Driving's easier when you love the tunes...
Driving's easier when you love the tunes...
When Christmas week finally arrives, we’re already at saturation point with the staple festive soundtrack. The radio’s predictable, the go-to compilations well-worn. But don’t embrace a silent night just yet. If you are top to toe in tailbacks (though we’re not sure what this involves, exactly) Chris Rea probably won’t help untangle your nerves – but there’s still hope for a harmonious drive home. Here are a few bright little baubles with which to adorn any Christmas-themed journey.
Going out for Christmas Eve? ‘Tis the season for reminiscing your mistlesocks off; so queue up some vintage tunes. That crackly dust on the record? Check. A bed of sleigh bells? Essential. Pay a flying visit to the late 80s courtesy of Jam Master Jay and friends. And while you’re at it, check out the video – it’s ace.
Sing along moment: ‘I picked the wallet up then I took a pause / Took out the license and it cold said ‘Santa Claus’.
Presents that have remained obediently wrapped all month are suddenly becoming unstuck. The turkey didn’t defrost in time. And to top it all off, you have the cold. On the verge of throwing a tinsel-trampling tantrum? Another smug rendition of Walking in a Winter Wonderland could tip you over the edge. Instead, fixate for a moment on the echoing serenity of Fleet Foxes’ White Winter Hymnal. By the time those indie folk tweaksters are finished, that vein in your temple will have slowed its throb, your knuckles will no longer resemble snowballs and you’ll be feeling fully festive and far from frazzled.
Sing along moment: All of it. There are only 9 lines to remember.
Without being reductive, it’s a safe bet that any children who’ve been exposed to Frozen only want to hear one song at Christmas. And during the rest of the year. In fact, for the foreseeable future. So if the chances of you weaning the weans off this testing track look slim, at least mix it up with an acapella adaptation. With any luck they’ll enjoy the soothing harmonies and instrument-free quirks so much you might even get away with playing the rest of the Pentatonix Christmas album – which is packed with family-friendly vocal stunts.
Sing along moment: ‘It's time to see what I can do / To test the limits and break through / No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I'm free!’ Though this does seem a subversive message to play to small children…
Every item of clothing you own smells of turkey, you’ve eaten yourself insensible and binged on TV naps. Congratulations – you’ve officially survived Christmas. It’s almost time to grab a bin liner and start scooping up the fallout. But first, you’ll be driving the in-laws back from whence they came. So no one is under any illusion about the sorrowful nature of this post-festivity journey, enlist the assistance of American band Cars.
Sing along moment: ‘You can’t go on / Thinking, nothing’s wrong / Who’s gonna drive you home tonight?’ (To truly nail the chorus, don’t be afraid to emotionally commit to the moment with some light sobbing.)
