Eight Random Hipster Holiday Songs

By Victor Gonzalez Fri., Dec. 24 2010 at 8:00 AM

Categories: Useless Lists

Spend Christmas on Mars with Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips.

Holiday music, ugh. There's nothing festive about reindeer trampling grandmothers, little drummer boys, or catching your mother making out with Santa. In fact, it sucks. But for some reason, it's the type of shit music big-box retailers, Top 40 radio stations, and high-rise elevators pump through their speakers to get people in the Christmas spirit. It's also indie music's favorite seasonal subgenre.

From Best Coast to Sufjan Stevens, Belle and Sebastian to the Felice Brothers, some of Crossfade's favorite indie bands have ventured into the cold winter wonderland of commercial Christmas music over the years, releasing obscure covers and a handful of original recordings that scream, Happy Holidays, hipsters.

Check out our favorite indie holiday tracks after the jump.

Sufjan Stevens's "Put the Lights on the Tree"

If all Christian songs sounded like this, maybe we'd accept Christ as our savior. Nevertheless, "Put the Lights on the Tree" is just one of over 40 Christmas songs in Stevens's impressive catalog. We're suckers for animation.

The Felice Brothers' "Murder by Mistletoe"
Part Christmas song, part murder mystery, the Felice Brothers summed up the holidays in a beautifully folksy way on their 2008 self-titled release.

The Raveonettes' "The Christmas Song"
If the Wonders were a real band, they'd probably cover this song after "That Thing You Do" at a Playtone Records Christmas party.

Best Coast and Wavves's "Got Something For You"
Season's Greetings from Target.

Florence +The Machine's "Last Christmas"
Wham! It's the best cover of this George Michael holiday standard we've ever heard.

Belle & Sebastian's "Are You Coming Over for Christmas?"
Belle & Sebastian is either hit or miss for us. But this Christmas jam is pretty groovy.

Polyphonic Spree's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" (John Lennon Cover)
If the Flaming Lips had an indie step-bro, it'd be Polyphonic Spree. And speaking of the Flaming Lips...

The Flaming Lips' "Christmas at the Zoo"
Finally, a Christmas song with a message.