The 12 Plays of Alternative-Indie Christmas Songs

Introduction. In 2007 the Indie Rock Cafe published a pretty amazing set of playlists - The 12 Plays Of Christmas, they punned - including MP3 links for listening and downloading. The lists ranged from what might pass for obscure to the 20-somethings that comprised their audience (for instance, the Kinks' "Father Christmas") to a handful of post-modern classics (e.g. Pearl Jam's "Let Me Sleep" and the Raveonettes' "Christmas Song") to a seemingly endless supply of genuinely obscure bands (and way too many Sufjan Stevens songs... but don't get me started). The playlists - eclectic, mercurial, and sometimes ramshackle - added up to a dizzing cornucopia of digital delights sure to thrill the kiddies and stump obsessive collectors like me. Then, in 2009, the Indie Rock Cafe threw several more playlists onto the pile but, eventually, they all fell into disrepair.

Never fear, though - that's why there are people like me to preserve these golden moments of obsession and compulsion for history! These are the original Indie Rock Cafe MP3 files, and the playlists are in their original order, with brief introductions by their music writers.