Суббота 13 Дек 2008, 9:46
It’s getting close to Christmas, and today we Swedes celebrate the Italian saint Lucia (although we’re protestant!!!) by walking around in white night gowns singing about the light… We need it in this dark season when the sun comes up at 9 AM and sets already at 3 PM…
To chase the advent shadows away, I prefer listening to my collection of good Christmas music. I think my very favourite seasonal record so far is the impressive 5-disc collection by Sufjan Stevens, Songs For Christmas, released in 2006. Sufjan has recorded a few Christmas songs every December since 2001 (except for 2004 when he was too busy recording his breakthrough opus Illinois) and the songs from each year are on separate discs with titles like: ”Joy” ”Hark!” and ”Ding! Dong!”. All in all the multi-disc recording consists of more than 40 tracks which maintain a surprising quality in general. Traditional tunes are mixed with the artist’s own new songs, some with funny and twisted titles like ”Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!)” in typical Sufjanesque manner.
The song I love the most is Sufjan’s version of ”O Come O Come Emmanuel”, a traditional coral from the 16th century which has been beautifully interpreted on the first disc ”Noel” recorded in 2001. I recommend you all to buy the record instead of downloading it – there are some really nice treats to discover in the original record case. For instance, there are lyrics and chord charts written for almost all songs so you can play and sing along yourselves. Imagine you’re sitting by the Christmas tree after all the presents have been opened; you know that melancholic feeling when it’s almost over, and everyone is lazy and mournful from too much fat food and candy. The lyrics for my favorite song could just as well be applied to the Swedish people, depressed by too little sun light the whole winter through:
”O Come, Thou Day-spring come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!”