Merry Christmas, indie rock: Sufjan Stevens and The National debut two new holiday songs

It just wouldn’t be Christmas on the Internet without a few new holiday songs from Sufjan Stevens, whose tendencies toward excess and cozily twee sentimentality are perfectly suited for the season. While we’ve yet to see any announcement of an official release of Stevens’ sixth Christmas-themed EP, which was recorded with The National’s Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Arcade Fire’s Richard Parry, over the weekend the Dessners and Parry did finally unveil two of its tracks on BBC 6 Mix: a musical saw-laden take on “Silent Night” and an original titled “Barcarola (You Must Be A Christmas Tree),” which you can listen to below. The latter features the lyric “You must be a Christmas tree / Because you light up the room”—the perfect holiday party pickup line for anyone unable to pull off Kanye’s recent riff on “hot chocolate.” [via Vulture]

Sufjan Stevens – Silent Night by Hypetrak

Sufjan Stevens – Barcarola (You Must Be a Christmas Tree) by Hypetrak