More often than not, once December rolls around, artists of all shapes and sizes start weighing in on the Christmas season with a song of their own. Many choose to go tried and true with interpretations of yuletide classics, but this list celebrates those who tread off the beaten path. Whether swerving from straight-up covers of "Jingle Bells" with something a little more unique, or offering an original oddity, here's to a few of the artists who spiked the Christmas punch with a little weirdness.
Top 10 Best Christmas Songs of 2011:
10. Princess Superstar "Xmas Swagger"
Granted, Princess Superstar's holiday offering is reasonably corny -- just check that ridiculously cheerful acoustic guitar and those wide-eyed West Coast synth bends -- but what Christmas classic isn't? The rapper half spits about her favourite parts of the December boom, from parades and sledders to Santa hat-sporting Chippendales dancers, before launching into a joyful and triumphant chorus of "I love Christmas, I love Santa / I love you, baby, and your Christmas swagger." Will it remain a holiday staple? Probably not, but it's pretty fun for now.
9. Apollo Ghosts "Honky Tonk's Blue Christmas"
It's not so much the arrangement that's odd with this one -- it plays just the same as takes by Elvis or Porky Pig -- but the fact that Vancouver Apollo Ghosts act as the backing band for ECCW wrestler the Honky Tonk Kid, which weirds this one up tenfold. Add to that a mid-section where the Kid dishes that despite his daddy leaving him in the trailer park all those years ago, he's turned into a pretty kick-ass brawler, and you've got yourself an unconventional Christmas hit.
8. The Evaporators "Who Are You?"
Nardwuar the Human Serviette starts this one off in full-on journo mode, grilling some jolly old soul about their red and white get-up before coming to the conclusion that it's Saint Nick himself. Though full of garage punk bounce, between the Nard's nearly indecipherable helium squeak and a mid-track freakout of scorching solos and fast-forward drum fills, the Evaporators' Xmas entry ends up being one of their wildest numbers ever.
You can get "Who Are You?" here as part of Ho Ho Ho Canada III.
7. The Killers "The Cowboys' Christmas Ball"
The Killers may not have released a full-length these last few years, but the Las Vegas band sure get a kick out of offering Christmas-themed cuts. Their latest, the C&W-style "The Cowboys' Christmas Ball," however, is out-of-leftfield as they come. A barn-burning shuffler that finds Brandon Flowers adopting a western accent to deliver lines about heifer rustlin' near the holidays, the song skips out on sleigh bells in favour of some fine fiddling and chuck wagon drum rolls. And the video, which distills the concept of Cowboys & Aliens into a much more manageable three and a half minutes, is pretty damn festive.
6. The Barr Brothers "Dear Mrs. Claus"
The big guy in red tends to get a lot of praise this time of year, but Montreal folksters the Barr Brothers offer up a tribute to the gal he leaves back at home every December 24 after he fills up that sleigh. Rolling out like an old '60s R&B standard, the cut is sung from the viewpoint of a lothario trying to butter up the Mrs. while Santa's off getting milk and cookies on the job. Don't let that heavenly harp fool you, things get kind of steamy once he starts smooth-talking the holiday heroine and sends the elves home for the evening. "No one should be alone on this most silent of nights," singer Brad Barr sultrily coos before offering to turn on Mrs. Claus, um, "Christmas lights."
5. Cults "Hot Chocolate"
On the surface, Cults recent performance on kids show Yo Gabba Gabba! seems to be a rather sweet and sleepy serenade about a nice, warm cup of cocoa, but considering the mysterious popsters' subversive bent, we're totally creeped out by this one. After all, they sampled cult leader Jim Jones's Guayana speech for "Go Outside." We're wondering if the marshmallow-filled mug held high by singer Madeline Follin and those cutesy neon monsters will go down about as smooth as a glass of Jonestown Kool-Aid.
UK grime pioneer Wiley admittedly cops to being a bit of a Grinch at Christmastime, generally skipping out on hangin' 'round the tannenbaum to spend time online. Eventually dude's inner gourmand gets the best of him, though, as he starts remembering all the sweets and eats that come with a Santa-approved spread. Save for the raisin cake, though. He still thinks that's gross. "It's Christmastime / Everybody eats food, everybody drinks wine," he spits, before convincing another Scrooge to hit up some gals on the dance floor. Packed with synth swells, twinkling toy xylophone hits and a bouncy backbeat, this is a proper cut to get hyphy to while wearing goofy reindeer sweater.
