Damien Jurado

Credit: Secretly Canadian

Spend a yultide by the fireside with Damien Jurado, who's pumped out a piano- and horn-laden version of "Christmas Time Is Here." The Vince Guaraldi original -- popularized via "A Charlie Brown Christmas" -- has a melancholy slowness that Jurado's falsetto capitalizes upon, warms up with the Aki Kurose Middle School Academy Glee Club and prepares your brain waves for a long winter's nap.

Jurado's got some help too from engineer Steven Aguilar and from producer/instrumentalist Kyle Zantos, plus Joe Ruppert, Cole Mauro and Dave Hall.

The Seattle artist's song comes in advance of his next album project, "Maraqopa," a collaboration with singer/songwriter and producer Richard Swift, out of his National Freedom studios. That set is out on Feb. 21, preceded by a hometown release show on Feb. 17 at The Neptune. Jurado will then be out on the road in Europe.

Check out a trailer to the album, plus an MP3 from leading track "Nothing Is the News," both below.

"Nothing is the News" by Damien Jurado by DOJAGSC

Damien Jurado at National Freedom from Lance Alton Troxel on Vimeo.

Here are Damien Jurado's tour dates:

02/17/12 Seattle, WA: The Neptune w/Gold Leaves and Bryan John Appleby *Release Show*
02/29/12 Groningen, NL: Oosterpoort
03/01/12 Hamburg, DE: Astra Stub
03/02/12 Lund, SE: Mejeriet
03/03/12 Stockholm, SE: Sodra
03/04/12 Goteborg, SE: Nefertiti
03/06/12 Copenhagen, DK: Loppen
03/07/12 Berlin, DE: Comet Club
03/08/12 Leipzig, DE: UT Connewitz
03/09/12 Schorndorf, DE: Manufaktur
03/11/12 Den Bosch, NL: fabrlQ Festival
03/12/12 London, UK: Cargo
03/13/12 Rouen, FR: Le 106 Club
03/15/12 Bordeaux, FR: Le Saint X
03/16/12 San Sebastian, ES: Teatro Victoria Eugenia
03/17/12 Santander, ES: Black Bird
03/18/12 Orense, ES: Theater
03/18/12 Madrid, ES: Teatro Lara
03/20/12 Cadiz, ES: Edificio Constitución 1812 de Cádiz
03/21/12 Granada, ES: Planta Baja
03/22/12 Murcia, ES: Microsonidos
03/23/12 Badalona, ES: Blues & Ritme
03/25/12 Fribourg, CH: Fri-Son
03/26/12 Zurich, CH: El Lokal
03/29/12 Amsterdam, NL: Paradiso