The 2025 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

Hello, holiday heads! It's time once again for one of my favorite traditions of the year, my annual Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck playlist. As usual, I've been working on this one since before I published last year's; that's just the way it is when you collect holiday music the way that I do.

Anyway, I spend longer on these liner notes than anyone will listening to this thing, so enough with the intro, let's get to the tunes!

Being Santa is just my side hustle; really I play guitar in a Dylan cover band...

▶ Before we begin the festivities, if you're one those sickos who uses music streaming apps, here's this year's playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. ◀ 

NB: these versions are missing some tracks.

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The 2024 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

Welcome, friends. Come in, pour yourself a glass of nog, and pull up a chair by the fire. It's that special time of year again. A time when I pull together the very best holiday music that truly doesn't suck, and present it to you, my loyal listeners, free of charge. All I ask in return is that you take a few minutes and read the liner notes that for some reason [Ed. note: the reason is eggnog] take me hours to write.

This year took a turn recently, and I haven't really recovered. I doubt any of us have. Still, it had a lot of wonderful things too: many visits with friends old and new; some great live music; more horror movies than you can shake a pointed stick at; a family trip to Costa Rica; an anniversary trip to Montreal with my lovely wife; and of course, that unforgivably boring Pop Tarts movie.

But enough about 2024. It's time for...

Horrifying font, isn't it?

▶ Before we begin the festivities, if you're one those sickos who uses music streaming apps, here's this year's playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. ◀ 

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The 2023 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

Is it December already? This year went fast, probably because it was filled with change for me. After nearly 15 years in New York City (and after only 10 years of talking about it), we finally moved up to the Hudson Valley, where I’m now sitting in my office looking out the window behind my desk at trees and sky. I also started my second year of being in business on my own, and built a new brand for my coaching and training business. And I finally released my first album with my band, The Archivists. And then released a Halloween EP a month later.

I also took a trip to Iceland, saw a lot of my family and friends, watched a lot of horror movies, listened to a lot of music, went for a lot of bike rides, and drank a lot of really good beer. All in all, not a bad year.

Anyway, you’re not here for my holiday card. You’re here for…

Look at this horrifying AI-generated Santa! Why are there wires coming out of his head??

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The 2022 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

Singing Santa says: it's playlist time!

Happy holiday times, friends and lovers of holiday music that doesn’t suck! It’s that time again. Time for me to down glass after glass of eggnog while I write clever annotations that no one will read for a playlist that I’ve put way too much time into, starting of course last December, with all the tracks that didn’t fit into last year’s playlist.

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The 2021 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist - Naughty & Nice Edition!

Welcome back, fellow lovers of great Christmas music, happening Hanukkah tunes, and holiday music that doesn't suck. How was your year? I have mixed feelings about mine: while the world seems to be sliding ever faster into destruction and autocracy, it was actually a pretty good year for me personally. So today, I'm choosing to focus on the positive, because a little positivity can be really helpful when times get tough.

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The 2020 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

Hello, fellow holiday music freaks. It's that time again... time for me to get drunk on my homemade eggnog, try to forget most of 2020, and post this year's Holiday Music that Doesn't Suck playlist. This was a... special year in many ways. Many horrible, horrible ways. But there were some silver linings: [Editor's note: fill in some silver linings here if you ever think of any], and of course the fact that this year you get not one but two 2020 holiday playlists from your old pal Jordan Claus! So pour yourself a glass of something warming, sit back, and relax as you enjoy a plethora of palatable painkillers in the form of a playlist. See you next year! 

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A Very Quarantine Christmas!

Stay safe, Santa!

Hi, everybody! So, what's new with you? If you're like me, you're adjusting to life at home [Editor's note: I've been working from home and using videoconferencing for a portion of my social plans for years now, so I'm more adjusting to the rest of the world adjusting], and if you're like me, you could maybe use a pick-me-up right now. So rather than wait for the traditional Christmas-in-July (or the more traditional Christmas-in-December), I've decided to release an out-of-cycle playlist to help you get through the long days ahead. Welcome to A Very Quarantine Christmas.

