Christmas Music: A Scrooge or Not - A Christmas Rant

First off... I'm a fan of Christmas music. During the year, when I put my ipod on shuffle, I will often get a litany of christmas songs. Louis Armstrong, Sufjan Stevens, Amy Grant, Nat King Cole, etc. I try to reserve Christmas music for just this time of year, but sometimes I can't help myself. However, in light of the 30 days of Christmas that is being played at our local Christian music station, I must comment on the state of current Christmas music.

Without sounding too much like the Grinch or Ebenezer Scrooge, current popular Christmas music - CCM or otherwise - sucks. When I hear "Christmas Shoes" or the horrifying "Christmas and You" by Go Fish (which is what I wish they would do) or perhaps the melodramatic strains of the ridiculous Josh Groban or perhaps the newest version of "Christmas Shoes" by Steven Curtis Chapman called "All I want for Christmas" or, maybe one of the worst - The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choirs "Merry Christmas Jesus" - oh fine...now i'll just list them:

Faith Hill's "A Baby Changes Everything"

Anything by the Trans Siberian Orchestra (Silver Bells does not need a face melting solo!)

Any version of "Do You hear What I Hear"

I could go on, but it's not worth any of our time. These are the songs that I patiently put up with while I wait for the odd Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby track. I'll even clap when "I want a hippopotomus for Christmas" comes on, shattering the mind numbing monotony of banal Xmas music. I use "Xmas" dripping with sarcasm.

I have my own pantry of Christmas albums which I return to terribly often. Even throughout the year, just for a pleasant pick-me-up. Sufjan Stevens 5 disc set of Christmas tunes, both original and traditional is, beyond just good listening, an easy way to get me in the Christmas mood. Also, the Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi (or however it's spelled). It is Christmas the moment "O Tanenbaum" moves from the solo piano traditional to the jazzy shuffle half a minute in.

After talking with a friend and laughing at the silliness of some Christmas tunes, we came to the divisive statement of liking Christmas or not. He doesn't see the big deal, outside of Jesus and all that. I love the festivity of it all, the time with family, the presents, and of course Jesus. By proxy, he hates the music that comes with it. The traditional tunes he'll put up with, but outside of that.... geeeh. I've already stated my dislike for so much pop christmas music so I won't retread that, but, after listening part of the way through the Holiday Mix that NPR's All Songs Considered put together on a recent show, I have to say that Christmas music is great and creates fantastic conversation.

The Ravonettes "The Christmas Song" is a slippery pop gem. Snowden's melancholic version of "White Christmas," Laura Gibson's stripped down "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," and the double entendre filled "Santa Lost a Ho" by the Christmas Jug Band... all great additions. Adding the entries of Sufjan's "Come Thou Fount" to the show only brought a bit more reverence to the gathering. It is interesting to hear radio hosts comment on sacred hymns. And this got me thinking. What the world calls Christmas music is, in large part, reworkings of the hymns of the Christian faith. Sure there's "Jingle Bell Rock" or "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," but "Little Drummer Boy," a delicate explanation of meaningful gift giving is still covered by bands ranging from Jars of Clay to the Scandinavian discotheque master Lindstrom. Josh Groban, who knows what he thinks of when he belts out in his overly dramatic vocals: "Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother." I can see him gargling the words out in the studio then turning to shout at his producers to get him an 80 degree cup of chamomile tea. A certain reverence is lost when I think like this, but at the same time, whenever "O Holy Night" comes on the radio I cannot help but think, "Wow, this has to impact someone. The lyrics can't be lost on all of us. Can they?"

Anyway. I'd been meaning to blog for a while and upcoming will be both my year end best of music list as well as a recap of what the decade meant for music for me.

If you can, and don't feel too overly flustered by the fact that "Christmas Shoes" is being played once an hour on the soft rock station, pick up one of Sufjan's Christmas albums and listen to it with only the lights on the tree. Or pour yourself some Eggnog and waltz in the living room to Guaraldi's "Skating." It's well worth it and transcends all of the glitz of the season, and can... can even remind us that there is something more important than putting bows on packages and making sure that we spent even amounts on everyone's gifts. From the old traditional "The Friendly Beasts" I leave you with this... "Jesus our brother, strong and good.

Merry Christmas.

Weezer: The Fire is Gone, but There's Still Some Love

Weezer and I go way back. It took me till 8th grade to hear the Blue Album, though it came out when I was in 6th. This was the year when a host of other bands opened my eyes to rock music. All the typical responses apply here. Nirvana, Soundgarden, even... gasp... Collective Soul. Though I hesitate to admit it. But Weezer grabbed my attention first and with the slight obsession within the crowd I ran with, my love for catchy pop tunes was solidified. I heard the Blue Album first, but in my 8th Grade/9th Grade year, Pinkerton was released. For whatever reason, and seemingly against all popular sentiment at the time, I gravitated towards the emotional free for all of the newest album. Sure Rivers was pent up and singing about some provocative things, but I couldn't get enough of the music and his delivery. The guitars were rough, the drums were chaotic, and the vocals were near insane. What's a kid not to like. However, in recent years Weezer's name and reputation have been flushed down my musical toilet. Sure, I waited in line for the Green Album, but promptly realized that the guitar solos were simply the vocal lines redone. I bought Maladroit and listened to it once. Since then, no Weezer albums have passed through my ears in total. I thought the dubious Red Album might hold promise with the tongue in cheek single "Pork and Beans" which smacked of the epic pop guitar from their debut. It didn't. Now, as their new album Raditude comes out (The albums I didn't mention don't deserve to be), I don't laugh it off as a "stunt," but instead I casually comment, "well, that's Weezer for you." And who wouldn't with tracks titled "The Girl Got Hot" and "I'm Your Daddy" as well as a "duet" with Lil Wayne. What!?

