MINNESOTA SOUND (Holiday) REVIEWS - 12/18/2024
Reviews by: Alexandra Haynes, Writer @xalexonlinex
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @PlaylistTC
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Weekend Picnic “Wish List”
Need a metal Christmas song for your holiday playlist? Weekend Picnic have your back with this heartwarming track from their iconic A Christmas Weekend Picnic EP, released in December 2023. This is a carol for the nontraditionalists, though it features all the trademarks of a classic holiday song, including jingle bells aplenty and melodies that generate warm, fuzzy feelings with the heartfelt lyrics to match: “This is the very first Christmas / That I completed my wishlist … I feel just like a kid again!” The instrumentation here pulls its weight impressively, with rapid, high-energy drumming and solid riffs aplenty. The accompanying music video has a ton of cute edits placed after some serious screaming.
Lucid VanGuard “Winter Solstice”
“Winter Solstice” from VanGuard’s Aural Ornament EP (released in December, 2023) is a true mood-setter. The piano melodies at work are charmingly atmospheric, capturing whimsy that twinkles towards more mellow notes as the song draws to its gentle close. As I listen to its pretty tune, I imagine a steaming cup of cocoa warming my cold fingers, which lace around my favorite mug; I smell softly fragranced candles burning low; I imagine the glitter of light reflecting upon freshly fallen snow; I imagine the shredding of paper as gift wrapping is torn open on Christmas morning. Jazzy but simple and oh-so-sweet, “Winter Solstice” captures the peacefulness that is to be found on a still holiday morning and reminds us to take a moment to breathe, in the chaos of the season.
Good Trouble “Merry, Merry Christmas (OOO-WEE-OOO)”
Diving back into all that’s jolly, Good Trouble hold onto their punk-rock spirit while singing about everything that makes Christmas, Christmas. Honorable mentions include sleigh bells, figgy pudding, and the existential threat of the holiday coming “faster and faster each year.” The band doesn’t let up on their crashing percussion and gritty guitar work while they chant festively and wish us a happy new year. “Merry, Merry Christmas (OOO-WEE-OOO)” is a proper fun listen, having been released as a holiday single in December, 2022.
Kat Perkins “North Country Christmas”
A Kat Perkins original, “North Country Christmas” leans heavily into swingin’ country and Western soundscapes to rile up a nostalgic folksiness which is just damn good fun. Danceable and poppy, “North Country Christmas” has a hook that’s a real earworm: “We’ll have a good North Country Christmas, alright!” Perkins, who was a finalist on The Voice, dropped this song on a full holiday-themed album (A Kat Perkins Christmas, Vol. 5) in November 2024. Great features of the track include heavy accent beats with the drumming which makes the listener’s foot go tapping, backup vocals rounding out choruses and adding a fullness, and Kat ad-libbing trills and calls throughout which sprinkle in a real joyousness.
Davina and the Vagabonds “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus”
This year, Davina and the Vagabonds gave us the gift of a Christmas album chock full of delightfully earnest covers, where we get to hear different lead vocalists and get our favorite Xmas tunes all dressed up in jazz. A perfectly vintage package, “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus” showcases everything Davina and the Vagabonds do best: give it their all, and embrace a bygone era with a new lust for life that totally restores classic glories. Their big band feel and rich vocals complete the picture, with skillful, smooth horns and soulful duetting. You can catch their magic in person on New Year’s with a NYE show at Dakota, 21+ at 10:30pm: $20 for show + food + champs at midnight.
Emily and the Space Butterflies "Late December"
“Late December” captures the melancholy flipside of emotions that the holiday time can trigger in most of us. The story Emily and the Space Butterflies tell here is heart wrenching, a tale of moving out and moving on, considering how the holidays are never the same as we grow older. The vocals are delicate but clear, high and pretty, sung over piano keys and joined later by a swell of strings which hit my emotions like a truck. This song was released on the band’s debut album, Fragile, in November, 2024. They have an upcoming holiday gig, too - catch their all ages show on December 20th at The Garage, with Skippy Stone and Greenstone, $15.
