Customer Reviews

Christmas

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love Relient K. Hands-down, my favorite band of all time. Their music is fantastic.

My fanboyisms aside, I sadly have to rate this one with just four stars, as most of the songs on this album are just rehashes from their "Deck The Halls, Bruise Your Hand" album. There are a select few new tracks ('Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas', 'Sleigh Ride', 'Merry Christmas, Here's To Many More'), and they're amazing. They fit perfectly into Relient K's style (following their Five Score and Seven Years Ago album) and are very good. And a FYI: 'In Like A Lion (Always Winter)' is from their Apathetic EP album, so it also is from an older album. The other tracks are still good, but fit their old punk style (much more upbeat).

The songs mesh nicely, and all have a wonderful Christmas theme to them.

This album goes from fast pop-punk ('12 Days of Christmas') to mellow ('In Like A Lion (Always Winter)', 'Merry Christmas, Here's To Many More'), and in between (like the down right silly 'Good King Wenceslas,' which is labeled as an Untitled Track on Amazon's track listing). All around, I'd very much recommend this album, even if you're not a Relient K fan.

I'm new-ish to Relient K, heard their Christmas song "12 Days of Christmas" for the first time on a local Christian radio station this morning and knew I had to have the album. (Gotta love MP3 downloads). The whole album is great - previous reviewers have stated some of the songs were on other albums but I don't have any others so no worry for me! The album is a great mix of sounds.. some are more mellow and some are just so full of energy and fun that I know my kids are going to love them! Their passion for the music they sing is apparent in every note!

Next to Charlie Brown, this is a must have for your Christmas collection, because if you listen to any Christmas album nowadays, they all seem the same, no deph, no substance, what you see is what you get, and what you've heard a million times before. This album on the other hand, defies all conventional Christmas music logic, because I guarantee you Harry Connick Jr. never put out a song that had lyrics like, "Rudolph's puking ball of holly, and ole St. Nick ain't all that jolly."

For those of you who are long-time Relient K fans, and got their Deck The Halls CD back in the day (a few years ago), you already have half the album. Unfortunately, I became a fan like most, after listening to MMHMM, therefore, we never had a copy of the CD, I had listened to most of it in various places, but it still remains one the most elusive Relient K Cd's I don't have. So, the packaging together benefits people like me who did not own the previous CD.

The first song off this album might not be the most eye-catching song off the album, but it's nice in it's own little way. "Sleigh Ride" is great on this album, but even better live with the whole experience the band creates for the audience. The song starts off a little jazzy and slow, than to its normal pace, than it rockets toward the finish in true Relient K fashion.

Song like "12 Days of Christmas," "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" are what made their first Christmas album such a success, amazingly Christmas music seems to be the only time of the year when rock is not openly welcomed, well, that's not the case here. These songs are short punk-rock styled Christmas classics, and they work brilliantly. Why hasn't anybody done this before? "I'm Gettin' Nuttin' For Christmas" is a new addition that seems to go perfect with this group of songs, with this fast-paced novelty. The best part is the little part at the end of the song, listen for it, Santa Clause is mad.

The before mentioned "Santa Clause Is Thumbing To Town" is truly a Relient K original, and while not one you'll want to carol to the local nursing home, it's a fun blasting stereo listen. "Handel's Messiah" is great for any time of the year, since the first 20 seconds is the hallelujah chorus, and perfect for any triumphant moment. However, there's a tale of two sides of the album, in that it goes from punk-rock to emotional stunning ballads, and back again. This is my biggest quibble about the album: the flow.

"Merry Christmas, Here's To Many More" is a great song with heart, soul, and hope for the holidays. A perfect original by the band. The melody of Silent Night and Away in a Manger is perfect together, and is a sweet ballad that really showcases Matt Thiessen's vocal talents. The next song flows into another great Christmas original that really puts the focus on Christ, but really shines in the last 30 seconds. "In Like A Lion (Always Winter)" isn't really a Christmas song, as much as it is a winter song. Written for the mediocre album inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia movie, but rejected, the band put it on Apathetic EP, and now finally two years later, on its first full length album. A bit out of place, but still nice nonetheless.

"I Hate Christmas Parties" is a very emotional song about a breakup at Christmas time. I wonder if something like it really happened, because the emotion really seeps through Matt Thiessen's voice. "Boxing Day" is a somber song about the boxing of Christmas lights, reflection of the past year, and the hope of a new one, "Christmas, it makes way for spring." This is a great New Year's song, and really conveys the thoughts you have when Christmas is over, a new year is upon you, and you stop and think where you've been since the last time.

Before I rant on the flow of this album, among other things, let me just say, skip tracks 16 and 17, because there really is no point to them. Anyways, this album is not a Christmas album, as much as it is a Holiday album, from Christmas to New Year's, and maybe a little after.

This album in terms of song quality is second to none, the album quality on the other hand, is rushed. While 1, 2, 3 flow fine, as does 7, 8, 9, they belong at the end of the album, instead of going fast, slow, slow, fast. This method doesn't leave any room for the listener to get into the music, there's no flow of emotion flowing throughout the album, it's visible here and there, but it's quickly interrupted. I would have greatly liked the album to flow a whole lot better, and in my book keeps it from being the best Christmas album ever, Holiday album yes, but not Christmas. Sorry, Charlie Brown keeps that distention another year longer. Good Grief.

