Mac DeMarco, with Kirin J Callinan, has put his spin on The Christmas Song and boy is it smooth.
As you listen, you can imagine DeMarco, tuxedo t-shirt and all, leaning on a grand piano in a big ballroom, wistfully singing into a microphone as he winks at patrons in the audience. He even whispers “Merry Christmas Kirin, take us there” as Callinan eases up to the guitar solo.
Mac DeMarco has released a rendition of The Christmas Song as part of a California wildfires benefit compilation, complete with all the old-school charm you’ve come to need in a Christmas song.
The cover is one of 10 tracks on a Christmas compilation called Valentine Recording Presents: A Christmas Miracle. All money from the album will go towards helping those affected by the California fires via the humanitarian non-profit Direct Relief.
A Christmas Miracle also features Weyes Blood’s rendition of O Holy Night, Molly Lewis singing A Silent Night, and Jack Ladder and Alex Cameron with Happy XMAS (War Is Over).
The blurb alongside the album reads, “It occurred to my friends and I that the project may have potential to help people in CA, and abroad, who are helpless and suffering from such natural disasters, in need of shelter and medical attention. So, in the spirit of Christmas, we’ve attempted to put this album together as a donation to a charity who does just that, Direct Relief.”
Last year, DeMarco covered Paul McCartney’s 1979 Wonderful Christmas Time.
The Christmas Song‘s first recording and most notable rendition was sung by Nat King Cole in 1946.
Via Pitchfork.