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Column - Why Christmas is going indie with She & Him, Smith & Burrows, Tim Wheeler & Emmy The Great
Move over Mariah, do one Destiny's Child and get lost Glee cast. The Christmas album - usually the mainstay of mainstream pop - is getting a distinctly alternative makeover this year. It might only be October, but we take a look at the indie acts already jostling for a place on Father Christmas' knee.
She & Him - A Very She and Him Christmas
Having been in the film Elf (which included a brief blast of her carol singing), Zooey Deschanel should know a thing or two about all this festive malarkey. Sure enough, the She & Him (her band with M Ward) Christmas album is crammed with enough mentions of candy canes, snowy weather and Santa to fill several stockings. You even buy the album with limited edition pair of mittens and wooly hats to keep you warm while out spreading festive cheer - although chances are their old-timey music will have warmed your cockles already. It's the sort of indie Christmas stuff you could listen to with your Gran over a tin of Quality Street - quality, indeed.
Christmas rating: First in the queue to Santa's grotto
Sheandhim.com
Smith & Burrows - Funny Looking Angels
Editors are hardly the world's cheeriest band so you'd be forgiven for expecting a rather morose, Grinch-esque effort as the band's frontman Tom Smith teams up with I Am Arrows' Andy Burrows. However Funny Looking Angels proves an upbeat treat with handclaps, mandolins and bursts of saxophone woven around soft vocals like a fine knitted Christmas jumper. The album features covers of festive favourites by the likes of Nat King Cole, and a couple of surprises as The Longpigs' On And On and Black's Wonderful Life become alternative carols. The only disappointment is that neither Smith nor Burrows have truly embraced the spirit of the Christmas record and grown their hair into a Noddy Holder mop... yet.
Christmas rating: The 21st Century's indie version of Bing and Bowie
Smithandburrows.co.uk
Emmy The Great & Tim Wheeler - This Is Christmas
You can count on Emmy The Great and Ash frontman Tim Wheeler to put the alternative into alternative Christmas albums. For starters, the opening song is a pop-punk blast lamenting not being able to surf on Christmas day - not your usual chestnuts roasting on an open fire fare. The album is made up of nine new carols penned by the duo - including teasingly titled Zombie Christmas - plus a cover of Phil Spector's Mashmallow World. Matt Tong from Bloc Party features on drums while strings have been arranged by film composer Ilan Eskeri. The pair also win extra Christmas kudos for the gloriously tacky animated snowflakes on their website. If only they had stuck with their original name for the project - Sleigher...
Christmas rating: Like being in Australia and spending Christmas Day on the beach, it's different... but good
Thisischristmasalbum.com
Still it's not too late for late entries - come on The xx how about a go of We Three Kings? Wild Beasts' Good King Wenceslas? And hey Jay-Z and Kanye West noticed anything about all the Christmas records above? That's right they're all duos, come chaps Watch The Manger Throne?
Al Horner@al_horner
11:29 AM | 18/10/2011
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