A glamglare Holiday 2021
Music is an essential ingredient for the holidays. Every year as December comes closer, we all start to listen to the same selection of songs over and over that seem to get blasted everywhere. New songs, apparently, are added to the list of classics only once or twice every decade. The last time this happened might have been in 1994 with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas,” following the previous decade’s “Last Christmas” by Wham. But new holiday songs get released every year, and it is worth giving them a listen, if only as a palate cleanser before the next round of Frank and Bing.
Our playlist a glamglare holiday contains irony-free songs that are either originals or add a new spin to a classic. We have been adding new songs every year since 2018 but are also removing some that we feel have served their time on the list.
Listen to our holiday playlist here:
Highlights of our favorite new additions:
Merry Christmas Neighbors, Revanche Family – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
This carol dates back to the 17th century. Still, it has a timeless musical quality, even if sung traditionally by a choir. The indie record label Revanche Records went one step further and put an updated, electronic version on their second annually Christmas compilation “Another Christmas” (Spotify).
LØLØ – christmas vacation
“christmas vacation” falls on the opposite side of the spectrum: Toronto-based singer/songwriter LØLØ tells a deeply personal experience of the holiday season. The song comes with a hefty dose of nostalgia, a feeling the belongs to the season like the decorated trees.
Marian Hill – The Christmas Song
The duo Marian Hill is known for rather dark, electronic pop, so taking on the ultimate feel-good holiday song makes one very curious. Sure, their “The Christmas Song” is a bit more dreamy and distant than other versions, but it hits the spirit of the season spot on. The EP “cozy” (Apple Music | Spotify) also contains an inspired new version of “White Christmas.”
Laufey, dodie – Love To Keep Me Warm
Iceland-Chinese singer/songwriter Laufey and U.K. musician dodie try to fool us a bit with their song “Love To Keep Me Warm.” It is not a cover of the 1937 Irving Berlin song “I Got My Love To Keep Me Warm,” but the 1942 Ted Shapiro song “Winter Weather,” which features the same line. Either way, the bouncy new version is a perfect antidote for the winter blues, which lurks unfortunately right behind the holiday cheer.
Joey Curtin – Carol of The Bells
Bellingham, WA composer and keyboard player Joey Curtin worked for two years on her version of “Carol of the Bells.” It is “full of electronic loops, all kinds of bells, vibes and mysterious sounds,” she says.
Photo credit: glamglare @oliverbo