Ex keeps contacting me.. What does he want?

You are sad, so is he. The nature of man (boys) is so mysterious. We can not spend whole of our lives seeing only one face, man wants to go through other faces/people to find the inner satisfaction. Being candid! It is just a sick belief that lovers for years (esp. a boy!) is not supposed to turn towards any other woman in their life. Man gets tired so quickly, avoids what he already has and seeks a new face that could provide him with greater exuberance/merriment/joy. But it is a cycle of failure. Women are recommended to find sometime to avoid what man does (though it is hard for sure), your guy will be back to you after the failure! He actually fails to find the inner satisfaction. It is because "you" were the answer of his question. No other man (man as human) can be the answer of his question. You are made for his inner satisfaction. He will come to you back. Don't reject him for this time, you will regret! but take some time to accept him.

Maybe it's a stumbling attempt to ensure you don't hate him, he might actually be trying to say, awkwardly, the last eight years weren't pointless. Or he might be a manipulative asshole.

This ^.

Plus, change your number again and tell your sister not to give it out.

This is a crazy time of the year. Mark it off as nostalgia.

You are smart to keep it at a distance, however.

agreed

What THEY said.
Emotional time of year.
He's feeling guilty.
As a musician myself, I think it's telling that he's leaving little treats (songs).

No more contact! None!
Now go make arrangements to spend Christmas Day with nurturing friends and come back in the New Year to let us know how it went...