I had to pull a lot of things that were going to be on this year's official playlist, which will make it a fun challenge later this year to start with fewer tracks in the tank. I don't know if anyone will want to listen to this in March, but it made me feel a whole lot better to have a project to throw myself into, so I hope you enjoy it too.

Also available on Spotify! 

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The 2019 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

Hello friends. As you've no doubt noticed, it's that time of year again. Specifically, the day after Thanksgiving, and I've already eaten the traditional day-after-Thanksgiving-turkey-ham-and-sauerkraut omelette, so all that's left to do is start on this year's Wired for Music Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist. This year's list has some artists who've been featured here before but who have a lot more to offer in the holiday music arena, some classic rockers who have never cracked the list before, and as always some acts that are new to me but have something valuable to add to the overstuffed stocking that is holiday music.

It's always hard for me to edit these down to a reasonable size, so I've usually ended up redefining "reasonable" to be "however many tracks are left when I no longer feel like cutting" but this year was especially challenging - maybe because I really let myself go last year, or maybe because converging is harder than diverging, or maybe just because I get so excited about each song I come across that doesn't suck that I want to share it with everyone. I've already got more than enough in my holding pen for next year's playlist, and that's before I wade through all the stuff that's coming in the next few weeks. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, this year's playlist...I've got a full glass of home-made eggnog (this year I finally learned that aging makes it good), my Yankee Candle "Christmas Cookie" housewarmer lit, and my headphones on, so let's get to it, shall we?

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The 2018 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

Hello boys and girls. As I write these words, it's not even December and I've already subjected my family to a month (+ a few days, if we're being honest) of Christmas music, Chanukah music, New Years Eve music, basically anything and everything I can get my hands on that might qualify as holiday music that doesn't suck. Of course, the sad truth is that most of it really, really does suck. A lot. (I'm looking at you, Eric Clapton.) But never fear, girls and boys, Jordan Claus is here to sift through all that crap so you don't have to! And sift I have.

This year's playlist started, as they usually do, as a list of 20-30 songs that didn't make it to last year's playlist. Some of them fit in just fine this year, others were as appetizing as stale Christmas cookies (I mean, I'll still eat 'em). Then of course I had to add another 50 tracks or so of all the new (to me, not necessarily stuff that came out this year) tunes I had made my way through since I busted out my bottomless xmas playlist way back in August October.

So pour yourself a glass (or three) of nog, turn on the Netflix fireplace, cuddle up under your Snuggie, and feast your ears on some holiday cheer as we dive into this year's Wired for Music Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck playlist. Enjoy, and drop me a comment if you liked it!

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2017 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

It's Christmas music season! Woo hoo! [Sorry, I've been holding that in since August.] The problem, of course, is that most Christmas music sucks. Most holiday music in general is comprised of uninspired cash grabs or low-budget covers of public domain classics banged out by people with more aspiration than talent.

Then there's my playlist. I do the hard work of scouring the holiday music landscape to cherry-pick the very best of the best for you, then I whittle it down to a digestible playlist (harder than it sounds) rather than just posting all 500 of my favorite tracks.

So without further ado, pour yourself some eggnog, pull your chairs up round the fire, and turn up your speakers for the 2017 Wired For Music Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist.

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2016 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

It's that time of year, friends. Noses are cold, skies are grey, and a nuclear apocalypse or environmental disaster is probably pretty nigh. What better way to spend your time than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic while listening to these sweet holiday jams! Lots of great stuff on this year's Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck playlist, including some great takes on a few classic Christmas songs, at least 2 songs about doin' it, and a super-sad bonus song! Enjoy, and remember, kids, as long as we have music, the bastards haven't won yet. Happy Holidays from Wired for Music.

[Parents who share this playlist with the family, be aware a few tracks are on the explicit side, notably track 3, but "This Christmas" somehow continues to sound innocent even though it's obviously about banging.]

