Tag: Kristian Noel Pedersen

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Kristian Noel Pedersen – Bullshit & Gift Wrapping (2025)

A photo of a christmas tree, and a man sitting in a chair looking at the light up tree.

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

I recently listened to a podcast featuring indie-Christmas legend Kristian Noel Pedersen (KNP), the always wonderful 12 Songs of Christmas hosted by Alex Rawls. It was a great conversation and a peek behind the curtain of our most prolific Christmas-creative. KNP has released sixteen albums of original Christmas music, and after his most recent trio of beautiful, hilarious, and genuinely touching records centered on the fictional, aging pop star Saul McCartney, I was under the impression he was planning to strip things back a bit. Sometimes plans change, though, because we’ve got a mini-album of six new songs (plus some voicemail interstitials), and if the first two tracks are a taste of what’s coming… consider me hungry.

The record opens with “Bullshit & Gift Wrapping,” which might be the best title for a Christmas song I’ve heard in ages. The track is packed with bitterness, profanity, jangling guitars, and—strangely, but in the best possible way—a Gin Blossoms vibe? I don’t know what I ate for dinner, but that’s the only comparison my brain wants to make right now. And I low-key love the Gin Blossoms, so I’m here for it.

KNP has also previewed the second track, “Christmas on Your Own,” where the guitars get fuzzier but the attitude—and profanity—stick around. He paints these small scenes across a few Christmases, following someone leaving a bad relationship and starting over. The song feels frayed at the edges, from the loose feel in the instrumentation to the lo-fi (well, lower-fi) vocals, and that roughness fits the emotional journey perfectly.

While we only have two tracks so far, any longtime reader will immediately clock track six: “Winter,” featuring vocals by Winterval, another prolific and supremely talented songwriter I’ve featured here many times. I absolutely cannot wait to hear that one.

The rest of the record drops on Friday, December 5th, along with probably every other major indie release of the season. Why? Bandcamp Friday—when Bandcamp doesn’t take a cut and the artists get every dollar (minus credit-card fees, I imagine). So add this one to your cart now… and wait until Friday to check out!

Bottom Line: Two songs in, and I’m singing the same songs of praise for the latest Kristian Noel Petersen joint.

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Kristian Noel Pedersen – Saul McCartney’s ‘Sauliday Party​!​’ (2024)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

How do you end an era? With a big party, of course! Kristian Noel Pedersen (KNP for brevity’s sake) has delivered his 16th original Christmas album, Saul McCartney’s ‘Sauliday Party​!​’, and boy what a journey this has been. For the uninitiated, Saul McCartney is KNP’s imaginary 60’s pop icon, whose ego has been wreaking havoc through two previous records. I have enjoyed this run immensely, penning rave reviews of every installment… and here we are yet again, with the culmination of the Saul McCartney trilogy. RAVE ON!

How the heck does KNP find the time to put these records together?? The production is so fantastic, so much grander than the bedroom pop that a yearly indiepop project like this would suggest. A perfect example would be the beautiful, brass-infused “What Are You Doing (on Christmas Eve?).” This song has all the pop sensibility and production of a vintage Christmas classic, and is one of those songs that I could see being picked up by some big singer to make KNP a pile of money.

The album’s transition from the vintage-inspired sounds of Saul to KNP’s indiepop begins with the Randy Newman-penned, “Snow.” The bouncing synth lines definitely pinch those “Wonderful Christmastime” receptors, as they invade the 60’s pop production. A perfect lead-in for what may be my highlight of the record, the indiepop perfection of the synthy “Christmas Isn’t Christmas Without You.” The songwriting is absolutely spot-on here. KNP takes a classic Christmas trope, the whole “missing someone at Christmas” scene, and somehow writes this incredibly fresh-sounding, upbeat song, and doesn’t reuse familiar “lonely at Christmas” lyrics. So many songs serve us near-lyrical plagiarism, dressed in different musical stylings… but KNP has found a wonderful new POV here.

Finally, the wonderful album closer, “Silver, Never Gold,” where Smiths guitar lines marry beautifully with those classic, Saul-era brass touches. This album is a stylistic journey, wonderfully narrated by the truly delightful Saul McCartney (Harlan Guthrie) throughout, and this final song closes out the Saul McCartney trilogy perfectly.

