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ARTiST....: sufjan stevens
TiTLE.....: songs for christmas sampler
LABEL.....: asthmatic kitty
GENRE.....: indie
SOURCE....: cdda
QUALiTY...: VBR / joint-stereo
SiZE......: 68,7 MB
REL.DATE..: 10-18-2006
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01] lo! how a rose e'er blooming 01:46
02] get behind me, santa! 03:49
03] jingle bells 00:36
04] christmas in july 03:17
05] jupiter winter 03:51
06] sister winter 05:04
07] the little drummer boy 03:43
08] hey guys! it's christmas time! 04:41
09] joy to the world 04:19
10] o come o come emmanuel 01:03
11] let's boogey to the elf 03:50
12] that was the worst christmas ever 03:15
13] angels we have heard on high 00:45
14] put the lights on the tree 01:47
15] only at christmas time 02:13
16] it's christmas, let be glad! 01:54
17] lo! how a rose e'er blooming 03:21
18] silent night 00:44
TOTAL TiME : 49:58 min
Forget the 50 States. Christmas is a bigger
concept. As some of you may or may not know, for
the past few years, as a holiday tradition, Sufjan
has embarked on an extraordinary experiment to
record an annual Christmas EP. It started in 2001,
the year of Epiphanies, and continued onward
(skipping only 2004), culminating into an odd and
idiosyncratic catalog of music that has only
existed in the Asthmatic Kitty archives (and on a
number of file sharing sites). The recording
process took place every December, for one week,
usually at home, provoking collaborations with
friends, roommates, and musical peers. Armed with
a Reader's Digest Christmas Songbook (and a mug of
hot cider) Sufjan & friends concocted a musical
fruit cake year after year, implementing every
musical instrument they could find lying around
the house: banjo, oboe, Casiotone, wood flute, a
buzzy guitar, hand claps, sleigh bells, Hammond
organ, and some tree tinsel. Did we mention sleigh
bells? It doesn't take much to capture that Creepy
Christmas Feeling, does it? Recorded, mixed and
mastered at home, the EPs themselves were often
assembled in the kitchen, stapled together, and
sent out with stickers and stamps to loved ones
across the globe, year after year, with little
Christmas cards that read: "Merry Christmas. You
are something special. Santa Claus loves you. And
so do I." And then, one day, some of these songs
showed up online. Curious little web zines and fan
sites posted mp3s. People started asking
questions. What is this I hear about Sufjan doing
the boogey to the elf dance? Where can I get these
Christmas goodies? Well, not wanting to be the
Grinch, we decided to deck the halls, if you know
what I mean.
But let's back up a bit. Having an inherent
aversion to the standard Christmas carol, Sufjan
indulged in the project initially as an exercise
to make himself "appreciate" Christmas more. It
was a tough childhood, but you can't be a
Christmas Curmudgeon forever, can you? What he
discovered, for better or for worse, was a
fascinating canon of Yuletide hits, some
emotionally rewarding, some painfully cliche'.
Jingle Bells. Silent Night. We Three Kings. The
whole nine yards. The musical undertaking led
Sufjan (and his coterie of friends) to reckon with
a holiday that celebrates, above all things, the
spirit of excess--Santa Claus, popcorn balls,
mistletoe, and Kmart blue light specials, to name
a few. What does it all add up to? A headache, a
hangover, and sentimental ruminations of Baby
Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and all those animals in
the manger. Is there any other holiday that so
seamlessly mixes the sacred and the profane?
Recording traditional favorites alongside unique
originals, Sufjan has, over the course of five
years, constructed an odd, impressive, and
compelling collection of Christmas hits (and some
misses) that will either warm your heart or make
you throw up eggnog all over the bath mat
(depending on your constitution). Asthmatic Kitty
Records is preparing to release ALL of the
material (newly mixed and mastered) in one
generous box set, due in stores November 21, just
in time for the holiday shopping craze. The box
set (titled "Songs for Christmas") will be chock
full of surprises, including the following novelty
items (if you don't mind us ruining the surprise):
- Five individually packaged CD EPs!
- Five Christmas stickers!
- Extensive liner notes and short stories by
Sufjan Stevens!
- An original Christmas essay by Rick Moody!
- An animated music video and comic strip by Tom
Eaton!
- A Christmas Songbook with lyric sheets and chord
charts--so you can sing along too!
- An original Christmas Family Portrait painting
of Santa Sufjan (with wife and kids!) by Jacques
Bredy!
Wow! It's the stocking stuffer of the century!
Which isn't saying much, considering the century
is still so young!
HereÆs a "quick" look at the track listing :
Noel: Songs for Christmas, Vol. I (recorded
December 2001)
1. Silent Night
2. O Come O Come Emmanuel
3. We're Goin' To the Country! *
4. Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming
5. It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad! *
6. Holy Holy, etc.
7. Amazing Grace
Hark!: Songs for Christmas, Vol. II (recorded
December 2002)
1. Angels We Have Heard on High
2. Put the Lights on the Tree *
3. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
4. I Saw Three Ships
5. Only at Christmas Time *
6. Once in Royal David's City
7. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!
8. What Child Is This Anyway?
9. Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
Ding! Dong!: Songs for Christmas, Vol. III
(recorded December 2003)
1. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
2. Come on! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance! *
3. We Three Kings
4. O Holy Night
5. That Was the Worst Christmas Ever! *
6. Ding! Dong! *
7. All the King's Horns *
8. The Friendly Beasts
Joy: Songs for Christmas, Vol. IV (recorded
December 2005)
1. The Little Drummer Boy
2. Away In A Manger
3. Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time! *
4. The First Noel
5. Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You
Deserved It!) *
6. The Incarnation *
7. Joy To The World
Peace: Songs for Christmas, Vol. V (recorded June
2006)
1. Once in Royal David's City
2. Get Behind Me, Santa! *
3. Jingle Bells
4. Christmas in July *
5. Lo! How A Rose E'er Blooming
6. Jupiter Winter *
7. Sister Winter *
8. O Come O Come Emmanuel
9. Star of Wonder *
10. Holy, Holy, Holy
11. The Winter Solstice *
* denotes original songs by Sufjan Stevens
http://www.asthmatickitty.com/music.php?releaseID=
63
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