Song of the Day: Deep Sea Diver - It's Christmas Time (and I'm Still Alive)

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. This week we have some special holiday treats for you! Today’s selection is a 2012 self-released holiday song, “It's Christmas Time (and I'm Still Alive)”, by Seattle's Deep Sea Diver.

Deep Sea Diver - It's Christmas Time (and I'm Still Alive) (MP3)

Singer/guitarist Jessica Dobson started Deep Sea Diver as a solo project in 2007, but it wasn't long before she decided to recruit a fully-fledged band to back her smartly crafted pop tunes. After bringing drummer Peter Mansen and bassist John Raines into the fold, Deep Sea Diver hit the road, and in 2011, the trio holed up in the studio with Matt Wignall to record their debut album. The end result, this year's History Speaks, finds nine of Dobson's pop tunes being precisely executed by the trio. Carrying hallmarks of the jazz-tinged Christmas of years past, "It's Christmas Time (and I'm Still Alive)" is just as traditional as it is original. Trading out her guitar for an electric piano, Dobson lays down a soft melody as she sings the first half of the song in a slow, romantic tone. When she hits the bridge though, Mansen and Raines join in and vamp the tune up for a few bars before releasing the tension and concluding with Dobson performing the last verse alone at the piano. Lyrically and musically, "It's Christmas Time (and I'm Still Alive)" isn't far removed from any other modern Christmas tunes, but when you're sitting by the fire watching snow fall outside, a traditional tune is exactly what you need, and Deep Sea Diver have crafted a great one.

Deep Sea Diver don't have any announced plans for 2013 yet, but you can keep track of them on Facebook and their website. Listen to their recent KEXP session here and watch the band play "You Go Running" live at KEXP's 2012 Hood To Hood broadcast below.