Featuring bands like The Flaming Lips, Calexico, The Dandy Warhols, Gorky’s Zygotic Mycni, Eels, Giant Sand and many more acts that were big in the ’90s, this collection of original songs, covers and re-worked Christmas classics actually lives up to its title. While it is sadly out of print, it can be found online (YouTube seems to have most of the tracks), and sellers on eBay and Amazon are offering used copies with elevated price tags. However it is well worth the expense in order to hear Belle & Sebastian offer up an un-ironic and endearingly earnest version of “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel,” Grandaddy’s “Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland” and Teenage Fanclub’s “Christmas Eve.” While the album came out 12 years ago, it has aged well enough that it would be surprising if the album didn’t still sound great in another decade or two.
9 Christmas Albums That Won’t Make You Want to Punch an Elf
Music that won’t make you cringe, cry or stuff your ears with sugarplums
Various Artists XFM It’s A Cool Cool Christmas
Full List
Christmas Albums
- Giving Hope to the Genre
- Tracey Thorn, Tinsel and Lights
- The Beach Boys, Christmas Album
- Various Artists, We Wish You A Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year
- Sufjan Stevens, Silver and Gold
- Arcade Fire, A Very Arcade Xmas
- Various Artists, A Motown Christmas
- Low, Christmas
- Various Artists XFM It’s A Cool Cool Christmas
- Various Artists, A John Waters Christmas
