells “the TRUE tall tale of the coming of Christ” in the big picture sense: from Moses to Jesus. As such, you rob yourself the fullness of the Behold experience by listening only to a song here and there; you must listen to it start to finish (though there are certainly songs that are excellent all by themselves). This is the type of album that, the more you listen to it, the more you recognize it’s brilliance. The musicality of the album is top-notch, and the lyrics are both eye opening and encouraging. If you’ve still not bought this album and you’ve known me for more than two years, make my joy complete by buying it either at the Rabbit Room or on iTunes.

Sufjan Stevens’ Songs for Christmas is a collection of 5 EP’s which Stevens wrote each year from 2001 to 2006 (skipping ‘04). It comes out to a total of 2 hours worth of 42 songs, some original, some traditional, but all of them unique. This is a welcome change of pace for people who are sick of the Christmas music played on mainstream radio stations and in local retailers. You can get it from the Asthmatic Kitty site or on iTunes.

Sojourn Music’s Advent Songs came as a recommendation from my good friend Brandone and I took him up on his tip because the music is free. This EP features a pleasant blend of original and traditional Christmas tunes, and lest we forget, it’s free. So you might as well, right? See sojournmusic.com.

Donna Stuart’s In the Fullness of Time came out in 2005 when I was at A&M. I picked it up after watching my friends Donna and Jimmy Needham (whose vocal stylings are featured on the EP) perform at Coffee Station, and I wasn’t disappointed. Again, a blend of traditional and original songs, which are brought to an excellent conclusion with the resurrection of a hymn by Archer T. Gurney: Come Ye Lofty. That song alone is worth the cost of the album, which you can buy here or on iTunes.

And finally, Clairmont’s Christmas Songs EP. This is a pleasant little treat that made its way to my facebook inbox though a friend who happens to be the band’s drummer. Short and sweet, this four song collection offers super hip versions of some of your Christmas favorites (and a decent version of the aforenegativelymentioned “Silver Bells” at that!) You can download this EP for free at clairmontonline.com/christmas, as a gift from the band to you.

There you have it kids. Hope you enjoy the new tunes, and seriously, if you haven’t bought AP’s Behold yet… I don’t know how else to tell you that you’re wrong.

Honorable mention: Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas, Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s anything, Josh Groban’s Noel, and the nearly impossible to find Christmas Unit of Family Singers Live at the Aggie BSM.