Left of the Dial |
Marah: A Christmas Kind of Townby Donny Kutzbach |
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Swaggering, rock and roll-hearted Philadelphia-native brothers Serge and Dave Bielanko (along with their friends who comprise the collective The Christmas Time Players for this outing) singing about Santa? Yep, surprisingly Marah has released the most fun and charming holiday-themed release of the season. Recorded in a sweltering apartment in the hottest stretch of July 2005, you can still somehow almost hear snowflakes falling on city streets. The brothers mix up their take on traditional favorites (like Dave’s straight-ahead merriment with “Holly Jolly Christmas” and his tender take on “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” as well as Serge’s rough-hewn pining on “Silver Bells”) with original compositions like the playful “Handsome Santa” and the destined-for-classic-carol status “New York Is A Christmas Kind Of Town.” For a band known for its uniquely garage-spirited hybrid of folk, punk and rock, Marah’s recording and arrangements on Christmas Kind Of Town are surprisingly polished, showing off immaculate harmonies and more than a few Phil Spector-inspired moments. Flip the coin for a few raucous polkas, some boozey-eyed sketches and bumpers and, all in all, Marah have injected a lot of fun and life into the moldy Christmas album formula while not entirely diverging from the classic path. The final question: Could a Rankin/Bass special be far behind for Marah? I can already see the claymation Bielankos frolicking and dancing in the snow with The Heat Miser and Bumble.
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