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2015 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

My eagle-eyed readers will no doubt have realized by now that I rarely update this blog any more. In fact, let's change "rarely" to "once a year." And people, today is that day. Yes, it's time once again for my annual collection of Christmas music, Chanukah music, and general winter-themed holiday music that doesn't suck.

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2014 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

It's that time again! Pretty much the one time of the year that I still update this blog, since I had a child and got a new job and became super busy all the time with life stuff. But never fear, friends, I wouldn't abandon you on this cold, rainy week encompassing both Chanukah and Christmas! I've got something special in my sleigh just for you, kiddies, and it's this year's Wired For Music Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist! It's a mix of Christmas music, winter music, weird and wonderful music...and all of it doesn't suck. So light the candles, sizzle up some latkes, trim the tree, pour some nog, and nestle in by the fire...and enjoy!

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2013 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck Playlist

It's the most wonderful time of the year! The time of year when I listen to so much Christmas music that my ears start to bleed tinsel and candy canes. Let's face it, a lot of holiday music just plain sucks. So although I haven't touched this blog in about a year (I've been busy), I have sacrificed my ears and listened to as much holiday music as I could find - all to find the best gems for you. And so, gentle reader, I present to you, this year's Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck playlist. Enjoy!

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My Favorite Albums of 2012

I can't call them the "best albums of 2012" because as high an opinion as I hold of my own opinions, "best" is obviously pretty subjective.  So instead, I present to you, dear listener, a playlist of songs from  some of my favorite albums released in 2012.

Enjoy!

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2012 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck

People have asked me over the years, "why does a nice atheist Jewish boy like you love Christmas music so much?"  To that I have several answers, but here's 3:
1)  About 60% of all holiday music [Editor's note: percentage not determined via any remotely scientific method] is different versions of the same song.  I love cover songs for the way that a good cover can bring out what is unique about a band's sound.  So it's not a big leap that I would really love hearing a bunch of different bands/composers/etc. all try their hands at the same handful of songs.
2)  If you're going to imply that a Jew can't love Christmas music, you should probably tell that to the Jews who wrote many of the Christmas songs that are so famous today.
3)  Most of these songs are not about Christmas.  Seriously, why do the goyim get a monopoly on riding in a one-horse sleigh?  Or letting it snow?  Or walking through a winter wonderland?  Or date-raping your girlfriend when it's cold outside?
So I guess my point is, music is music, and good music is where you find it.  And this music is good.
What are you listening to his holiday season?  Tell me in the comments, and have a happy pagan December holiday!

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Friday Playlist, Monday Edition: Menomena Is Great

I saw Portland OR's Menomena in concert last week, and they were incredible.  It was my 4th time seeing them live (in order, at the Rock and Roll Hotel in DC, the Black Cat in DC, Webster Hall in NYC, and last week at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC), and they never fail to put on a great show.  The encore could have been a bit stronger last week, but that's nitpicking.  They even pulled up a fan from the crowd who was dancing like a maniac to every song (it was clear this guy knew every drum hit, every change, every note) and let him dance up on stage with them during a song.  Pretty cool.

Despite losing a member shortly after the release of their last album (Brent Knopf left to focus full-time on the awesome Ramona Falls), Menomena went on to write and record "Moms" (which you can stream here), their first as a duo instead of a trio.  The album is dark and personal and really good and you should buy it.

Menomena at the Bowery Ballroom 10/11/12

I've been meaning to put together a Menomena playlist for a while now, and last week's concert finally gave me the nudge I needed.  Enjoy!

Just the FLACs, Please.

2 bands I like are releasing new albums shortly:  Brooklyn's Yeasayer and Portland's Menomena.  This is awesome.  In fact, it's so awesome that I went off to go and pre-order both albums.  "It's 2012," I thought to myself, "surely each band will offer me a lossless audio download option for their new albums.  Won't that be nice?"

