Christmas Music
November 29, 2012 | 07:53 AM

Mr. Card,

The Cincinnati band Over the Rhine has two "can't miss" Christmas albums that I literally make a an appointment with each year to listen to on headphones.

The Darkest Night of the Year - don't let the title fool you. This is an album about the greater glory without beating you over the head. The most unconventional Christmas album you are likely to find, it it my anchor for the season.

Snow Angels - this is a later release and is also excellent but is a bit more conventional. If you listen to nothing else this year, at least make sure you hear "Goodbye Charles", an ode to the Vince Guaraldi Trio Charlie Brown music without being strictly derivative.

Mike Dahlstrom