I wasn’t sure I’d get a Christmas playlist done this year. However, a couple days of being a bit under the weather have conspired to give me some time to mull things over, and come up with Christmas Used to Wait, the 2010 holiday playlist you’ll find below. For the past five years or so I’ve put together a compilation for this time of year. Artists, songs, and their order on the list are carefully chosen. For a song to be considered it must meet at least two of the following criteria:
– Is tied to a memorable event from the past year.
– Is musically meaningful to someone, or a group of people I care about, and/or have interacted with lately.
-Has been a popular song in the preceding year.
-Could be allowing me to send a message – but not always what appears to be the obvious one.
-Is a Christmas song.
-Is by an artist I think you should hear more of.
-A hands down cool song.
Coldplay and The Killers were included as they are two of my favourite groups, and they put out annual Christmas works. David Gray is another all time favourite, and another regular on this list. His Nemesis got a lot of playtime on my iPod this past year. Death Cab for Cutie was a last minute addition, being unable to pass them over as the other veterans for Christmas playlists. Rumour has it we will see new stuff from them in 2011, and hopefully a fresh song of theirs will make it on to next year’s list. Simon and Garfunkel’s rendition of Silent Night was not an easy choice, but I think its time has come. It has been short-listed for years, but never made the final cut until now. I believe there’s enough to balance it out.
Be sure to go searching for some more from Christmas list first timers, including The National, and Florence + The Machine. Both fantastic groups that deserve some real-estate in your auditory canal if they aren’t already there. Finally, Vince Guarladi and OK Go round us out. Christmastime Is Here makes it every year, and if we can figure out an argument that This Too Shall Pass is somehow a Christmas song, then it fits all the criteria points.
Your comments and questions on the list are welcome. What would you put on your end of 2010 list?
Christmas Used To Wait
1. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – Sufjan Stevens
2. Boots – The Killers
3. Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
4. She Talks to Angels – The Black Crowes
5. Christmas Lights – Coldplay
6. Bloodbuzz Ohio – The National
7. Empitre State of Mind – Jay-Z (featuring Alicia Keys)
8. Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine
9. Daylight – Matt & Kim
10. No Cars Go – Maxence Cyrin
11. We Used To Wait – Arcade Fire
12. 7 O’Clock News/Silent Night – Simon & Garfunkel
13. Joy to the World
14. Nemesis – David Gray
15. Cath… – Death Cab for Cutie
16. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) – Arcade Fire
17. Winter Winds – Mumford & Sons
18. Christmastime Is Here – Vince Guaraldi Trio
19. This Too Shall Pass – OK Go
Last year’s list can be found here: Christmasland Fairytale
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