Holiday music that adheres to your ears. The premiere release from Seattle-based Substance W, A Boiling Vat Of Adhesive Xmas (pronounced ex-muss, for those of you missing the comic book reference) is a 74-minute genre-jump... more »ing marathon of unpredictable yet highly listenable takes on Christmas songs old and new. This puzzling parade of perplexing interpretations is sure to arouse even the most jaded holiday party guests, when they find every convention within these familiar tunes has been folded, spindled, and mutilated. If you are a fan of incredibly strange music, celebrity golden throats, Perrey & Kingsley, Negativland, Combustible Edison, electronica, punk rock, Esquivel, Mrs. Miller, The Residents, the occasional attack of a monophonic CASIO keyboard, and you sometimes like to impersonate Neil Diamond at karaoke bars... Well then, this album was made especially for you, by people just like you.« less
Holiday music that adheres to your ears. The premiere release from Seattle-based Substance W, A Boiling Vat Of Adhesive Xmas (pronounced ex-muss, for those of you missing the comic book reference) is a 74-minute genre-jumping marathon of unpredictable yet highly listenable takes on Christmas songs old and new. This puzzling parade of perplexing interpretations is sure to arouse even the most jaded holiday party guests, when they find every convention within these familiar tunes has been folded, spindled, and mutilated. If you are a fan of incredibly strange music, celebrity golden throats, Perrey & Kingsley, Negativland, Combustible Edison, electronica, punk rock, Esquivel, Mrs. Miller, The Residents, the occasional attack of a monophonic CASIO keyboard, and you sometimes like to impersonate Neil Diamond at karaoke bars... Well then, this album was made especially for you, by people just like you.
CD Reviews
Great Gift!
Yobmkis Rotcod | FABULOUS Panamint City, CA USA | 11/08/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There's a song on this for everyone, not to mention a version of O Christmas Tree for everyone.
Get past the trees, and you'll find one of the greatest Christmas records of all time!
Some sound like the music playing in the record store in A Clockwork Orange.
Bang-up-to-date, I can't think of one family member I wouldn't send this to!"
GREAT GREAT XMAS CD! IT'S A HOLIDAY CLASSIC!
Stephen Cunningham | 01/16/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The work involved with this is spectacular. It definitely won't make your head feel full of slush. Grab an eggnog, a plate of cookies, and be transported... As other reviews here state, it's not your grandma's christmas record. No, it goes way way beyond that. This is the xmas record you've always heard in your head. The one that takes all the christmas songs you've ever heard, mixes them up, shuffles them around, and turns them loose like a gentle whirlwind and gets you smiling. Laughing. Wondering why there aren't more records out there, just in general, like this one. It's just the best. Real people, playing real music, with real heart and soul and mirth involved. If you know of anyone who is into anything just a bit out of the ordinary, or off of the beaten path, then get a copy of this for them. To stuff their stocking with or not. There's so much going on in this cd, you could put this on at a 4th of July party and people would be into it. It's just that good."
The Best X-mas (album) Ever!!
Mr. Monkeypants | Seattle, WA | 11/10/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Holy flippin' cow! This is great! All kinds of unique and (mostly) modern reworkings of classic Christmas songs. Really cool instrumentation, orchestrating, composing, etc. Around Christmas I can usually enjoy a few Christmas tunes, mainly for sentimental reasons, but I'd never otherwise listen to them. ...Until now! Regardless of the origins of these songs and their original intentions, these are ear grabbing and brain zapping recordings that I'd listen to (and will listen to) throughout the year. If you like experimental music, electronic stuff on the slightly freaky side, arrangments made complex with layers and layers of instrumentation, as well as some done very simply and minimally, some punk rock attitude here and these, some catchy pop hooks, some freaky-out-there melodies, and about everything else under the stars, you'll wet yourself when you hear this. A Residents-esque "A Stranger Manger", a Walter/Wendy Carlos ("Clockwork" era) "Switched on Bethlehem", a Tom Waits-ish "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", a punked-up "We're a Couple of Misfits", "Christmas Time is Here" that sounds almost like Portishead, and all kinds of wild and listenable versions of "O X-mas Tree". I've listened to it three times in a row so far, and rather than starting to tire of it, I keep getting more and more into it! I can't recommend this enough!"
A boiling Vat of quality
William J. Casey | Galveston, TX | 12/12/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Good stuff here - all the elves at my house think so - even the 4-legged ones including one like the cover! Enjoy!"
Track Listings (28) - Disc #1