Song #61of 9999 - Christmas Song by The Raveonettes

Song #61 of 9999

Title: Christmas Song
Artist: The Raveonettes

Year: 2001
Album: N/A - single release only

Yesterday, I criticized TJ Maxx for their terrible "shopper-friendly" mix of music. To be honest, it actually improves at Christmas time because there's less Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow. But I must admit that yesterday they got me good by playing this song by The Raveonettes that I had never heard before. Thanks to Shazam, I was able to get the name and artist and voilà!—you're reading about it in my blog.

So how did the Raveonettes manage to elude me for more than a decade? After all, they won the 2001 Best Rock Album Grammy...in DENMARK. Regardless, they have a twee sound marked by Everly Brothers-esque harmonies and spare arrangements that seems perfectly suited to the melancholy Christmas song. With "Christmas Song," they employ the tried and true I-vi-IV-V progression, evoking instant recognizability even from first-time listeners. The gentle vocals are made ever warmer with loads of clingy reverb and nothing in the arrangement is wasted, with every guitar string bend and staccato tick placed perfectly with loving care. A new favorite of mine, I hope you enjoy it too. Merry Christmas.