A Christmas Album＜Blue Seafoam & White Colored Vinyl＞

Originally issued in 2002 as a Saddle Creek store exclusive, the aptly titled Christmas Album begins with a piano, flute, ambient noise, and musical saw-driven version of "Away in a Manger," which will help weed out your basic yule jam fans who were just drawn in by the generic name, from the Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst disciples who know that the warmth of the holiday season is trumped only by its potential for melancholy. What follows is a sort of half-comforting, half-sad jamboree with Oberst and a small army of friends at his house playing through Christmas standards like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem," the latter of which, when delivered with Oberst's trademark tremble, sounds more like a lament from a filthy, near-suicidal pauper locked outside of the city's walls than it does a hymn of ecclesiastical joy. That said, the fragile, homespun, and largely insular vibe that permeates much of the album, provides a nice bit of contrast to other, less sonically humble seasonal offerings, and oddly enough, is probably more aligned with the true spirit of the season. ~ James Christopher Monger

サドル・クリークのウェブ・ショップのみで2002年に発表されたクリスマス・アルバムが公式リリース。マリア・テイラー（アズール・レイ）、グレッタ・コーン（元カーシヴ）、ニーリー・ジェンキンス（ティリー・アンド・ザ・ウォール）らをゲストに迎えた本作でも、フォーク／カントリーをベースとしたナイーヴな歌世界は健在。ミュージカル・ソウの音色が頼りなげに彷徨う“Away In A Manger”や男女ヴォーカルにノイズを纏わせた“Little Drummer Boy”、幽玄に響く“Silent Night”など、物悲しく静謐な祈りの歌たちは、聴いていると不思議な安らぎを与えてくれます。
bounce (C)ほし