Paul McCartney, Andrew Bird, The Shins, And More Star On ‘Holidays Rule’ Vinyl Compilation
The project is out September 30 via Craft Recordings.
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Craft Recordings is set to release the first-ever vinyl pressing of Holidays Rule, a diverse collection of seasonal music featuring glittering contributions from across the musical spectrum. Highlights include songs from Paul McCartney, The Shins, Andrew Bird, and more.
Due out September 30 and available to pre-order beginning today (8/24) as a 2-LP set pressed on translucent red vinyl, the project is housed in a gatefold jacket. In addition, a limited clear-with-red-and-green splatter variant is available exclusively at the Craft Recordings store. Lacquers were cut by Dave Cooley at Elysian Mastering from the original hi-resolution sources and mastered by Gavin Lurssen at Lurssen Mastering.
Originally released in 2012, the set boasts 17 recordings of timeless holiday classics from artists including pop phenoms fun., McCartney, indie-pop luminaries The Shins, Americana favorites The Civil Wars, adored singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright (featuring Sharon Van Etten), playful popstars Fruit Bats, bluegrass revisionists Punch Brothers, soul icon Irma Thomas (with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band), cinematic rockers Calexico, Bird, Latin neo-traditionalists Y La Bamba, Texas twang-rock troupe Heartless Bastards, alt-folk standard-bearer Holly Golightly, roots quintet Black Prairie (featuring Sallie Ford), choral revival collective AgesandAges, Fiery Furnaces alumna Eleanor Friedberger, and Seattle Americana outfit The Head and the Heart.
Holidays Rule delves into a rich assemblage of Americana, alt-pop, folk, electronica, country, American standards, singer-songwriter, New Orleans gospel, garage rock, and more to create a melting pot of sounds that still feel like a cohesive album, rather than a holiday hodgepodge.
Some of the numerous highlights include fun. whipping up a distinctly postmodern take on the rollicking “Sleigh Ride,” adding a frosty techno swirl to the winter perennial. Paul McCartney’s velvety rendition effortlessly conjures the warmth of the fireside with “The Christmas Song.” The Shins, meanwhile, take McCartney’s own “Wonderful Christmastime” in a cheekily retro direction, turning the track into a musical homage to the Beach Boys. Wainwright and Van Etten deliver a fittingly seductive “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
