Now that Thanksgiving is gone, it is time for Christmas! I've been listening
to my Christmas music almost non-stop, and it is some great music. I even
get to sing Christmas carols for over a thousand people for my choir's
Christmas concert. Needless to say, it is exciting, and this year is even
more fun with Christmas additions from Relient K and Joy Electric, among
others. Check out our review of Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand and then
check out more Christmas music from your favorite artists as well as our
picks for the best music this year.

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DECK THE HALLS, BRUISE YOUR HAND - RELIENT K (2003)
by Rick Foux

Christmas is truly the most amazing time of the year for me. Hearing
carolers sing down the street brings a tear to my eye, tender moments among
family and friends are always well spent, and for some odd reason, every cup
of hot chocolate tastes a little better around Christmas time. It's the only
time of the winter season that makes me feel warm and squishy inside.
Apparently I'm not the only person with these sentiments, because Relient K
is helping make the holidays a bit more special this year with the release
of their first Christmas record, Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand.

Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand features Relient K rocking the sleigh by
covering eight holiday classics and contributing three of their own yuletide
creations. If you own Tooth and Nail's Happy Christmas Vol. 3, two of these
tracks should sound utterly familiar: they're none other than "Santa Clause
is Thumbing to Town" and "I Hate Christmas Parties." Unlike traditional
Christmas carols, though, these tunes provoke slight depression instead of
spreading holiday cheer. "...Thumbing to Town" carries enough energy to
power 900 feet of Christmas lights, staying true to the heavy riffs and
lyrical hooks rK is known for; unfortunately, as the story goes, Santa fails
his mission this year due to some renegade elves sabotaging his sleigh. It's
good for a few laughs, but unless you delight at making small children cry,
keep it far, far away from them. On the other hand, "I Hate Christmas
Parties" (performed by Matt Thiessen and the Earthquakes) is melancholic
through and through, excluding a slight interlude full of "fa la la's." The
lone piano harmony is accompanied by lyrics from the standpoint of a
brokenhearted Scrooge: "I hate Christmas parties / you offer me a drink but
I just shrug / I hate Christmas parties / you and the cookie tray both hear
me say 'bah-humbug.'" Like I said, depressing, but it's worth a listen for
artistic merit at the least. Besides, the band makes up for it on a totally
new track, "I Celebrate the Day." Our dispirited piano from the
aforementioned tunes undergoes a dramatic transformation as it spews forth
melodic, joyful notes. Eventually it's joined by a triumphant drum set and
Thiessen's stirring vocals, celebrating a truth that we seldom fully
realize: "I celebrate the day / that you were born to die / so I could one
day pray for you to save my life / pray for you to save my life." Before it
ends, you'll find yourself singing along in exuberant worship rather than
ordinary caroling. Dare I say it's worth the price of the CD alone?

The remainder of Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand consists of old school
carols done in typical Relient K fashion. Lots of delights here, but you'll
especially want to take note of "12 Days of Christmas," with its hilarious
ponderance: "What's a partridge? What's a pear tree? I don't know so please
don't ask me, but I can bet those are terrible gifts to get." "Handel's
Messiah (The Hallelujah Chorus)" also deserves acclamation in spite of its
brevity, but the band's a cappella performance of "Auld Lang Syne" should
garner a standing ovation. Rounding out the disc are favorites such as
"Angels We Have Heard on High," "Silent Night," and "We Wish You a Merry
Christmas."

While I realize that Christmas has been commercialized to death, I highly
recommend Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand as a superb addition to your
holiday catalogue. It also serves as a nifty stocking stuffer, since you can
only obtain it by purchasing a copy of Relient K's Two Lefts Don't Make a
Right, But Three Do. Keep the Christmas album, give the copy of Two Lefts…
to a friend (I'm sure there's a vile marketing ploy at work here). But I
digress: this disc is a sincere reminder of what the Christmas season is all
about. Get yours before Black Friday and the following hectic shopping days
get you.

Read more about Relient K on cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/modernrock/relientk

Check out more Christmas music (and our Gift Guide):
http://cMusicWeb.com/christmas


OTHER NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM

Feature: Follow Me To The Laughing City
http://cMusicWeb.com/features/eisley


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

PURCHASE THIS MUSIC AND MORE AT GRASSROOTSMUSIC.COM:
http://www.grassrootsmusic.com/?associateid=249

THE END IS NOW - LA SYMPHONY
After years of contractual obligations gone bad and waiting for some music
to hit the stores, LA Symphony finally has their first disc in stores. This
supercrew's unique style will keep the hard-core hip hop fans going.

FLY AWAY - PAUL WRIGHT
Now this guy is tricky. Paul Wright, besides starring in !Hero, has a disc
that is really hard to box down. It's got hip hop, reggae, pop, R&B, and
probably even some worship in there for good measure. But, hey, that keeps
it fresh. He sounds a lot like TobyMac, though.

PROFESSIONAL RAPPER - JOHN REUBEN
This time Reuben frees himself from Todd "The Cleaze" Collins and creates
this one in his own studio with him as producer. That's mighty professional,
I'd say. Do not worry... John Rueben is still his old self, with a mix of
tackling serious issues and tongue-in-cheek songs. It's Reuben
experimenting, and that gives him the PICK OF THE WEEK.

THINK ABOUT THAT - GEORGE ROWE
Rocketown Records recently went into rock with Taylor, and now they're
branching out to even more pop than the AC world. George Rowe's songs fit
nicely in the R&B/soul genre while still being the trademark Rocketown
singer/songwriter type.


THE LATEST NEWS HEADLINES
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- Stacie Orrico Is Coming To Your Living Room
- BestBuy.com Offering Special Promotion
- And more!

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