So pick up the album, even if you have Deck The Halls, because the new songs are truly worth it. If you don't own that album, this is a must-have. To not listen or buy, would be a crime.

This is one of my very favorite Christmas CD's. The music is good(Which is hard to find), energetic and light-hearted, but at the same time a heartwarming reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

it's a nice album, i really only "really like" a few of the songs on the list but that's all i need. i've listened to it many times and even enjoy the songs i'm not too familiar with. i'm still listening to it even though its not christmas anymore

I am a Relient K fan and I was looking for a Christmas album with holiday songs to listen to while working out. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised because I like almost all of the songs on this album. Some are fast-paced songs (good for adding to a holiday workout playlist) such as "12 Days of Christmas" and other are witty and good for a laugh such as "Good King Wenceslas." All songs on this album are quite original and well worth purchasing.

I really enjoy Relient K's music, and so I listened to the Christmas CD and I had to get it. They have some slow songs which I really enjoy and then the normal Christmas songs you hear but Relient K"ified". AWESOME MUSIC!!

Of old and new... Mellow and not-so-mellow. A lot of fun and a good long listen. A nice change of pace from a band that knows what Christmas is all about. Favorites include: "Merry Christmas, Here's to Many More, "I Celebrate the Day," and "I Hate Christmas Parties."

I'm a serious Relient K fan and Christmas music makes me inhumanly happy, so this record is perfectly suited to my tastes. While Relient K's album of cover songs didn't seem to have enough innovation or texture, these Christmas songs have variety aplenty. There are Christmas classics and original material, slow and smooth songs contrasted with high-energy punk-inspired numbers, and sad songs mixed with humorous or heartwarming tunes. It has something for everyone, and it's perfect for the holidays! Provided that you have complex holidays, I suppose.

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a sincere and gentle arrangement of the song, very in keeping with Relient K's current sound. This song often sounds melancholy even in spite of some singers' best efforts, but here it sparkles with Christmasy magic. "Sleigh Ride" is a grand arrangement of the song. It's almost the opposite of the previous song, because Relient K makes "Have Yourself" sound more hopeful than it usually is, while the start of "Sleigh Ride" is so slowed-down and moody, it could be part of a Charlie Brown slow-jazz soundtrack. I have never heard anyone impart so much depressed wistfulness into the lines "just hear those sleigh bells jing-a-ling, ring-ting-tingaling, too". But then the pace picks up, and it becomes more of a swing song, like you'd hear at a company Christmas party, then Matt works in a bit of almost-shouting. It's like this song does a 180 turn, and then does another, but I love every change.

"Merry Christmas, Here's to Many More" has an indie-pop sound, and it hits you hard with the saddish feelings, though it ultimately looks up. With lyrics like "I made it through the year/ And I did not even collapse/ Gotta say thank God for that", it's probably more relatable to listeners who had a rough year. "Angels We Have Heard on High" is a beautiful punk rendition of the classic song. I have it in one of my workout playlists and when it comes on, it's impossible not to run faster or bike harder, and "Deck the Halls" is much the same in terms of speed and intensity, but with even better guitar riffs. On the "12 Days of Christmas", the band is clearly having a great time. They shake up the song by making it something you could mosh to, and in addition to the traditional lyrics they add the musing, "What's a partridge? And what's a pear tree?/ I don't know so please don't ask me/ But I can bet those are terrible gifts to get." I think everyone has wondered that at some point.

There isn't much sacred music on this CD, but the heartfelt mix of "Silent Night/Away in a Manger" is perfectly Biblical and beautiful. The piano part from that song purposely flows directly into the next song, "I Celebrate the Day", which is addressed to Jesus. I love the lyrical mix of openness and wordplay, especially the line, "We're less than half as close as I want to be". "In Like a Lion (Always Winter)" is another partly-gloomy-with-a-tinge-of-hopeful winter song, which makes sense because it was originally released on the downer-themed Apathetic EP. The title is a reference to "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", where the Witch is specifically said to keep Narnia in a state where it's always winter but never Christmas.

"I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas" is a jolly, shouty song, and you'll probably enjoy the song best if you're college-aged or younger. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is very rocking, and has some original lyrics to go with the old ones. "Santa Claus is Thumbing to Town" is a punk rock story-song about a Santa-related disaster. "Handel's Messiah" is a super-fast rendition of the operatic classic. "I Hate Christmas Parties" has some nice low piano parts and flips back to the blue Christmas theme with lovelorn phrases like, "I look under the tree/ But there's nothing to see/ Cause it's a broken heart that you're giving me". "Boxing Day" sounds like Coldplay and has only a guitar and some whistling for instrumentation. "Auld Lang Syne" has some lovely 4 (or 5?)-part harmony, and I've always love Relient K's ability to bust out the pretty harmonies. At the end of this track, Matt and the other Matt personally wish their audience a joyful, Merry Christmas and thank them for listening to the album. Then if you keep listening, you get treated to a hilarious falsetto rendition of "Good King Wenceslas" which must have been produced after watching a Monty Python marathon.

Some of these songs are repeated from the long-ago EP Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand, but it's still nice to have all their Christmas music together in one place. What Relient K provides on this CD is clever holiday-time entertainment that will never leave you bored.

This is a fantastic CD. It is exactly as advertised, arrived in great new condition and arrived in a very timely manner. Would recommend to everyone.