We’ve all got our favorite Christmas songs, least favorites, and everything in between. The only issue is we seem to be force-fed the same 20 or so songs every holiday season, limiting one’s potential for discovering new music. Hopefully at least one of these new picks will be able to expand your Christmas music taste so that you don’t find yourself in another musical rut this year.
Remi Wolf, Last Christmas
On modern-day pop artist Remi Wolf’s rendition of “Last Christmas,” we get a more bossa nova instrumental as well as a softer vocal performance as opposed to the classic Wham version we all know. While the classic is still played to this day for good reason, Remi’s version proves to be a fresh take on the song and gives off a very, “Christmas on the beach” type of energy.
Khruangbin, Christmas Time Is Here
Covering any of Vince Guaraldi’s Christmas songs (while also doing it justice) is no easy task, but with their minimal, signature psych/desert rock sound, Khruangbin does an excellent job. Every note played serves a purpose here – there’s not an ounce of filler to be found, which truly speaks to the group’s level of musicality.
Bleachers, Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call
On top of Jack Antonoff’s already unbelievable production resume, (Taylor Swift, The 1975, Kendrick Lamar, etc.) as well as his success with his group Bleachers, he still managed to find time to write a great modern-day Christmas tune. The classic, yet hyper-modern sound/style of songwriting Bleachers is so known for, proves to be a great filter in which to put a brand new, contemporary Christmas song through.
The Shins, Wonderful Christmastime
While the original, Paul McCartney version deserves its place in the Christmas song history books, it’s nice to hear an updated take on the tune from legendary indie group, The Shins. While this particular version is a bit less ambitious, it may prove to be a bit more accessible given its more “pop” structure as well as its shorter run time.
Stevie Wonder, What Christmas Means To Me
While it may not be consistent with the modernity of the rest of this list, it’s too good to not mention. Few other artists have ever been able to match the level of sheer soul and musicality of Stevie Wonder, so having him on your holiday playlist is your best bet to sway even the biggest scrooge in your life into the Christmas spirit, at least musically. •
Be sure to check out “Motif Holiday Playlist” some more new/great Christmas music.
