I held off as long as I could, but when a good Christmas song comes along, I just have to share it. My first of this year comes courtesy of Oslo, Norwary-based Stian Fjelldal, aka Birds Are Better. Stian has featured quite a lot on this blog before but I always find myself returning to his unique brand of alternative folk. His new track is called Angels Of The Snow.

By Graeme Smith

It’s hard to bring something new to the Christmas songbook but Stian certainly impresses with his effort. In it, he eschews the usual cliches in favour of telling a strong story, this one about a snowman and an angel, with a subtext of hope and empowerment.

In Angels Of The Snow we get Stian’s distinctive mix of the electronic and the organic, pairing nicely with his soulful and ethereal vocals. It’s a track that slowly builds, reaching a cinematic crescendo at the story’s climax. If it has me sharing Christmas music in early November, it must be good! You can check out its lyric video below.