Like Riccardo, I’m not the biggest fan of Christmas. Several factors have contributed to my Scrooged-out nature, but  that’s kind of neither here nor there. No matter your stance on Christmas, God, religion, it seems that O Holy Night is a festive favourite that can’t be beat. Röyksopp have been blessing their fans with tracks of the month for some time now, unreleased instrumentals and reworks of other acts, and this month they’ve gone all festive on us with Le Cantique de Noël. Tackling the French carol in a manner both sensitive and bold, they smother it with their own brand of delicate, Blade Runner-esque synths and harmonies. Starting off almost humble and playing along with the languid tempo of the hymn/carol – call it what you will – in a manner reminiscent of Senior’s gorgeous The Alcoholic, they then cascade some frenetic hi-hats over the anthemic chorus. It’s all rather heart-warming, especially for a grumpy old man like me*.

In case you’re looking for something more sinister and anarchic, don’t forget about the eponymous track from Salem’s King Knight, which also takes on the revered number, viciously incorporating it into one of their own signature nightmare soundscapes. I won’t waste my time describing Salem’s sound, the blogosphere is awash with that, but I will tell you to listen to it and make those dark nights even blacker.

[wpaudio url=”https://truantsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Röyksopp-Le-Cantique-de-Noël1.mp3″ text=”ROYKSOPP – LE CANTIQUE DE NOEL”] (320 kbps)

[wpaudio url=”https://truantsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Salem-King-Knight1.mp3″ text=”Salem – King Knight” dl=”0″] (stream)

*I’m not that old…