We like a good holiday carol as much as anyone, but there comes a moment each season when Harry Connick, Jr., is best left to your mom’s car radio. If you, too, are at your Christmas kitsch breaking point, join us for a recap of our favorite anti-carol holiday songs after the jump. From The Kinks to Deathcab to the Dandy Warhols, we promise to keep you in the spirit with nary a jingle bell in earshot. Got any favorite anti-carols of your own? Let us know in the comments or tweet them to @RugbyRL. They just may make it into Part II of our December playlist, coming next week.
The Russian Futurists, "It's Not Really Cold When It Snows"
The weather is an oft-cited topic in holiday music, but this fizzling, atmospheric tune reminds us that if you dress warm, it's really not all that bad out. However, as the lyrics point out, this doesn’t work if you're wearing a tube top. Don't.
The Kinks, "Father Christmas"
This punky 1977 track has all the jingly trappings of a Christmas carol, but the cheeky lyrics crack us up. Who wants toys? Don’t claim you’ve never considered demanding Santa Claus hand over cold, hard cash.
Editor’s Note: This track only seems to have been released on a compilation, which has kind of a lame cover.
Death Cab for Cutie, "Christmas (Baby Come Home)"
Ben Gibbard's plaintive vocals sound sad at any time of year, but around the holidays they're particularly mournful. This is one break-up ballad that'll make you glad your relationship isn't self-destructing right now — unless it is, in which case it’s probably best if you skip this track altogether.
Collective Soul, "December"
Every holiday calls for a brooding alt-rock anthem. We’ll take ours during the woozy aftermath of the festivities, when the gifts have been unwrapped, the extended family has gone home and the prospect of cleaning up is a more than we can bear.
The Dandy Warhols, "Every Day Should Be a Holiday"
Like a winter version of the Go-Go's summertime anthem "Vacation," this late-‘90s Dandy’s tune is enthusiastic, but brings with it a vague sense of injustice. Why isn't every day a holiday?
Bonus: Camera Obscura, “The Blizzard”
Indie darlings Camera Obscura do a cool acoustic cover Jim Reeves’s classic cowboy tune, just out on Monday and available for streaming here.