It may not be the first Christmas song you think of. It may not be the kind you hear all that often either. But it’s the type of Christmas song that stays with you long after you hear it. By stripping out all the instrumentation, the Westminster Choir recorded maybe the most powerful version of “Carol of the Bells” ever. The ensemble of voices. The high ceiling acoustics. And the electric crescendo. The Christmas track that lingers well past the season ends.

“Hark how the bells. Sweet silver bells. All seem to say. Throw cares away.”