Wiley - Cheer Up It's Christmas by The Line Of Best Fit 3. The Flaming Lips with the Plastic Ono Band "Atlas Eets Christmas"
The Lips first released this in 2007 under the guise of Imagene Peise (or "Imagine Peace"), a fictional Iraqi jazz pianist who died in the late '70s, but the band came clean via physical copies of the limited-edition Christmas album Atlas Eets Christmas, with a sticker exclaiming "Love Is the Answer - Merry Christmas from the Flaming Lips 2007."
This year the band are fully out and open about their seasonal song, and have swapped the mondo-bizarro backstory for an out-there collaboration with the Plastic Ono Band. The original wobbly acid-jazz outing was pretty special, but this latest version takes the cake with a grander arrangement of sleigh bells, thudding drums, bell hits and soaring synths. Plus, check that warped, bleating choir the whole song through.
You can stream the song, as well as other holiday hits from the Lips, over here.
2. Gruff Rhys "Slashed Wrists This Christmas"
Most carols are filled with Christmas cheer, but Super Furry Animals main man Gruff Rhys's new Atheist Xmas EP sums up the spirit of seasonal affective disorder. The singer sets up the down-trodden boogie-woogie "Slashed Wrists This Christmas" with a story about spending time in a hospital post-suicide attempt. However harrowing the tale may be, the gorgeous, organ-laden cut is a nouveau Christmastime keeper.
No joke, the holidays can be a hard time. If you feel you're feeling depressed, don't have any friends or family to connect with and need somewhere to turn to, there are outreach centres and hotlines all across the country.
Gruff Rhys - Slashed Wrists This Christmas by PIASGermany
1. Lizzi Bougatsos and Josh Diamond "Holiday (Dope Xxxmas)"
We're all for having a good time around the holidays, but this sexed-up synthscape from Gang Gang Dance members Lizzi Bougatsos and Josh Diamond probably shouldn't be spun at a party with any kids nearby. Like a twisted yuletide version of Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby," Bougatsos grunts, groans, squeals and slurs away atop the super sultry/cheesy '80s keyboards that fill this porny number. We're not quite sure exactly what she's going on about, but she definitely implores us to have a good meal and a "merry crisis." Save this one for a wine-soaked Christmas Eve bender with your booty call.
Top 10 Best Christmas Songs of 2011:
10. Princess Superstar "Xmas Swagger"
Granted, Princess Superstar's holiday offering is reasonably corny -- just check that ridiculously cheerful acoustic guitar and those wide-eyed West Coast synth bends -- but what Christmas classic isn't? The rapper half spits about her favourite parts of the December boom, from parades and sledders to Santa hat-sporting Chippendales dancers, before launching into a joyful and triumphant chorus of "I love Christmas, I love Santa / I love you, baby, and your Christmas swagger." Will it remain a holiday staple? Probably not, but it's pretty fun for now.
9. Apollo Ghosts "Honky Tonk's Blue Christmas"
It's not so much the arrangement that's odd with this one -- it plays just the same as takes by Elvis or Porky Pig -- but the fact that Vancouver Apollo Ghosts act as the backing band for ECCW wrestler the Honky Tonk Kid, which weirds this one up tenfold. Add to that a mid-section where the Kid dishes that despite his daddy leaving him in the trailer park all those years ago, he's turned into a pretty kick-ass brawler, and you've got yourself an unconventional Christmas hit.
8. The Evaporators "Who Are You?"
Nardwuar the Human Serviette starts this one off in full-on journo mode, grilling some jolly old soul about their red and white get-up before coming to the conclusion that it's Saint Nick himself. Though full of garage punk bounce, between the Nard's nearly indecipherable helium squeak and a mid-track freakout of scorching solos and fast-forward drum fills, the Evaporators' Xmas entry ends up being one of their wildest numbers ever.
You can get "Who Are You?" here as part of Ho Ho Ho Canada III.
7. The Killers "The Cowboys' Christmas Ball"
The Killers may not have released a full-length these last few years, but the Las Vegas band sure get a kick out of offering Christmas-themed cuts. Their latest, the C&W-style "The Cowboys' Christmas Ball," however, is out-of-leftfield as they come. A barn-burning shuffler that finds Brandon Flowers adopting a western accent to deliver lines about heifer rustlin' near the holidays, the song skips out on sleigh bells in favour of some fine fiddling and chuck wagon drum rolls. And the video, which distills the concept of Cowboys & Aliens into a much more manageable three and a half minutes, is pretty damn festive.
