If, like me, you've heard the same dozen Christmas songs over and over on the radio and in the shops over the past few weeks, then here's an album to take the edge off the festive period. They're still Christmas/Winter-themed songs, but by some of my favourite bands (most of them already have a post on the site), and the majority are in the alternative genre, with just a couple of more mainstream acts, but with songs that tend not to make it to the ubiquitous Christmas compilation albums. Low issued one of the best ever Christmas albums in 2010, and I was tempted to include the up-beat 'Just Like Christmas', but instead I went for a lesser-known song from it, although do check out the whole thing as it's a classic. Cheap Trick, Ramones, The Flaming Lips, Sparks and AC/DC give us a cynical or left-field viewpoint of the holiday, while the offerings from Squeeze, Smashing Pumpkins and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are surprisingly restrained. Galaxie 500's take on Yoko One's 'Listen, The Snow Is Falling' is simply breath-taking, and I've also included songs by two of my favourite current singer/songwriters, with 'Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)' from Laura Marling and 'Winter Song' from Billie Marten. I hope that this hour-long collection of little-heard Christmas songs adds some joy to your holiday. 
Track listing
01 Christmas Christmas - Cheap Trick02 A Christmas Song - Jethro Tull03 Christmas Was Better In The 80's - The Futureheads04 Listen, The Snow Is Falling - Galaxie 50005 Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) - Ramones06 Christmas Time - The Smashing Pumpkins07 If You Were Born Today (Song For Little Baby Jesus) - Low08 All I Want For Christmas - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs09 Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers10 Winter Song - Billie Marten11 Christmas At The Zoo - The Flaming Lips12 Father Christmas - The Kinks13 Home For Christmas - Kate Bush14 Thank God It's Not Christmas - Sparks15 Christmas Day - Squeeze16 (We Wish You) A Protein Christmas - The Fall17 There Ain't No Santa Claus On The Evening Stage - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band18 Mistress For Christmas - AC/DC19 Goodbye England (Covered In Snow) - Laura Marling
I first became aware of Billie Marten when I discovered a couple of Youtube videos of songs that she'd recorded in 2011 for Ontsofa, a local studio that specialised in acoustic sessions. I'd been drawn to them after hearing that there was a 12-year old singer performing covers and original material online, and I wanted to hear if she could possibly be as good as everyone was saying. The short answer is that yes, she was - in fact she was even better then I expected. In the four years since I first discovered her, Marten has released a couple of well-received EPs, and her first album of original material came out in 2016. I honestly believe that she could be as big as Laura Marling, given a push in the right direction, and I'm eagerly awaiting her next album to see if she develops a maturity in her songwriting which will propel her into the big-time. This collection is the beginning of what I hope will be a long and successful career for her, with the first six songs from the Ontsofa sessions, the next two from Soundcloud, 'Heathens' is from Radio One's Piano Sessions, and the last two are from her first EP, released when she was just 15 years old. 
Track Listing
01 Book Of Love (Magnetic Girls)02 Paper Thin (Billie Marten)03 Middle Of The Bed (Lucy Rose)04 Headlights (Billie Marten)05 You Make My Dreams (Hall & Oates)06 Too Close (Alex Clare)07 Winter Song (Sara Bareilles/Ingrid Michaelson)08 In For The Kill (La Roux)09 Heathens (Twenty One Pilots)10 Unaware (Billie Marten)11 Ribbons (Billie Marten)
