This version of Fairytale is a new one to me, nominated by a follower of this blog, author Magnus Seter. Magnus is from Sweden, and offers, appropriately, a version in Swedish. But what sets this apart from many, many other versions is not so much the language, but the arrangement.
Have you ever thought “I like Fairytale of New York well enough, but it’s not quite … Christmassy enough”? Well if you have. If you need more horns and bells, Ainbusk have you sorted.
Ainbusk are a Swedish pop/folk vocal group from Gotland, whose biggest hit “I met Lassie” was Christmas number one in that country in 1990. So they have form as it were, and capitalising on their association with the festive season, a Christmas album, I midvintertid: En jul på Gotland came out in 2001. I guess that’s where this version came from.
The Interpretation Game 