C.A.T: The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album

The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album (1964)

Ah December, what better time to chronicle something festive? The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album is hardly a classic, but there are only so many good rock albums about Christmas. Colin already did the best rock and roll Christmas album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, but I still think a lot can be said about this release. For one, this album actually features a handful of original compositions, including the hit single “Little Saint Nick”. So not only did The Beach Boys have a hit Christmas song, but one they wrote themselves. Another item of note is that this album was recorded while the band was still popular and not in their dwindling twilight. How many times have you seen a once notable artist release an album of Christmas themed covers? Probably more than a few, so it’s nice to listen to a group take a stab at it in their prime. I’m not denying that this album was most likely a quick cash-in concocted by the group’s record company but at least it’s a sincere effort.

A lot of artists can record Christmas songs and give us little that we haven’t already heard, but The Beach Boys have always had a very distinct style. The group’s complex vocal arrangements put a unique spin on such classics as “White Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. Additionally, Brian Wilson’s beautiful multilayered production provides excellent backing. Sure it’s a delightful holiday treat to hear everyone’s favorite surf-rock group sing the classics, but I think it’s the group’s original ]compositions that make this album worth stuffing in your stocking. “Little Saint Nick” is undeniably catchy as is my favorite “Santa’s Beard”. These certainly don’t sound like songs that have bee hashed out for a quick buck. I only wish there were more original compositions. The lack of songs is probably the reason this album is only a disappointing 27 minutes.

So if you need some nice holiday themed backing to your Christmas party this is one I’d highly recommend. Which reminds me, you’re probably going to be seeing me post a great deal about The Beach Boys in the following year now that the surviving members have recently reunited to tour and record a new album, how’s that for a surprise holiday gift?

Favorite Tracks: “Little Saint Nick”, “The Man with All the Toys”, “Santa’s Beard”

The Gold, the Bad and the Ugly

It’s hard to put forth the time or effort on the blog when we have the holidays at hand but here’s something I always enjoy talking about and hey it’s relevant. So the Golden Globe nominations came out recently which means we are just one step closer to getting a good idea of who will be the main contenders this Oscar season. It definitely seems a little harder to pin down then last year but that’s what makes it exciting, who knows what could happen! We definitely have a few frontrunners but there’s still a great deal of ifs and maybes in most of the categories.
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Assassin’s Creed Reservations

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Assassin’s Creed II ended on a bizarre, disarming note that I felt was brave for a modern, big budget game. Our hero, Desmond, is using a machine called the Animus to relive the life of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. After hours of building Ezio up, suffering his losses and enjoying his achievements, the game flipped everything on itself: Ezio was irrelevant, Desmond is the only person who matters and this story is a whole lot crazier than its conspiracy theory roots suggested. “What the fuck,” indeed. I couldn’t have been more excited, what a finish! Where would Ubisoft take the franchise next? There was so much potential. Now it’s two years and two sequels later and I’m kind of worried about the future of the franchise.

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T3: Winter Songs

You could basically say we’ve begun winter by now, despite the fact that the winter solstice isn’t for another two weeks. Regardless, it’s cold, it’s dark, and if it weren’t for Christmas, it’d be altogether depressing, and much of the music I listen to around this time of year reflects that. So as a counterpoint to the Top Ten Summer Songs I did last May, I’m presenting you with my top ten favorite winter songs. The most obvious criteria is not only that they feature winter as a prominent theme, but also that they’re songs that aren’t associated in any way with Christmas.

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Lowrider

The Black Keys – El Camino

The new Black Keys’ album is out and honestly I am not as excited about it as I thought I would be. Maybe it has something do with the fact that I’m a little burned out on The Black Keys or maybe it just doesn’t resonate with me as much as the stellar Brothers. Most people thus far seem to be hailing El Camino as another triumph on par with Brothers but I feel less enthusiastic. I enjoy it sure and in many ways it’s the most ambitious Black Keys record ever but it just doesn’t feel as sincere as past records.

In just a few years The Black Keys have risen from indie blues rock duo to a mainstream, grammy award winning, rock group and for the most part I welcome that. With that newfound success The Black Keys have complimented their stylings with a bigger and bolder sound. Changes have resulted in the band taking more time in the studio and in producer Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton more or less becoming the third member of the band producing and co-writing every song on the album, I suppose changes come in threes. The Black Keys’ bare bones approach to blues/rock is no more and in way that’s necessary but also a little sad.

It’s hard to describe, I do like this album but for whatever reason it doesn’t strike a chord with me. I love all the vintage sounds and retro techniques but aside from a handful of songs I don’t have that urge to listen to it again and again like I did with Brothers or going way back The Big Come Up. That being said there are still some songs here that I really enjoy. “Lonely Boy” is an excellent rock single as is “Dead and Gone” and I’m digging the bluesy female backup vocals. “Nova Baby” is easily my favorite track as it really doesn’t sound like anything the Keys have ever done before, pure pop bliss. Maybe my problem was that I wanted something unreasonably different, more indie pop oriented like Nova Baby and not so much big grandiose rock. So it’s probably a combination of desiring something more simple and also being a little burned out on the group I can’t seem to get away from.

I’m always a stickler for ratings, out of the 15 or so albums I’ve reviewed this year I think I only gave three albums 4 or more stars, so I’m sorry to put El Camino in that majority of 3 to 3 1/2 reviews but for now I agree with that. Could that rating change someday? Maybe, could I completely change my mind about this album someday? Maybe, all I know is that at this point in time it feels like an all too familiar rock record instead of something new and amazing. I’m glad to see The Keys have entered new pop/rock territory and with that being said I hope they continue to experiment because I’ll always be there to check it out no matter how burned out.

Favorite Tracks: “Dead and Gone”, “Lonely Boy”, “Nova Baby”

Celluloid Dreams

Hugo

As a longtime fan of Martin Scorsese’s films, I really couldn’t help but feel anything other than utter bewilderment after seeing the first trailer for his latest film, Hugo. I was just thinking, “Ok. So has Martin Scorsese gone off the deep end? This just looks like some silly little 3D kids movie devoid of any reason for me to care about it whatsoever”. But alas it turned out I was terribly mistaken, since unbeknownst to me the film was deeply rooted in film history, and surprisingly is among the more personal films in Scorsese’s canon.

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Retrospecticus: The Black Keys

It’s an exciting time to be a Black Keys fan as this Akron, Ohio duo is as hot as ever. Coming off their most successful and arguably best album The Black Keys have hit the mainstream, but it didn’t happen overnight. Dan Auerbach (guitar/vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums) have together made seven albums under the Keys moniker and it has been a long way to the top. The group’s new album El Camino produced by Danger Mouse looks to be another album much in the vein of the catchy blues-rock explosion Brothers but we’ll just have to wait and see. Until then I figured I’d revisit all the Key’s past albums. Now I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a little boring listening to so much bare bones blues/rock but it was an experience nonetheless.

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