Merry Indie Christmas

At Christmas time, the Sound Curators research and acquire a small number of compositions by independent Australian artists for preservation in the NFSA collection.

These songs and artists are unique because their work has not been published by a major label, and it isn't easily found.

These songs have been carefully selected; they are a refreshing take on Christmas, and will be unknown to a majority of our listeners. You can discover a small selection in this playlist, including:

• Annie Bryant, a singer-songwriter-guitarist who composes stories and songs for children, inspired by Mother Nature and a general love for life.
• Lindsay and Joan, who have been composing and performing together for 27 years, beginning with their arrival in the Taree/Forster region of NSW.
• Lehmann B Smith, whose 'Secret Santa' features swampy funk instrumentation and an eponymous super-sleuth hero who doles out tacky throwaway gifts, rather than justice, to those deemed ‘naughty’.
• Ellen Sorensen, a New Zealand artist living in Australia who paints a quietly aching portrait of the bittersweet nostalgia we can feel when having Christmas away from home and family.
• Victorian Railways Christmas greetings recorded on 17 December 1974, featuring train sound effects and a soundtrack of Jingle Bells.

If you are an independent musician with a unique Christmas tale to tell and song to sing, contact enquiries@nfsa.gov.au about submitting your Christmas song for consideration for the NFSA collection. Content must be provided to the NFSA under a Creative Commons agreement (Attribution. Non commercial). All genres welcome, from folk to punk and everything in between!