It’s A (Sad) Indie Holiday
Post by Misha
Holiday music often isn’t my thing, but I am partial to the indie music tradition of making the genre a rather more somber affair. Here are a few of my favorites from this year.
Phoebe Bridgers // Christmas Song
I haven’t been this devastated by a holiday song since Sufjan’s That Was The Worst Christmas Ever. Which is really saying something. What Phoebe captures – that dreadful remembering that no holiday or time of year can keep loneliness at bay – hits home for me and anyone heading home off for vacation while battling the sort of pervasive loneliness that has nothing to do with the people around, or warmth of the fireplace. If you want to feel seen in your sadness during these holidays, sneak away somewhere and listen to this song.
Tangerine // This Time Last Year
An instant LA holiday classic, this song is flying Sunset Boulevard on December 24th, no traffic in sight with all the transplants scattered back amongst their respective homes. The palms stand tall and lonesome. The sun sets slowly in the smog, casting a heavenly rose halo over Echo Park lake and its paddle boat swans locked away for the evening. In the air, Bluetoothed reggaeton mixes with Santa Baby over windows-down car radio. It’s Christmas Even in LA.
Sufjan Stevens // Lonely Man Of Winter
No list of holiday indie songs would be complete without Sufjan Stevens. Fingerpicked and exquisitely sad as always, Lonely Man Of Winter cuts a meandering path through the barren and snow-swept memories of days past, trying, in Sufjan’s signature plaintive style, to make sense of the map in a snowstorm.
So, from my wintry sanctuary to yours, here’s to making this season a time for love and compassion. An occasion to do some good in the world and an opportunity to reflect upon how we can be better in the future. And to rest up for the year ahead, as I think we’ll need it.
Here is a YouTube embed of my favorite thing to watch while I’m home for the holidays, curled up in a log cabin in the north – the animated classic, The Snowman.