Search - Various Artists :: Maybe This Christmas Tree

So Alterna-Cool, its an Xmas album

Brittany Rose | Winnipeg, MB | 11/11/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The third in the series of indie-alternative-folk rock Christmas albums, Maybe This Christmas Tree combines more of the most eclectic and funky tracks for you to enjoy. A breakaway from the standard "Jingle Bells" all of the songs are uniquely song and performed, with a few originals or unfamiliar songs.



"Happy Christmas (The War Is Over)" kicks off the album with a chorus of singing children and a full orchestra, a strong contrast with the vintage psychadelic guitar and lead vocals. The Ravonettes rock "The Christmas Song" in a sultry duet that'll have you tapping your feet.



Kings of mellow, Death Cab For Cutie, contribute an echoey yet slightly awkward track that is out of sort with their usual sound. Pedro The Lion is more successful with their ultra chilled "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" that captures the spirit of a never-ending snowy Christmas day with your family. Belasana's song is a bit off-topic Christmas wise, but is a nice track regardless, cool guitars and vocals.



Ivy do an awesome rendition of "Christmas Time Is Here" that sounds as though its streaming out of a radio circa 1935, really beautiful and simple with string accompianment. Royal Crown Revue keep up the vintage-sound with the classic "Baby It's Cold Outside" that'll warm your insides.



Tom McCrae crawls his way through "Wonderful Christmastime" that really doesn't match the song at all, unless you are manic-depressive and in the mood to whimper through a Christmas Carol. Pilate's "Fairytale of New York" is another ironic look at the 'joys' of Christmas. The opening line "It was Christmas eve, your in the drunk tank..." says it all.



Lisa Loeb's "Jingle Bells" is a funky upbeat take on the original, but Loeb sounds like shes trying a bit too hard to be more indie then she actually is. Jars of Clay "Christmas For Cowboys" has some nice guitars and the vocals of the lead singer are enjoyable as always. An interesting stand-out on the album as nothing else really has a banjo-picking sound, very sweet and mellow despite the odd choice of topic. Copeland's "Do You Hear What I Hear" has some great vocals and is truly catchy, a definite plus for the album overall, look out for the breakdown after each verse as it really switches up everything.



Overall Maybe This Christmas Tree is a pretty decent collab, combining a variety of sounds, themes, artists, and styles. Not every song is directly about Christmas and thats exactly the way it should be, makes a great disc to play when your chilling by yourself or as background for when you've got friends over for a late night of Egg Nogg and cookies ;)"

Fantastic alternative xmas compilation!

Alan Taylor | Chicago, IL United States | 10/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What a great CD if you like your xmas music fresh, new, and out of the ordinary. I recommend this album especially for two outstanding tracks in particular. Most importantly is the fantastic take of Vince Guiraldi's "Christmastime is Here" (yes, from the Charlie Brown cartoon), done by Ivy. Dominique Durand's voice sounds fabulous no matter what she sings, and she makes this song really shine. Also worth checking out is Death Cab for Cutie doing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", a must for any fan. The other songs all fit well within this compilation, strangely enough, Amazon doesn't list the songs on the product page. But, for a complete listing and streaming audio of the whole album, go to www.maybethisxmas.com. Enjoy!"

Some good covers for the indie lovers

Foo4Fun | Virginia, USA | 11/21/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone else sick of the old rock and roll christmas mixes with the Smithereens and Queen? Finally some modern ones.



This is a good compilation for those who like this genre (meaning indie). Fairytale of New York was a descent cover, but I prefer the original Pogues version. The Maybe This Christmas... trio is definitely worth the money. None of the 3 are solid all the way through - somes songs are lacking a bit, but on the whole you could make 2 really good CDs from the 3 combined."