Wednesday, December 23, 2020

A Different Holiday Approach With The JAC and The Myrrhderers


“Won’t Be Leaving Home For Christmas” is this year’s holiday gift from Australian vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Joe Algeri, AKA The JAC. In keeping with his annual tradition, the song is available as a free download on his Bandcamp page. Algeri rarely takes a conventional approach on his Yuletide efforts, so it’s no surprise the 2020 edition is haunted by the ghost of COVID-19. The pandemic isn’t mentioned specifically, but you get the idea with lines like “You can smile and keep your distance/Let’s make a wish and split the difference.” The message may be melancholy but it’s delivered via Algeri’s usual clever wordplay. 

As a long-time member of the international power pop band The Britannicas (these guys were doing the isolated recording thing before it was a safety measure), Algeri once again crafts a catchy arrangement. There’s also an impressive guitar-driven instrumental break. Fellow Britannicas member bassist-backup vocalist Herb Eimerman from America helps out, along with drummer Stefan Johanson and organ player Lars Brussel from Sweden; Andy J. Prinkkila from Finland; and Algeri’s daughter Hanna on backup vocals. “Won’t Be Leaving Home For Christmas” reflects on a tough 2020, but still can make staying in more enjoyable.


For those who like their seasonal music with sharp edges, The Myrrhderers offer five high-speed renditions of holiday classics on their Sleigh Xmas  EP. “Deck The Halls” is actually joyous, which is what you’d want from that song, while “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” sounds as fierce as anything that sprang from the Los Angeles punk scene back in the early 1980s. “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and the instrumental/spoken word “Carol Of The Bells” don’t make the transformation as successfully, but the galloping “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is a blast by any standards.


The bio on The Myrrhderers’ Bandcamp page is as fun as it is fictional, stating, “The Myrrhderers are a punk supergroup featuring members of the North Pole underground music scene.” The band came right back with another EP, titled The Myrrhderers Sleigh Some More, featuring an irresistible punk/ska take on “Sleigh Ride” and four other amped-up chestnuts.

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