Yuletunes - Part Two

The weekend Posts Of Christmas Past continue with Part Two Of Yuletunes.

“The Saddest Time Of The Year” comes from Spooner, the Wisconsin-based band that featured lead vocalist-guitarist Duke Erikson and drummer Butch Vig long before they formed Garbage with dynamic Scottish chanteuse, Shirley Manson. The haunting arrangement, and Erikson’s guitar playing in particular, make this reflection on disappointment and loneliness at Christmas even more melancholy. It’s not a song to play while exchanging gifts, but its poignant message might make you consider the plight of the less fortunate among us.

The Cavedogs were a Boston band that often mixed comedy with its catchy pop music. That’s certainly the case with “3 Wise Men And A Baby (Xmas Song),” a funny and ambitious epic that begins with a sound bite of Burl Ives’ talking snowman from Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. About halfway through, the guitar-driven song abruptly shifts into a lounge act reminiscent of the bit Bill Murray used to do on Saturday Night Live. The rollicking finale finds the band singing “alleluia” against a backdrop of George Bailey scolding his kids in It’s A Wonderful Life.

The Spongetones take us to a much more tranquil place with their acoustic-based, innocent fantasy “Christmasland.” While they had shown an ability to mimic The Beatles on their own albums, here The Spongetones craft an old-fashioned Christmas tune with a delicate melody and intricately layered vocals.

Listening to “A God Of My Own” by the Chicago trio 92 Degrees requires some thought since it’s a complex look at religious beliefs at what is undoubtedly the most commercial time of the year. The lyrics, “You go your way and have a Merry Christmas/I’ll go my way and have a Merry Christmas,” express a tolerant attitude that’s sometimes lacking when it comes to matters of faith. With its ringing guitars, the mid-tempo “A God Of My Own” has the British Invasion influence the band tapped into on its 1990 EP, Money Makes The World Go ‘Round.