6. The Barr Brothers "Dear Mrs. Claus"
The big guy in red tends to get a lot of praise this time of year, but Montreal folksters the Barr Brothers offer up a tribute to the gal he leaves back at home every December 24 after he fills up that sleigh. Rolling out like an old '60s R&B standard, the cut is sung from the viewpoint of a lothario trying to butter up the Mrs. while Santa's off getting milk and cookies on the job. Don't let that heavenly harp fool you, things get kind of steamy once he starts smooth-talking the holiday heroine and sends the elves home for the evening. "No one should be alone on this most silent of nights," singer Brad Barr sultrily coos before offering to turn on Mrs. Claus, um, "Christmas lights."
5. Cults "Hot Chocolate"
On the surface, Cults recent performance on kids show Yo Gabba Gabba! seems to be a rather sweet and sleepy serenade about a nice, warm cup of cocoa, but considering the mysterious popsters' subversive bent, we're totally creeped out by this one. After all, they sampled cult leader Jim Jones's Guayana speech for "Go Outside." We're wondering if the marshmallow-filled mug held high by singer Madeline Follin and those cutesy neon monsters will go down about as smooth as a glass of Jonestown Kool-Aid.
The Cults on Yo Gabba Gabba! from stereogum on Vimeo.
4. Wiley "Cheer Up, It's Christmas"UK grime pioneer Wiley admittedly cops to being a bit of a Grinch at Christmastime, generally skipping out on hangin' 'round the tannenbaum to spend time online. Eventually dude's inner gourmand gets the best of him, though, as he starts remembering all the sweets and eats that come with a Santa-approved spread. Save for the raisin cake, though. He still thinks that's gross. "It's Christmastime / Everybody eats food, everybody drinks wine," he spits, before convincing another Scrooge to hit up some gals on the dance floor. Packed with synth swells, twinkling toy xylophone hits and a bouncy backbeat, this is a proper cut to get hyphy to while wearing goofy reindeer sweater.
Wiley - Cheer Up It's Christmas by The Line Of Best Fit 3. The Flaming Lips with the Plastic Ono Band "Atlas Eets Christmas"
The Lips first released this in 2007 under the guise of Imagene Peise (or "Imagine Peace"), a fictional Iraqi jazz pianist who died in the late '70s, but the band came clean via physical copies of the limited-edition Christmas album Atlas Eets Christmas, with a sticker exclaiming "Love Is the Answer - Merry Christmas from the Flaming Lips 2007."
This year the band are fully out and open about their seasonal song, and have swapped the mondo-bizarro backstory for an out-there collaboration with the Plastic Ono Band. The original wobbly acid-jazz outing was pretty special, but this latest version takes the cake with a grander arrangement of sleigh bells, thudding drums, bell hits and soaring synths. Plus, check that warped, bleating choir the whole song through.
You can stream the song, as well as other holiday hits from the Lips, over here.
2. Gruff Rhys "Slashed Wrists This Christmas"
Most carols are filled with Christmas cheer, but Super Furry Animals main man Gruff Rhys's new Atheist Xmas EP sums up the spirit of seasonal affective disorder. The singer sets up the down-trodden boogie-woogie "Slashed Wrists This Christmas" with a story about spending time in a hospital post-suicide attempt. However harrowing the tale may be, the gorgeous, organ-laden cut is a nouveau Christmastime keeper.
No joke, the holidays can be a hard time. If you feel you're feeling depressed, don't have any friends or family to connect with and need somewhere to turn to, there are outreach centres and hotlines all across the country.
Gruff Rhys - Slashed Wrists This Christmas by PIASGermany
1. Lizzi Bougatsos and Josh Diamond "Holiday (Dope Xxxmas)"
We're all for having a good time around the holidays, but this sexed-up synthscape from Gang Gang Dance members Lizzi Bougatsos and Josh Diamond probably shouldn't be spun at a party with any kids nearby. Like a twisted yuletide version of Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby," Bougatsos grunts, groans, squeals and slurs away atop the super sultry/cheesy '80s keyboards that fill this porny number. We're not quite sure exactly what she's going on about, but she definitely implores us to have a good meal and a "merry crisis." Save this one for a wine-soaked Christmas Eve bender with your booty call.
