I like Christmas music even if it is usually played over the rattle and hum of an air conditioner instead of a crackling fireplace. This coupled with my Aimee Mann fandom – which includes a semi-annual childlike, revelatory “That lady looks like the girl from ‘Til Tuesday” (and a young Eileen Ryan) moment while watching an MTV music video awards montage that includes (the Best New Artist winner of 1985) ‘Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry” - makes One More Drifter In The Snow all the more sparkly and helps us forget about that whole unfortunate The Forgotten Arm episode of 2005.
One More Drifter In The Snow is compromised of yuletide standards like the 1968 Sinatra family hit “Whatever Happened To Christmas”, Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)”, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”, “Winter Wonderland”, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” (or Tootie’s homicidal rage trigger song – if she can’t have the snow people…no one can.)
Mingling alongside these classics are two original songs. Mann’s “Calling On Mary”, co-written by her producer (and sometime touring bassist) Paul Bryan, is a great, sad sidewalk Santa and salvation themed Christmas song musically in line with her Bachelor No. 2 and Magnolia work (“Wise Up, and academy award nominee “Save Me”.) The other new song is “Christmastime”, a Danny Cohen-style antebellum - written by Michael Penn and Jon Brian. (And I thought we’d heard the last of the “Grim Grinning Ghosts”.) Grant Lee-Philips narrates (Rum Tug Tugger-style) a little rhymed verse from How The Grinch Stole Christmas while Mann sings “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch”. It’s fun and imaginative while being true to the late 50’s Funny Face bohemia feel of Dr. Seuss’ book and reminiscent of the Chuck Jones Christmas special too.
Aimee Mann’s collaboration with Michael Penn, Jon Brian and Grant Lee-Philips make for a very Friday-night-at-Largo Christmas. With the collectives sparse, elegant instrumentals and Mann’s typically stoical delivery One More Drifter In The Snow brings it with childhood onset dysthymia like A Charlie Brown Christmas and elegiacally throws it down like The Royal Tenenbaums scene between Margot and Royal at the ice cream parlor. |