Songs for Christmas
(Rough Trade)
Given Sufjan Stevens’s love of prewar popular American song, and the fact that he incorporated sleigh bells among the horns and guitars of his recent UK shows, a box set of Christmas songs is no conservative U-turn for alt.rock’s current boy wonder.
These 42 songs were recorded during the past five years, from holiday favourites to 13 originals, including That Was the Worst Christmas Ever, an exquisite banjo-led ditty that typifies this collection’s intimate take on his orch-folk-pop fusion. But even when it gets wordy and complex, there’s still an air of Disney magic to it.
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On top, there are stickers, a short story, a music video and a comic strip — a real seasonal bonanza, whichever way you look at it.
MARTIN ASTON