Indie Christmas: She & Him, the xx and Grizzly Bear Share Holiday Music
Watch a new She & Him video and hear holiday offerings from the xx and Grizzly Bear.
By David Greenwald
David Greenwald
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With the holidays in full swing, a number of indie acts are spreading the seasonal cheer.
She & Him released an animated video for their take on "Baby, It's Cold Outside," a track from the Merge duo's 2011 holiday set "A Very She & Him Christmas."
The band's Zooey Deschanel previously sang the standard with Leon Redbone on the soundtrack of 2003 film "Elf," in which she starred as Will Ferrell's love interest. The video finds the group's M. Ward facing a snow storm before the cartoon duo puts on a vinyl LP and shares a bottle of wine.
M. Ward
On the BBC's Radio 1, minimalist act the xx turned in a stripped-down take on Wham!'s "Last Christmas," making the bouncy classic a wounded guitar-and-electronics dirge.
And Grizzly Bear has offered an original project, piano-driven renditions of songs from "Shields" condensed into a seven-minute video.
"This holiday season give the gift the whole family will enjoy… Shields, the new album from Grizzly Bear," a text message states before the video showcases food and vacation imagery. For the music, some of the reworkings are drastic: "Half Gate" becomes a storming jazz track, while "The Hunt" gains a saxophone.