As Christmas approaches, I feel compelled to post a cheery holiday song. But here’s the thing: most of those songs suck big time. And most times, you aren’t necessarily in a cheery Christmas mood.
One of my goals this Christmas was to find some “Christmas” music that can be enjoyed any season. And I may have found it in the most unlikely of places.
In the past few months, I’ve done a complete 180 on Sufjan Stevens. While I enjoyed a few songs on Illinois and The Avalanche, I thought most of it was overblown twee crap. Probably because I absolutely hate the flute. Then in October, I went to see Sufjan play live at Zellerbach, which just reinforced why I started to dislike him in the first place.
So when he released a 5-disc Christmas box set on November 21 for only $15, I didn’t care. A few weeks later, it finally struck me that Sufjan had released a 5-disc box set for $15. I picked it up at my neighborhood record shop and started listening to it almost exclusively, hoping it would help fill me with the Christmas spirit, which most times is brutally killed by finals.
With over 40 tracks, the Sufjan box set can be a little overwhelming. But that’s where I come in. The best song by far is “Sister Winter.” It’s definitely not a cheery Christmas track, which is why I like it. It’s made me do a 135 on Sufjan. I say 135 because I still only selectively like his music.
Regardless, “Sister Winter” is a fantastic song and I hope you enjoy it.
Eugene Gordin wrote:December 30, 2006
While I have fallen back into Sufjan with my new obsession of the Seven Swans album, especially after the concert, I do have to say that this song is great.
Word on the street is that KROQ played Chicago after an introduction along the lines of: “here’s a new artist named Soof Jan Stevens who is up and coming in the music world. We wish Soof Jan the best.” LOL.
alex wrote:February 10, 2007
they actually played it again sometime last week.. and no, the announcer still hasn’t learned how to say his name correctly. its so sad