Conflicted by Carols II - A Very Indie Xmas

Here it is, the cheery classic carols and a handful of christmas originals from your favorite indie and folky bands. I hope it's enjoyed by those that like christmas songs because it was a bit of a struggle to put all this good cheer and songs of joy and peace in one playlist without gagging. Just kidding...kind of. If you want the darker side check out yesterday's anti-christmas playlist. There's some secret bonus songs on the ZIP file not listed below too.

A Very Indie Xmas // Download ZIP

1. He's My Brother She's My Sister - Merry Christmas Everybody
2. Ohbijou - Last Christmas
3. Carnival Moon - Ring Christmas Bells
4. Dawes - Christmas Time is Here
5. A B & The Sea - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
6. Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler - Home for the Holidays
7. Seryn - Go Tell it On The Mountain
8. Brown Feather Sparrow - Let Us Come Together
9. The Wilderness of Manitoba - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
10. Zaac Pick - Silent Night
11. Over the Rhine - Darlin' (Christmas is Coming) 
12. Scott Currie - Angels We Have Heard on High
13. Frontier Ruckus - Christmas Eve, Driving Home
14. The Ruffled Feathers - The Highest Mountain
15. Beta Radio - The Song the Season Brings
16. How To Swim - New Beginnings
19. DJ John - The Christmas Massacre of Charlie Brown
20. Paul Simon - Getting Ready for Christmas Day

Enjoy the list with eggnog or your holiday libation of choice. Mine is a Cranberry Smash made with Jameson and as my Christmas present to you, I wrote down the recipe because it's delicious and you should go make it right now. My sister, who doesn't even like whiskey, loves this drink. It's that good, plus you can make it as sweet or as sour as you like. Happy Holidays.

Cranberry Smash
Ingredients:

• 2.5 ounces Irish Whiskey
• .5 ounce Demerara* simple syrup
• half of a medium sized lemon
• 1/4 cup cranberries

*Demerara is a granulated brown sugar and really works better in this drink than regular simple syrup

Directions:

• Cut lemon into small pieces. I usually make 4-5 circular slices and cut those in half.
• Muddle cranberries and lemon pieces in mixing glass. (Don't break the glass, that would suck. But make sure you actually smash the cranberries for literal and maximum flavor purposes.)
• Add whiskey and simple syrup to mixing glass.
• Add ice to mixing glass, cap with mixing tin, and shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds.
• Strain into crushed-ice filled old fashioned glass.
• Garnish with whole cranberries.

Seryn - We Will All Be Changed

I've held off on posting about this band because it seemed like everyone else had before the album was released all the way back in March. Even though there is hardly a whisper about the band now in the blogosphere, this album is still making weekly appearances in my world. One of the problems with music blogging is that even though 12 Hype Machine bloggers (including everyone's favorite I am Fuel, You Are Friends) this bands still feels under-talked about. Of course banjos and chamber folk-pop bands aren't for everyone, which is fine, but seriously folks need to hear this band.

Seryn - We Will All Be Changed

One of my favorite tracks from Seryn's album is their shortest and instrumental, "Untitled" but it embodies so much of what my ideal song is. It starts off with slowly plucking notes on a banjo backed by an accordion until about the one minute mark when it changes tempo and a kick drum is thrown in the mix, eventually making way for hand claps. The result is pure jubilation, at a certain point in the song you want to jump up and clap along. I blast this song in the car until  my rearview mirror is shaking. That could be slightly excessive but it's so worth it to have your ears filled with banjo hand clapping goodness.

The rest of the album oscilates between light and dark without ever getting muddied in mediocracy. Many of their songs work with the same build I described in the song "untitled" and adding instrument after instrument never ceases to hold my interest. Every band member contributes to the multi-part harmonies that are so crisp, pristine, and downright gorgeous that you have to wonder how they ever recruited such a perfect match of band members. Why are you still reading? Go listen!