Fri 11 Nov 2006Stocking upStand aside Bing, Shaky and Cliff, there are some new kids on
the Christmas block - and their seasonal fare is surprisingly
tasty, writes
Aengus CollinsMENTION Christmas music and you're likely to think of artists
like Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole - oldies whose festive
crooning was always charming, often cheesy, rarely challenging.
More recently, things have taken a dip and the seasonal warblings
of middle-of-the-road shockers such as Celine Dion have become
alarmingly prevalent. But quietly and gradually, the past 15 years
or so have seen an interesting body of indie-alternative Christmas
music start to take shape.