This record is a wonderful finale to one of my absolute favorite Christmas music projects I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing and I can’t wait to see what Kristian and his crew of merry collaborators have for us next.

Bottom Line: I don’t want to wear you all down with more effusive language… you read the review above if you got here. KNP is on fire.

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You, Me & The Curries – Once Upon a Christmas (2024)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

Kristian Noel Pederson is so full of Christmas spirit, he just might burst. Year after year, he releases his jolly spirit in the form of Christmas records, and some years are jollier than most. This year we’re getting two records from Kristian and friends. The first one is a front-to-back reimagining of the classic Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers’ 1984 Christmas record, Once Upon a Christmas. This is Kristian’s wife’s favorite record… so it appears Kristian is putting all of us to shame in the gift-giving department. Teaming up with Rob Currie, Andrew Currie, and Michael McDonald (not that one!), the collaborative project gets a “You, Me & The Curries” billing, with Kristian’s upcoming record continuing his solo series. The guests on this are quite excellent as well, most notably Bet Smith in the pivotal Dolly role!

Christmas a GoGo! did a great job giving more context to the production of the record, quoting Kristian, “I’ve always been a bit turned off by the 80s production, and wanted to reimagine the album as a fast paced, country album. Admittedly, it gets a little wild at times, but all in all, I’m so happy with how it turned out.” They have created an absolutely charming, heartfelt cover record that I’m sure you’ll find a few favorites on. Of particular note, this is the first time (if I am not mistaken) that Kristian is releasing a record on a physical format – the beloved cassette tape! Only 15 available online (2 gone already – ordered one for me and one for @noloveforned), so go now if you want one!

FYI: This is not the first time Kristian has covered an entire record. Check out his cover of Hanson’s Snowed Inn from back in 2019 if you are curious!

Bottom Line: The first of two records from camp Kristian is yet another triumph in a string of steller indie Christmas records.

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Kristian Noel Pedersen – Christmas Around Town! (AKKCXV)(2023)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

T Swift has us all talking in eras lately, and I am not immune to the culture – so here we go. Kristian Noel Pedersen began his Saul McCartney era last year, with the stellar Saul McCartney’s Magical Holiday Season (AKKCXIV). The Evermore to that Folklore, KNP has gifted us with an unexpected and glorious follow-up, Christmas Around Town!. For those unfamiliar with the concept of these records, they are an imagined collaboration between KNP and imaginary 60’s pop icon Saul McCartney. This year’s record features an increasingly strained relationship between the two, as the voicemail messages from an annoyed Saul McCartney provide the delightful framework for some of KNP’s best work. From the wonderfully amusing “Waiting for Christmas” with its gorgeous guitar work, to the clever Polar Express-inspired “Dear Santa,” and the beautiful horns on the inspired “Hallmark Holiday,” there is so much to love here. Just press play and attempt to pick your favorite, I dare you.

Challenge accepted! The highlight for me has to be the two sides of “City Streets, Holiday Road.” I loved the amusing lead-in by Saul McCartney, threatening KNP not to make his song sound like “Morrissey-ass 80’s British beeeeep,” nearly as much as that absolutely perfect, Morrissey-ass 80’s British version of the song that of course, KNP makes. This song is some of KNP’s best writing to date – the nostalgia, the memories, while not becoming terribly sad… walking that razor’s edge of happiness and sadness that leaves me wholly impressed. “The city streets / echo the places that we go. / The memories / of playing outside in the snow / And you’re still there / Still see you underneath the lights / Your auburn hair / even if you’re not there anymore.” That’s just a small selection – the whole song has plenty of gorgeous lines. However, what I did not expect is to find myself wondering whether I would put KNP’s “City Streets, Holiday Road,” or the flip side to this track, the version of the song that ends the record, sung by Saul McCartney (aka the incredible Harlan Guthrie). This 60’s pop-crooner version is so warm and delightful, as Saul sings in conversation with these perfect trumpet melodies, so damn gorgeous that I became incredibly conflicted. That first section of the song is so impeccably produced, I found myself amazed it was new, and hadn’t existed for decades; It just FEELS like it should have. KNP has cracked the code for creating a lovable, believable fictional singer/band within another piece of art, a feat hard to explain other than by pointing to other successes like The Oneders in “That Thing You Do,” or Stillwater in “Almost Famous.” There is a quality to this character that makes you want to know more. Truly incredible.

