Our annual counter-carol episode, devoted to (mostly) lesser known holiday music to yuletide your way through the very overplayed tunes you hear elsewhere. Most of the focus at the end is tied to soul through the Chess and Daptone labels but there's a folky melancholy air to this year's proceedings.

  1. LCD Soundsystem: Christmas Will Break Your Heart (2015) DFA
  2. Venetian Snares: Decembers (Traditional Synthesizer Music, 2016) Timesig/Planet Mu
  3. Greg Lake: I Believe in Father Christmas (1975) Manticore
  4. David Bowie & Bing Crosby: Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth (1977) RCA
  5. Carter Burwell: Christmas Trees (Carol OST, 2015) Varèse Sarabande
  6. Low: Some Hearts at Christmas Time (2016) Sub Pop
  7. Erik Koskinen: On Christmas Day (2016) self-released
  8. Gorky's Zygotic Mynci: Christmas Eve (Spanish Dance Troupe, 1999) Mantra
  9. Kathryn Calder: Little Ones (2012) self-released
  10. Good Lovelies: Ancient Forest (Winter's Calling EP, 2014) Six Shooter
  11. R.E.M: Christmas in Tunisia (Christmas Fan Club single, 1994) self-released
  12. Lindi Ortega: Christmas Eve with You (Tennessee Christmas EP, 2011) Last Gang
  13. Shearwater Bluegrass Band: Snows of December (Shearwater, 2008) self-released
  14. Lust: Asleep in the Snow (The Eggnog Experience, 2009) Mental Beast
  15. The Beatles: Pantomime - Everywhere It's Christmas (The Beatles' Fourth Christmas Record, 1966) Lyntone
  16. Find the Others: Christmas is Just Another Day (Ho Ho Ho Canada 6 compilation, 2014) The Line of Best Fit
  17. Emil Richards: Turquoise [December] (New Sound Element: Stones, 1966) UNI
  18. Joko Tea: Dance of the Reindeer (Steamin' Hot Cuppa, 2015) self-released
  19. Chamberlin: In the Bleak Midwinter (Paste Christmas sampler, 2011) Paste
  20. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence OST, 1983) MCA
  21. She & Him: Christmas Waltz (A Very She & Him Christmas, 2011) Merge
  22. Said the Whale: The Weight of the Season (Hawaiii, 2013) Hidden Pony
  23. King Khan & BBQ Show: Plump Righteous (Merry Christmas: Black Lips split 7", 2007) Norton
  24. The Acorn: Pigeon Toes (No Ghost, 2010) Bella Union/V2
  25. Neil Haverty: The Snow It Melts the Soonest (Ho Ho Ho Canada 4 compilation, 2012) The Line of Best Fit
  26. Astro Screamer: Ice Flower (Astro Screamer EP, 2015) self-released
  27. Maybe Smith: You Would Never Survive the Winters in this Province (Another Murder in the Morning, 2009) Sir Handsome
  28. The Ramsey Lewis Trio: Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Have a Merry Chess Christmas, 1988) Chess/MCA
  29. The O'Jays: Christmas ain't Christmas, New Years ain't New Years Without the One You Love (Have a Merry Chess Christmas, 1988) Chess/MCA
  30. The Salem Travelers: Merry Christmas to You (Have a Merry Chess Christmas, 1988) Chess/MCA
  31. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings: God Rest Ye Merry Gents (It's a Holiday Soul Party, 2015) Daptone
  32. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings: Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects (It's a Holiday Soul Party, 2015) Daptone
  33. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings: 8 Days of Hannukah (It's a Holiday Soul Party, 2015) Daptone
  34. McCoy Tyner: December (Land of Giants, 2003) Telarc
  35. Frank Borman: Merry Christmas (Apollo 8 Genesis reading, 1968) NASA
  36. Prince: Same December (Chaos & Disorder, 1996) Warner Bros

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