Sign up for our mailing list Real artists creating records on their own terms

Press

Friday, November 9th, 2018

Delicate Steve Bio (2018)

Oh, the power of Christmas Music!

A little Johnny Mathis and we are all pre-war, or post-war again, whatever was best. Put on a 45 and let us remember that cozy world where Bowie dropped by his neighbor Bing’s house to share a moment around the piano in the den.

Oh Christmas Music! Return us to those shared places of comfort, those places that never really existed.

Yes, there was snow on the ground, but there were no fine-ass thoroughbreds pulling a wagon through your suburban neighborhood. And yeah, that was a good looking ham on the dining room table, but the guy about to cut into it had been methodically putting back cans of Olde Style since 10 that morning. Remember? No, you don’t. We create the memories we want, so every December we can return to the most wonderful time of the year. Shared memories of times and places that never exactly were.

The nine standards on Delicate Steve’s The Christmas Album (Anti- 2018) are faithful, intentional or not, to the essence of what makes great Christmas music timeless. These songs are grounded in something deeply familiar, but channeled through the celestial perspective that has been a hallmark of the acclaimed guitarist, songwriter, and producer’s music thus far. They come without regard to genre, geography, or calendar, or reality, really -- from a place we know, but that never exactly was.

Understood it may be atypical to use the term ‘murderer’s row’ on a holiday record, but that’s who showed up to help Steve bring The Christmas Album to life. Joe Russo (Cass McCombs, Trey Anastasio, drums), Dave Dreiwitz (Ween, bass), Marco Benevento (keys), Kelly Pratt (St. Vincent, Arcade Fire, horns), and Dan Lead (Cass McCombs, pedal steel) naturally guide arrangements that catch glimpses of the Shangri La’s pomp (“Away in a Manager”), the Swampers swamp (“O Little Town of Bethlehem”), a martini-soaked department store visit (“White Christmas”), and the slack-key-vibed “Silver Bells.” They also have to take partial credit for inspiring the first time use of the phrase ‘absolutely epic one-two punch of “Little Drummer Boy ----> “Frosty the Snowman,”’ which closes out the record.

The Christmas Music magic is here on The Christmas Album, but Delicate Steve’s addition to the canon brings with it its own gift. It imagines for us new memories, returns us to different places. It is our past untethered from reality. On offer is a new nostalgia; turns out, it is a welcome respite.

Delicate Steve's artist page

Browse by Artist

2430All Artists 67Mavis Staples 57Neko Case 56Dr. Dog 55The Milk Carton Kids 52Son Little 51Sean Rowe 50Tinariwen
44Glen Hansard 43Lost In The Trees 41Andy Shauf 37Saintseneca 36Delicate Steve 33Galactic 33Michael Franti and Spe... 32Xenia Rubinos 31Jolie Holland 30The Drums 30Calexico 29Tom Waits 28William Elliott Whitmo... 28Doe Paoro 28Madi Diaz 27Half Waif 27Man Man 27Yves Jarvis 26Christian Lee Hutson 26Girlpool 25Bettye LaVette 23Foxwarren 23The Antlers 23Jason Lytle 23Christopher Paul Stell... 22Sage Francis 22Booker T. Jones 22Gary V 22Cass McCombs 21Leyla McCalla 21Danny Elfman 21Islands 21Lido Pimienta 21Japandroids 20DeVotchKa 20Jeremy Ivey 20Daniel Lanois 19Purr 19The Dream Syndicate 19M. Ward 19Combo Chimbita 18Joe Henry 18Wilco 18So Much Light 17Grinderman 17Moor Mother 17Darrin Bradbury 17Jade Jackson 17Tim Fite 16Porter Wagoner 16Peter Silberman 16High Pulp 15Rafiq Bhatia 15Alfa Mist 15MJ Lenderman 15Glitterer 15Yann Tiersen 14James Brandon Lewis 14John K. Samson 13The Coup 13Rain Machine 13Ben Harper 13Busdriver 12Hey, King! 12Josiah Johnson 12Waxahatchee 12The Melodic 12Deafheaven 12Richard Reed Parry 11Kelly Hogan 11Ryan Pollie 11Beth Orton 11Bonny Doon 11Keaton Henson 11Curtis Harding 10Roky Erickson 10Jasmyn 10Dead Man's Bones 10Fleet Foxes 10The Tallest Man On Ear... 10Xavier Rudd 10Os Mutantes 10Beat Connection 10Katy Kirby 10Wynonna 10Ben Harper and Charlie... 10Bob Mould 10Slow Pulp 9The Locust 9Mose Allison 9Marketa Irglova 9Cameron Avery 9Kate Davis 9Kate Bush 9Ezra Furman 8Deradoorian 8Art Moore 8The Frames 8Sam Akpro 8Kristine Leschper 8Greg Graffin 8A Girl Called Eddy 7sunking 7Alec Ounsworth 7The Field 7Solillaquists of Sound 7Scott McMicken and THE... 6Sparklehorse 6Marc Ribot 6Kronos Quartet with Br... 6The Good Ones 6Ramblin Jack Elliott 6Broken Twin 6N.A.S.A. 6Pete Philly & Perquisi... 6Pops Staples 5The Swell Season 5Jackson+Sellers 5Mothers 5Cadence Weapon 5Walter Wolfman Washing... 5The Weakerthans 5Tweedy 5Plains 4Arc Iris 4Antibalas 4Muggs 4case/lang/veirs 4Petra Haden 4One Day As A Lion 4Eddie Izzard 3Mavis Staples & Levon... 3Danny Cohen 3Simian Mobile Disco 3Marianne Faithfull 3Sierra Leones Refugee... 3The Book Of Knots 2Savath & Savalas 2Lyrics Born 2Chuck E. Weiss 2Blackalicious 2Spoon (Europe only) 2Billy Bragg 2Screaming Lights (Euro... 2Title Fight 2Jeff Tweedy 2Various Artists: RANGO 1Rogue's Gallery 1Taylor Vick 1Solomon Burke 1Various Artists: ROGUE... 1Nick Cave & The Bad Se...
See Full List+