New Christmas Music for 2006 Part 1
13 December 2006
Sufjan Stevens waged war against his ghosts of Christmas pasts much like the typical college student, arguing the holiday was a cultural and social construct, hijacked by capitalism and sentimentalism. Something changed however, and he made an about face and decided the combat Christmas in all its hokey, tacky, silliness instead by opening his arms wide and embracing it with a kiss on the cheek. In 2001, Stevens recorded a brief EP, intended originally for his friends only, with a couple of instruments and whoever he could drag into the room to sing with him. The EP contained a couple of Christmas carols and original songs. In the end, he enjoyed the experience so much, that he followed it up with another EP in 2002 and 2003. Another EP followed in 2005 after to taking a break to record his currently defining work that sends indie hipsters into a tizzy, Come On! Feel The Illinoise! Previously, these EP’s were only available through MP3’s on the Internet, but now all of the EP’s including a new one for this year are bundled together in a boxed set busting at the seams.
As interesting as it is to hear Sufjan’s take on traditional Christmas carols, even worn out ditties like “Jingle Bells”, what’s truly fascinating is to listen to the evolution of his songwriting, composition, and arranging. The early CD’s start out as quirky folk music affairs featuring banjos, flutes, guitars, and sometimes off-key vocals. However, the fourth EP bears the imprints of the experience gained from albums like Illinoise and Michigan, encountering the ghosts of Christmas present more than the past. Stevens stretches his wings out and the songs begin to feel less like Christmas songs as interpreted by Sufjan Stevens and more like Stevens’ own musings and observations of the holiday season. By the time the fifth EP goes into the CD player, the transformation is complete and the works are now full-blown, orchestrated and over-the-top sprawling songs. Moving on to the ghost of Christmas future, perhaps the latest CD gives us a peek into Stevens’ future direction with discernable nods to 60’s and 70’s rock from bands like The Who and Yes who weren’t afraid to write a song longer than 3 minutes. The hand-claps, organ fills, and background vocals all recall an era of music when the LP dominated music store shelves.
In addition to the five EP’s, the boxed set also includes some extra goodies that make the package more than just a collection of CD’s. The boxed set comes bundled with festival holiday stickers, cartoons, and a booklet of liner notes that includes chords and lyrics for all the songs and stories about Christmas from friends and Stevens’ own story about his own reconciliation with Christmas. Granted, in a collection such as this, especially considering the early EP’s which where never meant for mass distribution, there are a lot of uneven moments. The highlights, however are plenty. Stevens writes in the liner notes that he seeks to achieve of joyful sadness in his songs that he calls that “creepy Christmas feeling” and he achieves it many times, including in a ponderous “What Child Is This Anyway?”, a lush, questioning original “Sister Winter”, a child-like “Away In A Manger”, and a nicely arranged “Joy To The World.” As is often the case with Sufjan Stevens, the proliferation of writing will yield some classic music and some cringe-worthy music, but will assuredly be more rewarding than yet another replay of “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”
3 Responses to “New Christmas Music for 2006 Part 1”
December 13th, 2006 at 9:18 am
[...] My latest article, a review of Sufjan Stevens’ Songs For Christmas boxed set is now online at The Corner Table. Go! Read! Comment! Good Times! [...]
December 14th, 2006 at 8:42 am
I wish Sufjan Stevens would just go away. That’s my Christmas wish.
December 17th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
I’d like to see him finish all 50 states, but if he got assassinated before then, I can’t say I’d be disappointed.