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Album reviews Music

Cassie Ramone

There’s no shortage of indie Christmas music. For the twee, sparkly-sweater-wearing types, there’s M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel’s A Very She And Him Christmas. For mostly church-friendly tunes, there’s Sufjan Stevens’s massive 42-song collection, Songs For Christmas. And for those more likely to be chugging spiked eggnog in the corner while the rest of the family sings Silent Night a cappella, there’s Cassie Ramone’s Christmas In Reno. 

The ex-Vivian Girls and Babies singer-guitarist eschews the typical cheer of holiday songs, instead opting for heavily reverbed vocals, fuzzy electric guitar and, on the rare occasion, what sound like moody sleigh bells. Her takes on classics like Baby Please Come Home, Rockin Around The Christmas Tree and Run Run Rudolph (without a doubt the jolliest song on the album) are all melancholic. In fact, when she croons, “I’ll be home for Christmas, you can plan on me,” it sounds more like a threat than a happy promise. 

It’s devoid of merriment and singalongs, and there’s something refreshing – if not reassuring – about having a soundtrack for indulging your inner Scrooge. 

Top track: Run Run Rudolph

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