Yet, through all of this, I can still derive a whole lot of fun out of those first two albums. "Only in Dreams" came on my I-Pod the other day and I marveled. It seems to be a subtle musical segue between the Blue Album and Pinkerton in spite of their differences. In the end breakdown, the guitars shred and devolve into madness and the drums get louder and louder. Though I can't stand the Weezer of today, the Weezer of yesteryear are still up there with the bands that make me smile.

Terrible Yellow Eyes

I can't believe that I haven't posted anything about this. I might have mentioned it in passing a while back, but seriously... this needs to be seen and continually enjoyed. Cory Godbey, illustrator extraordinaire (Light Night Rains) has decided to create a blog dedicated to Where the Wild Things Are. I'm sure that this was done prior to the movie gaining such indie cred, but his idea allows fellow artists to go wild. Every Friday, the viewer can experience more illustrations. Each artist takes a page or a sentence and redraws it with his/her style. Sometimes the artwork turns out to have little to do with the book and more to do with creativity and imagination. As if that weren't already firmly in place.


Here are a few of my favorites.

What's Good the Last Three Months?

Here's what I came up with for the last three months worth of music. It's all good in its own way, but some are more worthwhile all the way through than the others. Sometimes my love of music will force me into foolish first assumptions, therefore the inclusion of the now banal track "Roll on Babe" by Vetiver. I heard it and thought it catchy. Now it sounds like everything else out there. Also the inclusion of the cryptic or silly "Robots" by Dan Mangan. He's getting a lot of good press in Canada and the tune is a catchy one, but it seems a little hollow to me for no good reason. However, there is the odd inclusion of something that should be in a category all its own. Dirty Projectors or Bibio or even perhaps The Low Anthem could fit into a slot simply made for "feely" music. Sure Mastodon can come out and yell with the best of them, sometimes anger just doesn't come through fully. The intensity palpable from the Dirty Projectors, or the honest and mindless relaxation heard from Bibio, or the introspective mourning from The Low Anthem.... this is what music is made for. Enjoy. Again... all tracks were found on Hype Machine.

1. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue


2. Dan Mangan - Robots


3. Dirty Projectors - Cannibal Resource


4. Fleet Foxes - Blue Spotted Tail (live on BBC)


5. Laura Gibson - Spirited


6. Leif Vollebekk - Michael Robartes and the Dancer


7. Lisa Hannigan - Lille


8. Mastodon - Divinations


9. Megafaun - Kaufman's Ballad


10. Modest Mouse - Guilty Cocker Spaniels


11. Mos Def - Workers Comp.


12. Ramona Falls - Russia


13. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You (though I like "Kickdrum Heart" better)


14. Dead Weather - I Cut Like a Buffalo


15. The Low Anthem - Charlie Darwin


16. The Phenomenal Handclap Band - 15 to 20


17. Thom Yorke - All for the Best


18. Vetiver - Roll on Babe


19. Wye Oak - Take It In


20. Yacht - Summer Song


21. Zee Avi - Bitter Heart


22. Elvis Perkins - I Heard Your Voice in Dresden


23. Wilco - Deeper Down

Did I miss any? Let me know.

About time Sufjan

This makes me very excited.

Andrew Peterson and North! Or Be Eaten: A Review

After reading Andrew Peterson's increasingly intense Wingfeather Saga, North! Or Be Eaten one might be able to construct a general list of the books you might find on his own shelf. The Middle Earth Trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the Prydain Chronicles to name a few. Peterson shares his own love of fantasy; imaginative creatures, perils, places; fierce battles between good and evil, both internal and external; and deep redemption, personal growth, and unconditional love; with all three aforementioned authors. North! or Be Eaten takes a much bleaker angle than Book 1. There are still moments of laughter: Tink's pickpocketing phenomenon, Tackleball, and false Toothy Cow warnings. But overall, the story must progress and the confrontation between the Igiby's and their own birthright, not to mention Gnag the Nameless, must near. In this, Book 2, we are dealt a heavy hand of betrayal, madness, kidnapping, and abuse. As in any novel with moments of these horrible truths, we are also given what we strive to see everyday, in the face of evil: grace, truth, love, hope. Through the reddening eyes of Peet the Sock Man's (Artham Wingfeather) madness, we are shown the lens of truth and forgiveness. Through the darkness and namelessness surrounding the kindly named Fork Factory, we are laden with hope and courage. Out of the pit of hopelessness a main character falls headlong into, we are shown Christ-like unconditional love.

While the book does pull on the greats (Peterson dipping his finger into the companionship shown by the group of friends in Alexander's Prydain Chronicles, or the adventurous trek into unknown lands filled with unknown beasts almost defining the Tolkien novels), it is a far more worthwhile attempt to see this Saga for what it is and will become. Peterson is a fine writer. Having several albums of brilliant music and story filled lyrics to his name, it seems only a short step to writing a novel. The writing is not needlessly difficult, nor is it baby-ish.

It is a good thing to be disappointed when a book is over. Bad books do not leave that flavor in your mouth. Andrew Peterson is off to a racing start in his novel writing career, and as I approach National Novel Writing Month (November), I can only hope to be able to put my own words down and tell a story as forceful and meaningful as he has.

Andrew Peterson's Website

Getting Punched

Can't say it's the funniest thing ever... But it may be close.