Streaming, interesting Christmas music
December 17, 2016 5:54 AM   Subscribe

We are having a Christmas party tonight and I hate the Christmas standards that have been playing 24/7 since the day after Thanksgiving. I was supposed to download some interesting music (any genre) but didn't so we will be streaming something. Is there anything better than the generic Pandora station?
posted by shothotbot to Media & Arts (17 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: There are 4 different Christmas-themed streams on SomaFM.
posted by tomboko at 6:00 AM on December 17, 2016 [8 favorites]


Assuming there's some Christmas music you like, maybe set up a playlist in Spotify.

A Pandora station might not be too bad if you seed it with lots of interesting things.
posted by bunderful at 6:04 AM on December 17, 2016


Have you tried the Indie Holidays Radio station on Pandora?
posted by slipthought at 6:11 AM on December 17, 2016


There are some good "indie Christmas" lists on Spotify. I'm really enjoying the Christmas album Kacey Musgraves released this year, and the She & Him Christmas albums from this year and 2011 are good, too.
posted by katie at 6:14 AM on December 17, 2016 [3 favorites]


Jimmy Buffett and Mannheim Steamroller are Christmas classics in my family. There's also some great Christmas jazz compilations that can spice up a playlist.
posted by notjustthefish at 6:28 AM on December 17, 2016


Best answer: I like Q2 Music's Holiday Channel.
posted by moonmilk at 6:36 AM on December 17, 2016 [3 favorites]


...oh yeah, click on "Holiday Channel" in the top menu to make it play that channel.
posted by moonmilk at 6:39 AM on December 17, 2016


Spotify and Pandora both have classical christmas playlists. We like the Elfman scores for Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands (it is too a Christmas movie, damn it) for holiday parties, and I think both of them are streaming free if you have Amazon Prime (and probably on other services too).
posted by Lyn Never at 8:06 AM on December 17, 2016


Completely off the wall: All I Want For Christmas is a Goat.
posted by chainsofreedom at 9:10 AM on December 17, 2016


You might try a UK Christmas playlist... I found one on Amazon Unlimited, don't know about other services. There are some great songs that are standards over there, but most people here haven't heard.

Here's a listicle with a Spotify playlist embedded.

My fiancé from Scotland was playing Fairytale of New York (Offensive language warning) by the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl and said 'remember when this was on the radio all the time' (because it's been in the top 20 13 times on the UK charts) and she literally didn't believe me when I said it was never a hit here, and that most Americans probably haven't heard it.
posted by Huck500 at 10:21 AM on December 17, 2016 [1 favorite]


Jetsetradio.live is playing xmas remixes right now...also their new video channel (look for the tv with color bars) is totally rad.
posted by sexyrobot at 11:02 AM on December 17, 2016


I had started collecting slightly off-the-wall Christmas music into a YouTube Playlist. You're welcome to it, for whatever that's worth.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 11:37 AM on December 17, 2016


Pandora has a Hipster Holidays channel that's pretty good.
posted by MythMaker at 1:03 PM on December 17, 2016


Radiooooo has recently added an "Xmas island" to its map, up between Greenland and Svalbard, if you're interested in their particular flavor of cultural time travel through music.
posted by mumkin at 2:00 PM on December 17, 2016


One of my favorite Christmas albums in recent years is Over the Rhines' Snow Angels. I can stream it on Amazon Prime music, not sure about Pandora. Definitely a little on the melancholic side, but beautiful.
posted by Sublimity at 2:34 PM on December 17, 2016


I know you've had your party but for future reference, or, if you're having a second party, why not a Motown Christmas playlist? So dreamy, just as festive, and not at all the same five songs that are overplayed in every damn place this time of year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBW3fc15iVg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OBKkmXgXJU
posted by a knot unknown at 8:29 PM on December 21, 2016


I meant to link the whole playlist
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMATWUx3t7L8ko6w_qjgByofm8PQsCChp
posted by a knot unknown at 8:39 PM on December 21, 2016


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