Bottom Line: I feel some magic here… I hear the bells once again. Thanks Kristian.

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Kristian Noel Pedersen – Saul McCartney’s Magical Holiday Season (AKKCXIV) (2022)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

A quick search for “Guinness book of world records most Christmas songs” comes up with the usual results – mainly that Bing Crosby’s performance of “White Christmas” is the biggest selling single of all time. There is not a record for MOST Christmas songs yet… though if there is (and there should be), Kristian Noel Pederson will have a shot at it. In what is his 14th record of original Christmas songs (not including the Hanson’s Snowed In cover record), Saul McCartney’s Magical Holiday Season is a triumph. A concept record that follows an alternate-universe pop star from the 60’s starting anew with a solo career, this record feels joyful and light. Perhaps this is the freedom of writing from a wholly new perspective outside of yourself? I’m not in Kristian’s mind… yet. There are so many wonderful moments on this record, but as I start thinking about which one to talk about, I realize that I’m gravitating to all the horn parts. The use of brass on this record is just perfection – it is that final seasoning on your Christmas meal that makes you sit up and take note… creates those neural connections that will make you talk about that meal for years to come. I’m in the midst of “I Hope it Snows Tonight” for the third time, delighting in every moment- horns, guitars, the whole damn thing. Please listen to this record – it is an absolute joy.

Bottom Line: A Kristian Noel Pederson record is always one to look forward to, and this has to be my favorite yet. I would buy this on vinyl – 100%

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I’m going to post a bunch of single tracks, then the whole thing so that they aggregate in the Hype Machine. There is a method to the madness below.

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Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada XIII (2021)

The Line of Best Fit
Buy: Bandcamp (NYOP)

The Line of Best Fit is the home of one of the most reliable, most wonderful Christmas compilations in existance, Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada, which continues this tradition with its thirteenth wonderful collection of Canadian soundscapes, indiepop, folk, indie rock and the like – you know, genres and artists who aren’t churning out records with themselves laughing in sweaters on the cover and a whole bunch of boring covers on the record. This is music for the rest of us (which is what this site is ALL about), and I’m going to do my best to highlight just a few of my favorites from this year. However, as with ANY compilation, please listen to the whole thing – as what I single out may very well not be what you would have! I also get intimidated by reviewing large comps, and cap myself at 4-5 feature songs, no matter the quality of the whole thing… I am one person, with a kid, dinner to make, and a secret, international cock-fighting ring to run. So here we go!

June Thrasher‘s expansive “Sleep Through the Night” opens the record, immediately bending the rules of what a Christmas/holiday compilation should be. The song rings out with these tones and drones that remind me of blowing wind, waving plants in the wind. It certainly feels chilly, and while it doesn’t have jingle bells (ha!), I’ll allow it – because it is quite beautiful.

JF & Lail (JF Robitaille and Lail Arad) provide the lovely “First Christmas,” an incredibly sweet folk song made by a couple splitting time between Montreal and London, while traveling with their newborn during a pandemic. It is funny, touching, and extremely personal, yet completely relatable to anybody who has ever tried to attempt anything challenging with a young child. Planes, museums, quiet dinners, nothing is the same, but you’re in it… and you’re hoping… hoping…

The This‘ “Winter Tires” is short and upbeat, which checks two big boxes for me as I’m putting together a mix. Throw in that the song has a semi-polished, Mountain Goats feel, and I’m pretty much telling you to take my money. Lucky for me, I can do that, as this song also features on the Kingfisher Bluez Christmas Single 2021. SO, grab this and 3 other tracks on beautiful vinyl!

“Xmas Oranges” is the heaviest track on here, as well as a standout from Marlaena Moore‘s excellent 2020 release, Pay Attention, Be Amazed. Marlaena mines some deep emotional content, bathed in somewhat ominous (yet beautiful) cello and horns. While I was most attracted to the incredible instrumentation, Marlaena’s voice is undeniable, as she sings some really amazing lines: “Christmas oranges. / I don’t care for sticky citrus. / You can’t even tell the difference / between love and fatal interest.” Damn.

