INDIE CHRISTMAS: JANELLE KROLL - LAST CHRISTMAS

The air is filled with what seems to be an endless loop of those Christmas songs all about reindeer and red noses, fully equipped with cheesy jingles and jangles. We are always surprised by how many ways one can sing about sleigh bells, snowmen, and red noses. Thankfully, we at We Are: The Guard are here to give you relief and deliver you the exception--the best indie versions of holiday songs. Yes, there are such tunes.

Janelle Kroll is just one of the many artists who have taken their own spin on the classics, but from the very first moment of her "Last Christmas" remix, we can already tell it's one of the good ones. While it's a bit different from the up-and-comer's pop alternative ballads like "Barricade," listeners can still hear her giving her all -- her entire body--to each note. And it’s part of We Are: The Guard Indie Christmas compilation!!!

JANELLE KROLL - LAST CHRISTMAS

What Kroll delivers feels so much rawer than that original Wham! version from way back when. For instance, when she says, "With a note saying, 'I love you,' I meant it / Now, I know what a fool I've been," we can almost visualize her beautiful pain while reminiscing about a brutal love.

If only they'd play this rendition in the mall --- then maybe we'd actually be motivated to do our present shopping early. Perhaps you can slip in our Indie Christmas compilation to the clerk at the H&M or something.