by SHANE SINNOTT

This being that time of the year, it should come as no surprise that Sufjan Stevens has taken a break from his insanely ambitious project of creating an album for each of the 50 U.S. states to give us Songs for Christmas, a box set of five EPs recorded between 2001 and 2006. Not content with the standard covers of yuletide classics, Stevens’ original material makes for some sombre but satisfying holiday listening. Check out “That Was the Worst Christmas Ever,” along with others, at withoutsound.com/2006/11/29/ctrlaltxmas/.

Let’s stick with the depressing Christmas vibe and head over to The Late Greats, a blog where we can grab Joni Mitchell’s “River,” a downer Christmas classic made for red wine and a lack of family and friends (staergetaleht.blogspot.com/2006/11/random-friday-post-treasure-trove-of.html). Make sure, however, that you don’t listen to Sarah McLachlan’s uninspired cover of it by mistake (staergetaleht.blogspot.com/2006/11/xmas-came-early-for-duke.html), as it’s sure to induce feelings of rage normally reserved for those talentless hacks among us who benefit primarily from other people’s work.

Okay, let’s not get too bitter here. Remember Weezer? When they were fun, before they sucked? Go to page300.blogspot.com/2006/11/christmas-celebration.html and you can get “Christmas Celebration,” the b-side to an old, never-released promo single. And if you’re really feeling festive, in a people-over, rum-and-eggnog kind of way, you’ve gotta go with Otis Redding. His “Merry Christmas Baby” can be found at lookingatthem.blogspot.com/2006/11/so-holidays.html.

And of course, no holiday mix is complete without the Barking Dogs doing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” (www.conradaskland.com/blog/?page_id=52). The inanity of it puts me in stitches every time, and if that doesn’t do the trick, there’s always the unspeakably juvenile farting version on the same page.

“SANTA BABY” IS CREEPY! ssinnott@gmail.com

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