The holiday season is a depressing time of the year for serious music lovers. Crappy versions of Xmas carols are fed through sound systems of nearly every fucking store. It might seem that there is no way out, but a trio of leftfield musicians. who named themselves The Royal Orchestra of Titicaca, set things straight with Earthling Hymns of Christmas Past, an album of reinvented religion-free reinterpretations of played-to-death seasonal tunes. No Jesus, no God, no kings, animals or a damsel who got pregnant by some biological freak accident.
What's inside then? Avant-garde post-rock, free jazz, some funk and good old Beefheart/Zappa. If the Mothers of Invention had ever recorded a XMAS record, it would have come out pretty much like this. Earthling Hymns of Christmas Past might also act as a repellent against unwanted acquaintances and relatives who have overstayed their welcome.
The project was kickstarted by Marcelo Radulovich, a Chilean musician now living in California. He teamed up with like-minded souls Chris Conner and Scott Sayre. Between them they can play pretty much any musical instrument and their resumes read like a 101 of freak-out music.
The Royal Orchestra of Titicaca:
Chris Conner: trumpet on tracks 2, 5, 8, 10 & 14; vocals on tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12 & 14; percussion on track 13
Scott Sayre: trombone on tracks 2 & 8; melodica on tracks 8, 9 & 13; keys on tracks 5, 12 & 14; percussion & kalimba on track 13; vocals on tracks 3, 5, 6, 12 & 14
Marcelo Radulovich: all other instruments and voices
Earthling Hymns of Christmas Past is released on Titicacaman Records.
Tracks:- 12 Days
- Jingle Bells
- Deck the Halls
- Up
- Silent Night
- Go Tell It on the Mountain
- Up Up
- We Wish You a Merry
- The First Noel
- Joy to the World
- 14 Days
- Auld Lang Syne
- Cup of Kindness
- Thgin Tnelis
- 12/16 San Diego, CA @ Black Cat Bar (album release party,
w/ Goldettes)
No comments:
Post a Comment