#indiechristmas - The Wedding Present 'No Christmas' (RCA, 1992)

Utterly desolate Christmas song. December's release in their 1992 single-a-month series.

Crikey, what shoddy gifts did The Wedding Present's David Lewis Gedge receive to inspire this take on the bleakness of midwinter? The Book of Bunny Suicides for the seventh year in a row?

Came on cherry red vinyl, the final 7" in their 1992 series of a single every month. (Yes, that's where Ash got the idea.)

Download The Wedding Present 'No Christmas' (indie mp3 download) (Mediafire)

#indiechristmas - Saint Etienne 'I Was Born On Christmas Day' (Heavenly, 1993)

A modern classic Christmas pop song. Saint Etienne try harder than everyone else at Christmas.

There are songs that become festive classics and songs that set out to be festive classics. Saint Etienne's 'I Was Born On Christmas Day' is, of course, of the latter school, Messrs Stanley and Wiggs toiling, no doubt, over the task in the summer of 1993 when they'd rather have been out in the London sun.

Tim Burgess delivers a suitably simpering vocal, offsetting Sarah Cracknell's breezy, must-have-the-turkey-on-by-9am energy. It rocks church bells, melodica, Ace Of Base bass farts but no sleigh bells.

Pretty much perfection though.

Download Saint Etienne 'I Was Born On Christmas Day' (christmas, indie mp3 download) (Mediafire)

#indiechristmas - Low 'Just Like Christmas' (Tugboat, 1999)

Irresistable, sleigh-bell powered version of Low. Works well.

Low's 'Christmas' EP is a modern classic, marrying ponderous, wintry ballads more aligned to Low's usual hushed fare to perky sleighrides like this and their slowcore version of 'Little Drummer Boy'.

Lovely.

Download Low 'Just Like Christmas' (christmas, indie mp3 download) (Mediafire)

#indiechristmas - Cocteau Twins 'Frosty The Snowman' (Fontana, 1993)

Something of a departure but their rococo swirl suits the song. 

By 1993, the Cocteau Twins were on a major label and singer Liz Fraser had started singing much more comprehensible words rather than the esperanto of yore. As it was, the songs mainly seemed to be digs at long-term partner Robin Guthrie but on this occasion we got a full-blown recognisable lyric.

As a consquence, it wasn't such a shock to hear them deliver a Christmas EP. 'Snow' paired their warbling take on 'Winter Wonderland' with a swirling, cascading version of 'Frosty The Snowman'. The refractions of guitar and glissandos of vocal suggesting a crystalline snowscape.

Perfect.

Download Cocteau Twins 'Frosty The Snowman' (indie Christmas mp3 download) (Mediafire)

#indiechristmas - Sufjan Stevens 'O Come O Come Emmanuel' (Rough Trade, 2006)

The enigmatic Sufjan Stevens delivers a hushed, wondrous carol.

I've grown to love Sufjan Stevens over the last few years as it's taken that long for his songs to worm their way into my head. He has a very particular way about his songwriting.

This track is from a box of his low-key Christmas EPs released over a number of years and contains some real treats for the Indie Christmas household. It deserves to sit alongside the Low 'Christmas' EP as a modern classic.

#indiechristmas - Brighter 'Christmas' (Sarah, 1991)

Dappled, sadcore classic from one of the great Sarah albums.

Surprisingly, not a Christmas number one in 1991 when it was released.

Beautiful pealing guitars and oh-so-fey vocals, gentle meandering melodies and just a hint of Christmas in its classic Sarah stye.

Download Brighter 'Christmas' (indie, twee mp3) (Mediafire)