Sufjan Stevens music for the holiday (now playing)

(I embedded a radio player at the bottom of the page, so scroll down for the tunes!)

I was ruminating on how frustrating it is hearing terrible Christmas music over and over (re: Little St. Nick: darn you, Beach Boys, your song turns me into a sociopath!!). Then I happend on Dennis' blog, where he had a similar post.

My response included a link to a Swedish radio station online, which is here:

http://www.sr.se/sida/default.aspx?ProgramId=3302

(Steph, if you read this, can you tell me if there is also a alt-rock station?)

And also, here is a fabulous description of Sufjan Stevens' Christmas music collection. He embarked on a personal mission not to hate Christmas music. And this is the result.

http://asthmatickitty.com/music.php?releaseID=63

From the Asthmatic Kitty record label website:

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 cliché. 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?