A Peace of Us

Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips conjure a delightfully kaleidoscopic snow-globe atmosphere on their first holiday album, 2024s A Peace of Us. A collaboration with Spacemen 3s Pete Kember, aka Sonic Boom, the record finds the longtime Luna bandmates and married couple applying their distinctively laid-back, psych-inflected pop style to a thoughtfully curated mix of classic and lesser-known Christmas songs. With Kember co-producing and adding Omnichord flourishes and backing vocals, A Peace of Us has a tactile quality, marked by warm, echo-chamber vocals, textured analog synths, and plenty of twangy electric guitars that shimmer with an icy glow. Its a vibe that nicely evokes the vinyl-era origins of the material, most of which were first recorded in the 1950s through the 70s. Some of these songs are more well-known than others, as with Roger Millers "Old Toy Trains" and Willie Nelsons "Pretty Paper," the latter of which was a hit for Roy Orbison in 1963. However, most of these songs feel like quirky rarities to be rediscovered, like John Barry and Hal Davids "Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?," originally sung by Danish popstar Nina for the one-off 1969 George Lazenby James Bond film On Her Majestys Secret Service. They also sink into the tinsel and childrens music-box atmosphere of Randy Newmans "Snow," originally recorded in 1966 by easy listening/AM pop outfit the Johnny Mann Singers. Elsewhere, the duo draw upon their shared love of country, offering moody takes on Eddy Arnolds "Christmas Cant Be Far Away" and Merle Haggards "If We Make It Through December." There are equally entrancing renditions of classic tunes like "Stille Nacht," "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy," and even a British folk-sounding reworking of "Greensleeves" titled "Silver Snowflakes." With A Peace of Us, Dean & Britta and Sonic Boom have crafted an enchanting Christmas album that feels like they are taking you on a cozy deep dive into their holiday record collection. ~ Matt Collar