So, here I am standing in the living room, listening to music barefoot. My wife comes in and says "It's Christmas! It's cold! Why are you barefoot?" And I had to admit that this album just charmed my socks off.
It's a compilation album, to be sure. One of most disliked genres of Christmas album since they rarely do anything really interesting or new. But this one is different. It starts off with a New Year's song by Regina Spektor which never fails to melt my heart. Follows that up with "Christmas in the City" by Everest with it's single-line lyric and then blasts off with "Santa Claus" by Throwing Muses which I've yet to figure out what it's about.
We'll say nothing about the inclusion of "Last Christmas", truly one of the worst contemporary Christmas songs ever written.
The album strays away from traditional Christmas songs, but when it does it hits the spirit just right. Los Lobos chimes in with "Rudolph the Manic Reindeer." Soul Coughing does a crazy wonderful version of "Suzy Snowflake." And The Bodeans contribute a version of "Jingle Bell Rock" which has yet to be played at anything less than full volume while I'm out driving. In April, even.
It ends on a rather cynical note with Devo wishing us "Merry Something To You", pronouncing a holiday greeting to people of all faiths while at the same time announcing "Believe what you want, nothing's really true." And the Flaming Lips end things off wondering (rightfully so) why we lose all the good feelings we had during Christmas once the season is over.
But even at that, this is one album that never fails to get me in the spirit, and the songs are so good, you may find yourself playing it all year long. I do!