The Animal Show » Christmas

No for real, Happy Christmaholiday season.

Dave — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:35:40 +0000

NOT like this.

In a little while, we’ll be posting our year end lists. That will be our true present to you, our readers. Promise. But for now, we’re stuck in the true holiday season, full of great cheer, excepting for the mostly loathsome genre of Christmas music. Thankfully, there are a few songs that are decent. Some of them are new, some old, and none of them from the last post qualify. Try these out for sound today.

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It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas – Bing Crosby (YSI)

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Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town – Bruce Springsteen (YSI)

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Christmas Time Is Here – Vince Guaraldi Trio (YSI)

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Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Cast of Sesame Street (YSI)

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River – Joni Mitchell (YSI)

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In The Bleak Midwinter – Chanticleer (YSI)

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The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole (YSI)

At least it goes to charity?

Dave — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:15:51 +0000

Not FROM the heart. That's even worse.

Bob Dylan says that all the proceeds to this album go to charity, specifically, solving world hunger. Well, as my dad said, “They all say that, and yet there’s still world hunger.” Right on, dad. But while Dylan is out “doing good” with this album, he doesn’t mention the true reason this album is worth the price of admission: you can drop fifteen dollars into UNICEF and receive the satisfaction derived from doing good, OR you can drop your fifteen dollars into purchasing Christmas in the Heart and gain endless hours of entertainment, for what Bob Dylan never mentions is that, in this case, charity and hilarity come hand in hand. And Christmas in the Heart provides hilarity in huge dollops.

You pop the album on, and you hear the quintessential sounds of Christmas music: slick sounding production, smooth choral harmonies, sleigh bells. Indeed, it sounds like a throwback to the better days when Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole dominated Christmas. Then, the voice comes, and while I understand that some defend Dylan’s voice these days, saying that he chugs along admirably after all these years, those that say his voice is good are lying. Those that say his voice suits Christmas have consumed the Kool-Aid.

What saves the album, ultimately, is Dylan’s confidence in his song, though it is a VERY misguided confidence. He sings with such conviction, regardless of whether he sings the proper melody, or proper lyrics. In “Here Comes Santa Claus,” he opens right up with pronouncing the word “lane” with an emphasis I’ve never heard on the word, and likely never will hear again. Dylan doesn’t do anything egregiously wrong on “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” and it’s clear he knows the song, but his voice in juxtaposition to angels makes me chuckle. Hearing him strain to sing, “angelic” makes the song. He sounds like he’s that guy that crashes a party and forces himself into every photo (melody) in “The First Noel”–and that party is the church choir party. Finally, I’m convinced he DOES NOT KNOW the true words or melody to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” In a way, it feels like grandpa scratching to relive his childhood Christmas memories–an idyllic early studio soundtrack plays over a scene of hot drinks enjoyed by a warm fireplace–but only if grandpa has a penchant for going somewhere, forgetting where he was going, becoming very confused, but rolling with it anyway.

In the end, this Christmas, if you want to get in the spirit, you may be best served listening to something else. But if you want something to laugh about for years to come, regardless of the season, pop on Christmas in the Heart. Oh yeah, the proceeds go to charity…

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Here Comes Santa Claus – Bob Dylan (YSI)

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Hark the Herald Angels Sing – Bob Dylan (YSI)

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Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Bob Dylan (YSI)

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The First Noel – Bob Dylan (YSI)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, INTERNET PEOPLE!

Edward — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:31:55 +0000

OBLIGATORY SWEATER PIC

I don’t know if you guys noticed, but it’s like practically Christmas already. I know, I know. It seems like just yesterday I started this thing, and the holiday’s already here. Time flies when you’re adding to the already over-burdened blogosphere. Or so the saying goes.

Anyway, I couldn’t leave all 15 of my faithful readers for Christmas / the 4th and 5th nights of Hannukah (the infamous Hannukah Hump) with only the soothing sounds of Princeton to tide you over. Consider my Christmas present to you the gift of complete honesty, in the form of two of my greatest guilty pleasures, after the break:

Weezer.

EDIT: Hell, I’m feeling generous. It’s Christmas, I’ll go ahead and give you the full Weezer at Christmas EP. Just remember to, like, buy music and stuff. But I’m sure you’ve all seen Weezer in concert several times like normal people have. We were all in 7th grade once.

Merry Christmas from all of us at The Animal Show, and may your holidays be as skatingly perfect as Big Bird’s Feliz Navidad-ing duet with that faceless little girl who doubtless later became a cocaine addict!

The Best of the Rest: Christmas on E Street

Edward — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 03:34:43 +0000

10 points to the person who can best describe what those children behind Bruce are doing.

As I was planning this, I asked myself, “isn’t this completely gratuitous?” Then I realized that yes, it is, but so is blogging. And I’m not about to stop now — that would be a complete waste of everything I’ve worked so hard on today.

In a Christmas song, I look for 3 things:

singability
youthful spirit
overwhelming loneliness

As you can imagine, it’s difficult to find all three. So I picked one song that I think highlights each of the three best.

Singability: All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey: Version upon version of this has been performed, by any number of dubious artists, but I think the greatest testament to its immensely catchy singability is the fact that, no matter where you hear this, you or someone near you will start singing along. Take, for example, today, when I was mailing some packages at the post office and this was playing on the radio piped through that hall of misery. I started singing along (in what I thought was a relatively discreet manner), and the portly woman behind the desk gave me a big ol’ “mmhmmm” and told me to “belt it, boy!” Post offices are scary places this time of year.
Youthful spirit: Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town – Bruce Springsteen: I live for Bruce. True story. And this live recording shows the raw power of the Boss. Recorded in 1978, this shows him and the E Street band at their best — I like to think that they never rehearsed this before performing it, and through sheer musical ability and amazing unity managed to scrap together what I consider the definitive version of the song. Listen for Bruce’s chuckles during the lyrics, and you’ll see what I mean.
Overwhelming loneliness: I’ll Be Home For Christmas – Nickel Creek: You’re probably thinking, “why the hell is overwhelming loneliness a criteria for an essential Christmas song?” Let me tell you why: because I write this thing, and I said so. I was trying to fit this square peg in a round hole, when I realized that I’m the boss around these parts, and I make the rules. I like this song, which means you have to, too. That’s how this works. Really, though, I think this is beautiful, and I’m just acting tough so you won’t see how sensitive I am. Sorry, I know it’s not fair.

OMG NEW SUFJAN, GUYS!

Edward — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:30:27 +0000

Merry Christmas from Sufjan Stevens and Some Random People He Met On the Street and Asked to Pose as His Family, or Something Like That!!

Most of my days, when I’m not thinking of ways to out-hipster my peers (note to self: ironic fu man chu), I spend my hours weeping and wondering whether Sufjan Stevens is ever going to record another album. Come on, man! It’s been like a year since I’ve heard new material from you. Maybe.

Lucky for me and Sufjan/Jesus-lovers everywhere, everyone’s favorite indie banjoist has dropped another of his Christmas Albums

Catch it after the break.

Sufjan Stevens — Songs for Christmas Vol. 8

Thanx, VOLUME KNOB!