And then cold, hard reality set in.  Menomena offers a cool t-shirt, a vinyl pressing, and a CD.  That's it.  Yeasayer offers a big deluxe bundle, a CD + a couple MP3s, an LP + a couple MP3s, and an even bigger deluxe bundle.  Neither of them offers a download-only option.  Neither of them is selling through Bandcamp or a similar service.  Neither of them, in short, is catering to me or others like me who truly want to support bands they love, but are not interested in paying an extra $3.60 (for example) for shipping and handling.

And so, bands, I implore you: please give me a download-only, lossless-audio option for your albums!  I will download them.  I will not share them illegally.  I will even promote them on my blog to all 5 of my readers.  Pretty please?  

My plaintive cry to this effect was retweeted by Menomena themselves, and subsequently by many others - telling me I'm not the only one who feels this way.  So maybe, one day soon, things will change. In the meantime, you can check out an awesome track from the new Menomena album here, and you can stream the entirety of the new Yeasayer album here, thanks to the good folks at NPR Music.

Monday Playlist: Another Rainy Day

Raindrops on Vine Maple by flickr user Chris R Roberts

It's a beautiful rainy summer day here as I type this, so I figured it was a perfect time to add a new entry to my series of rainy day playlists.

I don't usually go for so many songs about rain, as opposed to songs that just feel right on a rainy day, but that's just how my brain was working today.

Rainy days are my absolute favorite kind of days (well, I guess I'd put them behind snowy days, but those are so rare I can't count on them), and I've been lucky to have a lot of them so far this summer.  They are also, of course, perfect scotch weather.

Enjoy!

A couple notes on these, no need to detail every song:

• I debated putting on Tom Waits's "Rain Dogs" instead, but I think this song fits better with a rainy day.
• "Raining in Brooklyn" is by me - I wrote it last year as part of FAWM.  It was the last song I wrote, and I did it on my birthday as a gift to myself.  I love it, but it's not 100% done...so think of it more as a sketch than a full song.
• I don't know if this is my favorite version of Phish's "Divided Sky," but it is a nicely mastered version because it's from an official release.  My favorite might be the first one I heard in person, at Merriweather Post Pavilion (truly a terrible place) at my first Phish show ever (I think) in 1999.

Friday Playlist: Baby's First Playlist

My ridiculously cute daughter

My wife and I recently had a baby girl (Alison, pictured above sporting a stylish baby towel).  Parenting, of course, has its challenges, but it also has its joys - and a big one for me these days has been sharing music with my daughter.  Music is a primary way that I communicate with the world (hence this blog), and my communications with her have been no exception.  When I'm not singing her improvised lyrics to lullabies (or making up new songs entirely), I've been playing her different songs from my library and noting her reaction to various things.  For example, Metallica seemed to make her gassy.  She liked Aimee Mann, but only the early stuff.  And she absolutely loves Spiritualized.

So I've compiled her very first playlist, comprising some of her favorites for chillout time, dance time, and sleepytime.  I hope you enjoy it as much as she does.

PS A friend of mine gave me the gift of 3 albums from Rockabye Baby, namely lullaby versions of songs by Queen, Radiohead, and Led Zeppelin.  Those are all awesome, and have the added bonus of lulling me to sleep, but I prefer to save those as secret weapons when I'm trying to conk her out, as opposed to just putting on music for her to chill to or dance with me to, etc.

1. Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (Original Version)
   I first played this for Alison when she was only a few days old.  She had just finished eating and was in what baby experts call the "quiet alert state."  So I figured it would be a perfect time to play her some tunes.  I asked my wife what she thought a baby would like, and she said "Spiritualized?"  I said yes.  This is the original version of this song which includes lyrics from Elvis's "Can't Help Falling In Love" (the Presley estate made the band remove that portion of the song from this album's original release).  The lyrics to the whole thing are pretty perfect to sing to a new baby.  This is probably Alison's favorite song thus far (and one of my favorites, too).
2. Thievery Corporation - From Creation
   She wasn't too taken with other Thievery Corporation songs, but she really seemed to click with this one.  By "click," I mean she got quiet and stopped fussing and seemed to chill out a bit.  I assume she likes these guys because, like her parents, they're from DC.
3. K'naan - Fatima
   This song is actually kind of a downer, lyrically (it's about a young girl who was murdered, I think), but Alison really seemed to enjoy the rhythm, particularly in the chorus.  [Editor's note: I'm saying things like "seemed to," "appeared to," etc. a lot because when I asked her what she thought of all these songs, she gave me no answer, so I'm having to go on educated guesses here.]
4. Cat Power - Living Proof
   This is my favorite Cat Power song.  Alison definitely seemed to enjoy it, but I don't know if it was genuine or if she was just trying to please me because she knows it's my favorite.  Either way, she enjoyed being gently swayed in my arms to this song.  Who wouldn't?  Babies are supposed to like simple, repetitive melodies, and this one definitely fits the bill.
5. Yellow Ostrich - Mary
   She seemed pretty relaxed during this song, which seems to be about the singer's friend who's on drugs.  Alison overlooked the content and just focused on the soothing background, which definitely chilled her out.
6. The Snake The Cross The Crown - Cakewalk
   Alison definitely identified with this song's ethos of "I just want to do the things that I feel like doing, and I want to be rewarded for same."  Basically a baby's mantra.
7. The Beatles - Flying
   I've been told that when I was a wee tot, almost nothing would soothe my jangled nerves as much as when my parents would put the big headphones on me and throw on either a Beatles record or something classical.  Alison has a lot more Beatles to go (and classical, for that matter) but she seemed to take to this track - not a bad start.
8. Phish - Horn
   I first played her "Bouncing Around The Room" which I thought she'd love, but I guess it was a little too simplistic, even for her. But she loved "Horn," especially the intro/chorus. She says she's psyched to hear Trey's solos on some live versions when she's a little older.
9. Self - Uno Song
   I don't know a lot of Self songs after Subliminal Plastic Motives, but this one came up on shuffle the other week and she really dug dancing along to it.  And by "dancing" I mean "me waving her around in my arms."  Tapping out the beat on her back also seemed to help her burp, so hey - bonus.
10. Her Space Holiday - Sleepy California
    Despite this song being about the slow death of the singer's estrangement from his mother and the painful death of his grandmother, Alison really seemed to enjoy it.  She can be kind of dark that way.  Or she was sleepy, it's hard to tell sometimes.
11. The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
    Another song that appeals to Alison because of her DC heritage.  Also because it's slow and soft and beautiful and has a cool beat.  And she likes when I sing along to it.
12. Jane's Addiction - Stop!
    The first time I played this for her, I bounced her up and down vigorously along with the music - taking her up really high on the downbeats, particularly during the intro and chorus.  My wife thought I was going to scramble Alison's brains, but Alison seemed genuinely happy.  And it's hard to tell if a baby's brains are scrambled anyway, they don't do all that much higher-level thinking at this phase.
13. U2 - Trip Through Your Wires
    U2 was another Amanda suggestion, and so far Alison has enjoyed most of what she heard.  This song seemed to be her favorite, meaning she fell asleep during it.  Right now her TTS (time to sleep) is a pretty indicator of how pleased she is with life overall.  Alison also seems to love "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" but I'm not a huge fan of that song, so it didn't make the list.
14. Grateful Dead - Box of Rain
    I think Amanda suggested this album, too, and Alison seemed to love every track, so I picked this one because it's awesome. And she just fell asleep to it while I was writing this, so that's one in the "plus" column.
15. Radiohead - 4 Minute Warning
    I mentioned above the lullaby version of Radiohead CD a friend gave us - it got me thinking about Radiohead songs in general, and I had an inkling that this song might be lullaby-esque enough in its current state to work on a baby.  And I was right.  I ended up playing this about 10 times in a row one night as she gently drifted off to sleep in my arms.  [Editor's note: the fact that she woke up crying 10 minutes later has nothing to do with this song, that's apparently just how babies are sometimes.]

What do you think?  For those of you without kids, what would you put on a baby playlist?  If you have kids, what have you put on a baby playlist?  What worked?  What didn't?  Tell me in the comments.