Sufjan Stevens will compile his holiday singles into a new volume for Asthmatic Kitty Records, Worst Christmas Ever! Slated for release on November 6, the record features 15 of Stevens’ indie-Christmas staples, drawn fromthe more than 100 Christmas recordings originally released on the box sets Songs for Christmas and Silver & Gold, as well as the previously unheard track “On This Christmas (It Only Gets Better).”
The musician first started making Christmas music in 2001. At the time, he didn’t plan for those early songs to lead to the nearly five hours of Christmas songs that now makes up his holiday catalog. Instead, he was “simply making gifts for friends and family.” According to a statement from the musician, “The process was the same each time: one week in December, usually at home, he’d pull in whoever was around, usually friends, roommates, or musical peers.”
In 2006, Asthmatic Kitty collected the first five volumes as Songs for Christmas, Vols. 1-5, and in 2012, the label released Silver & Gold: Songs for Christmas, Vols. 6-10, compiling five more EPs recorded between 2006 and 2010.
Worst Christmas Ever! offers highlights from both box sets, including “Sister Winter,” “Put The Lights On The Tree,” “Only At Christmas Time,” the title track “That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!” “Justice Delivers Its Gift,” Sufjan’s ecclesiastical take on the Burl Ives classic “Silver & Gold,” “Christmas In The Room,” “Silent Night,” the New Year’s Eve standard “Auld Lang Syne,” the Hannukah song “Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages)” and others.
A number of guests contributed to the set as well, including Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire, Cat Martino, Gabriel Kahane, Casey Foubert, James McAlister, Rosie Thomas, Marla Hansen, Olivier Manchon, Sebastian Krueger, and Daniel, Elin, Lilly and Ida Smith of Danielson.
Here’s a look at the Worst Christmas Ever! tracklist
1. Silent Night
2. Put The Lights On The Tree
3. Holly Jolly Christmas
4. Christmas In The Room
5. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Christmas Infinity Voyage Version)
6. Sister Winter
7. Joy To The World
8. On This Christmas (It Only Gets Better)
9. Angels We Have Heard On High (Christmas Infinity Voyage Version)
10. Only At Christmas Time
11. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Christmas Unicorn Version)
12. That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!
13. Sleigh Ride
14. Justice Delivers Its Gift
15. Auld Lang Syne
16. Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages)
