Normally it bothers me how Christmas invades every facet of life the day after Thanksgiving. The tinsel, lawn ornaments, and other signifiers of the season aggressively underline the point that Jewish people like me have a religious and cultural heritage different from the majority of the country. But my irritation has had an unintended side effect: over the years, I’d grown so annoyed by the jolly chintz that soundtracked my December grocery-store runs that I’d also closed myself off to the strange, compelling, and outright great music that uses the holiday as a framing device. Fortunately, my feelings towards Christmas music have thawed in recent years.
I’m glad they did, because there’s joy on its fringes. In April of this year, Chicago sound engineer, composer, and musician Ian Iversen dropped the out-of-season tune “Santa,” on an EP called Break. It’s cheekily retro, keyboard-laden new wave, with possibly synthesized sleigh bells as its only percussion track, and its florid melodic peaks reach yearningly for something wistful and romantic. The lyrics aren’t especially clear—Iversen obscures his words with reverb, which pushes his voice back in the mix—but his singing sounds a little like Andy Partridge of XTC or Michael McDonald. I hope this holiday season brings more music from him. v
The Listener is a weekly sampling of music Reader staffers love. Absolutely anything goes, and you can reach us at thelistener@chicagoreader.com.