Your Christmas Songs

It's December, which means that - according to 64% of those polled - it's now officially acceptable to listen to Christmas music. As ever, this watershed has prompted a flurry of 'Best Christmas Song' lists; not just the Wizzard 'n' Mariah countdowns you used to watch on VH1, but also the now-obligatory 'alternative' Christmas playlists so beloved of indie rock websites.

Oddly, those cool, hip, left-of-the-dial lists are fast becoming just as predictable as the Top 100 video marathons. Just as every Now That's What I Call Christmas! compilation is obliged to feature Slade, Shakin' Stevens et al, so the likes of Low, Sufjan and The Killers have made every 'alt. Xmas' playlist an exercise in going through the motions.

Not that I'm having a go at any of those artists. I'm particularly fond of The Killers' seasonal repertoire, not least because it includes this song with my name in it.

I considered marking the start of Advent with my own alternative Christmas playlist, but I decided against it for two reasons:

1. I already kinda did it last year.


2. I'd just be treading the same dinted-snow footsteps as Pitchfork, Drowned in Sound, the NME, and all the others. I imagine you're aware that Just Like Christmas is a thing, so why should I bother reminding you of that fact when so many other, more popular outlets will shortly do likewise?

Instead, I think I have a better idea, one that should result in something far more unique than just another 'Forget Mariah Carey - Here Are 20 Awesome Christmas Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard Before!' list.

I want to hear your Christmas song.

If you're a songwriter/musician, I want you to show me the Christmas song that you've recorded yourself. It could be an original composition, or it could be a new take on something traditional. It might be something you recorded years ago and forgot all about, or it might be something you thought of just now and sang into your iPhone as you walked to Tesco. No matter how daft the song or how tinny the recording, I want to hear it.

And here's how you can make that happen:

Option 1 - Leave a link to your song (Bandcamp, SoundCloud, etc.) in the comments section below.

Option 2 - Tweet it to me.

Option 3 - Post it on The Album Wall's Facebook page.

There's no deadline for this, nor any real end goal - I've already got my hands full sorting out Songs About Albums: Volume 2. No, this is just a fun little thing that I hope will inspire a bit of creativity and maybe, just maybe, give me a couple of new seasonal favourites to come back to next year.

To get the ball rolling, here's a song I wrote and recorded last December called Let Me Listen to The Pogues (available to download, free of charge, from my SoundCloud page):

Now it's your turn - show me your Christmas songs, internet!