Kristian Noel Pedersen is the beating heart of Canadian indie Christmas music. Not only does he feature on many of the wonderful Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada compilations, but he also released Songs About Christmas (AKKCXIII), his thirteenth Christmas release. His songs keep getting better and better, and this track might be my favorite yet. “Deck the Halls” seesaws between these beautiful Real Estate-ish guitar lines, and a fuzzed-out power chord chorus, which are like orange and chocolate to me: two great tastes that I hadn’t realized would taste so great together. Delicious!

Bottom Line: Yet another strong compilation to mine for mix-worthy singles, and there are most certainly some gems here!

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Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada XII (2020)

The Line of Best Fit
Buy: Bandcamp (NYOP) | Free MP3s @ The Line of Best Fit

I began this whole underground Christmas music search sixteen years ago. While many of my online Christmas-music hunting friends have been in the game even longer, it is still a pretty solid amount of time. My 2005 Christmas mix can now drive with a permit, is looking at colleges and thinks the music I listen to is pretty lame. Now that I’ve established myself as at least kinda old, sort of experienced and somewhat knowledgable, I’ll say that I can recall when that very first Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada came out (the download is unfortunately 404’d these days). It was glorious – I was heavily into the Arts & Crafts and Paper Bag labels, and believed that all the best indie rock must be fueled by the arts funding of Canada. Three songs off that initial release would end up on a mix… which for one single Christmas compilation, is pretty much incredible. Now Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada is nearly a teenager, with their twelth volume having dropped this week. This year’s offering does not disappoint, with so many excellent songs that I am hesitant to single out any, for to do so is to rank one over another… and I just haven’t lived with it enough to be completely sure that these are my favorites. However, into the fray I go with my highlights off, as we look at this latest edition, Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada Volume XII!

The Acorn was on Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada’s debut volume with their beautiful track “Snowfall”, which also ended up on my 2010 Christmas mix, Write About Xmas! Thus, I was quite excited to see them on here again. Their latest seasonal song, “Skipping Stones,” features Jazmine Wykes on vocal harmony as well as a murderer’s row of players – Sylvie Smith (Evening Hymns/ Habitat), Joseph Shabason (Destroyer/Diana), and Jon Hynes (Kathleen Edwards). The song is not explicitly seasonal, as it is more evocative of the moment the song was written – a decade ago, writing about a loss on the precipice of the holidays. So, it would most certainly be a stretch for a mix, but it is a beautiful, melancholy song that I couldn’t ignore.

The absolute best first 15 seconds on this comp belong to one-time The Burning Hell and Evening Hymns member Michael C. Duguay‘s “Yankee Swap.” That bass saxophone vibrates everything inside you in the best possible way. The song runs off from there and slowly works into this complicated, emotional story, whose tension is broken by that big, beautiful chorus. Loved this song so much, and is most certainly one to go read the liner notes of; Reading the liner notes gives even more context and the song feels so much more powerful when you get the whole story behind the artist who made it.

Kristian Noel Pedersen is an alternative Christmas stalwart, having also released his twelfth-holiday record, A Kristian Kinda Christmas XII (out now!!), this year. That number is actually a little deceptive, as he has also released an entire cover record of Hanson’s Snowed In as well… so he’s working on 13 at least. Kristian often has a song on the HHHC comp, but this year’s, “Everything’s The Same Except It Isn’t,” may be my favorite of the bunch. This is a COVID-Christmas song, but without the overt references, which gives it a shelflife beyond this year (which I greatly appreciate). The shimmering indiepop guitars, the jingle bells and Kristian’s soft, thoughtful voice make this song feel both personal and universal – kinda sneaking under your skin as if you had thought of it yourself.

