Genre: Folk / Holiday Music

Track Listing:

01 Badly drawn boy
02 Christmas hid behind that door
03 Christmas sucks anyway, everything’s shit
04 Sweet Christmas
05 What’s a cyberpunk world without it’s weeds?
06 Fabulous is Christmas time
07 Santa Claus (I know tippy toe)
08 It’s a sad sad Christmas day. Saddam Hussein…
09 Magical Christmas

Just as I thought I did got a Christmas card this year I was wrong. This is the second release for Swedish band “Les Issambres” this year. (That would be 2007) Wrapped in a custom made Christmas card sits a CD and a happy “Merry Christmas” smiles at me when I open the card. This folk band took the turn to a strange road by making this very special Christmas release.

Seen in the tracklisting, the thoughts about Christmas are divided within the band. The male singer obviously hates it, hearing by the vocals he does in the third track “Christmas sucks anyway”. But I noticed that is mainly because he found out that he likes to get stuff, not to give. Understandable of course!  But to get a wee bit serious here, I like what they did. I expected the corny Christmas sounds of Wham! and Mariah Carey, but luckily this Swedish band only used some good old Glockenspiel to turn the music into proper Christmas songs.

The music is very acoustic, just as the recording. Probably recorded with a maximum of 3 mics, so the sound quality can be discussed. I do think that the sound quality is good for this band, or if not, this release. The vocals are sweet and a bit off now and then, but it doesn’t seem to bother me. Imagine a Christmas tree, in snowy Sweden and a campfire. Now that is a moment where I would like to see this band live.

I can appreciate this release very much. Not only the folk music is something to compliment, the music is just, well how can I say… very ‘human’. In some recordings one could get the feeling that the music is played and recorded by robots. Intergalactic creatures, who don’t make mistakes, never miss a chord or go out of tune. “Merry Christmas” isn’t perfect, but that’s why it is a perfect Christmas release. It doesn’t hold the cocky Christmas carols I am used to hear. And although Christmas is about two weeks ago, and we saluted 2008 a few days ago, this CD still pleases me. Good sing along songs and the peaceful music is perfect for those happy, snowy times in the year. Something not to forget to compliment are the lyrics of course, I think it is very sympathetic of Les Issambres that the band thinks of Saddam Hussein after the major neckache he had. The female vocals on that track are very nice, Karin Jacobson almost sounds like a little girl which makes it even greater.
The end of this special release is very well chosen. A happy ending for a very happy and amusing CD. I wonder very much how other releases of Les Issambres sound like, and I still haven’t made my decision whether to take them serious or just laugh while listening.

If you haven’t received a pleasureful solstice last year and you where wishing for someone who thought of you during those cold days, Les Issambres may satisfy you by wishing you a merry Christmas after all. And you don’t have to throw this Christmas card in the garbage like most of them; it fits right into your CD rack!