Free Album Friday #1 (Saturday Edition) - Sufjan Christmas Casey Dorrell

'Tis the season? Can't say I'm a huge fan of the Christmas season, never have been (nor do I think it warrants being a "season"). I'm not Christian, so jesus's birth doesn't hold any deep personal meaning for me. Working my third christmas in retail, in music moreover, hasn't made me any more enthusiastic. I'm sure Christmas is fraught with meaning for true Christians, but for everyone else (i.e. all the people I deal with every day), it's simply a reason to shop with abandon and to give retail workers with a cynical view of the average intellect, fodder for their conviction. And don't even bother with christmas music - repetitive in-store plays of the O.C.'s christmas album this year have made me question my allegiance to several bands . . . buuut, this year's indie-wonderkid, Sufjan Stevens, manages to actually make Christmas music that not only doesn't suck, but it's actually good. The set of three Christmas EPs were a limited 2002 release so until it's rereleased it's been generally treated as free for the taking in the blog community. With that said, if you like it, you should definately head over to Asthmatic Kitty and pick up one of Sufjan's other albums (they're only ten bucks US a piece). Download: Sorry, these EPs will soon be released commercially via Asthmatic Kitty. Vol. I Hark! Songs for Christmas 1 - Silent Night 2 - O Come O Come Emmanuel 3 - We're Goin' to the Country! 4 - Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming 5 - It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad 6 - Holy, Holy, etc. 7 - Amazing Grace Vol. II Hark! Songs for Christmas 01 Angels We Have Heard On High 02 Put the Lights on the Tree 03 Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing 04 I Saw Three Ships 05 Only at Christmas Time 06 Once in David's Royal City 07 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! 08 What Child Is This Anyway? 09 Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella Vol. III Ding! Dong! Songs for Christmas 01 O Come, O Come Emmanual 02 Come On! Let's Boogie to the Elf Dance! 03 We Three Kings of Orient Are 04 O Holy Night 05 That Was the Worst Christmas Ever 06 All the King's Horns 07 Ding! Dong! 08 The Friendly Beasts Alternate Downloads: The EPs in compressed .rar format [via Confabulators] The EPS in compressed .zip format [via Cawley Blog] The EPs in compressed .zip format [via Chattablogs]