I am most surprised by how much I enjoyed this ambient track by Droni Mitchell (AKA NNGM). “Teach Your Feet To Fly” was inspired by Joni Mitchell’s classic “River,” but they decided to cover the ideas in the song, rather than the song itself. The skates over the (what sounds to me as) cello lines play beautifully off each other, with a reference to the “Jingle Bells” refrain tying the two songs together. I loved this bit from the liner notes: “In a difficult year when a lot of us have spent more time than ever stuck indoors, the idea of the freedom and gracefulness of being able to skate away on a frozen river under the open skies is definitely one that appeals.”

Those from Canada may be more familiar with this song, as it originally appeared on Inuk singer-songwriter Etulu Aningmiuq’s 2018, Juno and Polaris prize-nominated album, The Ballad of the Runaway Girl. Elisapie covers “Quanniuguma” (Inuktitut for “If I Were A Snowflake”) with the help of Beatrice Deer, as the percussive stings are trance-inducing, driving the song until the usual percussion instruments come in as reinforcement. The song almost explodes at 3:30, and by then, you are completely under its hypnotic spell. The liner notes are equally enlightening with this track (Did I tell you how much I appreciated those liner notes??? I am telling you again! They are really, really interesting!): “The lyrics of Quanniuguma speak to the idea of the freedom afforded by being a snowflake- the ability to be directed by nature and travel everywhere, with no worries about the future, certainly ideas that are at the foremost in a lot of minds in 2020.”

Vancouver’s Bookclub has the most on-the-nose sound and subject matter for what Mr. Christmas Underground is going to like. Synthy-indiepop Christmas with a nostalgic bent? That is like giving me a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels… I’m gonna eat that whole damn bag. Love the sound, dug the lyrics, and especially love the brevity. (I LOVE A QUICK CHRISTMAS SONG – leave them WANTING MORE.) Pure indiepop perfection that will be part of the Kingfisher Bluez Charity Christmas Village collection. Pick up the 7″ and help support 1-800-SUICIDE and Crisis Center BC.

Those happen to be my favorites for the moment, but I don’t need to remind you, art is subjective and I am by no means the only judge. So grab this for yourself, dive into those liner notes, and I’m sure you’ll find some other gem in here that I’ve passed over. Why not add it to the comments?? Let me know what you loved! I love comments!!

Bottom Line: Twelve years in and going strong as ever, the beloved Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada Volume XII is once again a wonderful snapshot of Canada’s indie music scene.

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Kristian Noel Pedersen “Everyone Knows the Claus” (2019)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

It is quite possible that Kristian Noel Pedersen has written more original Christmas songs than anyone, ever. (Well…. maybe Make Like Monkeys has given him a run for his money…) Kristian is headling into his 11th year producing a Christmas album of all originals, which should make bands who struggle to write one new Christmas song… feel a little inadequate. So why am I writing about Kristian recording a COVER song? Well, because when Kristian decides to record a cover, he goes big. To my knowledge, I can’t recall a full reimagining of an entire Christmas album until Kristian took on the challenge (I’m sure some of my fellow Christmas-music aficionados will correct me). His target? Hanson’s Snowed In, an album that I am not familiar with, despite my dedication to Christmas music. But that leaves me to ponder, what album should/would you need to cover to truly make this a worthwhile endeavor? You have to cover a record that is known because especially within Christmas music, there are only a few that maintain catalog sales (and this one is one of them). Then, you also have to choose an album with originals, otherwise, it is as if you are just covering a sequence of tracks, rather than a specific artist’s album. So, I really think Kristian made a great choice targeting the Hanson LP. The first two singles are up, but the original is where the interest truly lies. “Everybody Knows the Claus” does NOT sound like Hanson. I’m going to have to agree with Kristian in his correspondence with me, his version has turned the song into a “weirdly fucked punk thing.” With dramatic vocals and a driving, fuzzy bassline, I can’t imagine Hanson ever sounding like this. I’m very much looking forward to hearing what the rest of this record sounds like and I will not forget the donuts.

Yet another album to look forward to, A Kristian Kinda Christmas XI is coming to an internet near you in the next few weeks. Luckily you have a new Hanson LP and TEN previous records to tide you over. Tune in and listen as Kristian adds to his likely world-record worthy Christmas music legacy.

Bottom Line: Kristian’s Christmas-music ambition is boundless and inspiring. I love this effort, which only looks even more impressive with every new boring cover of “Blue Christmas.”

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