Singing Saw at Christmastime

Julian Koster | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 7, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B001EN46IY
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,248 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Julian Koster (The Music Tapes, Neutral Milk Hotel) presents a new holiday classic. Join The Singing Saw Orchestra as they unite saws both young and old in an enchanting celebration of traditional Christmas songs. 180 gram LP includes a coupon for an MP3 download of the entire record.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars +1/2 -- Have yourself an ethereal Christmas, November 4, 2009

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Singing Saw at Christmastime (Audio CD)

The singing saw (or as it's commonly known, the musical saw) is thought to date back to the late 1800s, though it really came into its own in the first few decades of the twentieth century. Early saw players used standard issue hand saws, but over the years specialized compounds, thinner steel and varying lengths were used to produce a saw that excelled at producing music in lieu of cutting wood. The saw is played with its handle between the player's legs and the blade bent into an `S'. The sawyer bows the flat middle part of the `S' to produce an ethereal vibration whose harmonics and sustain can make a single saw sound like several. For those who've never heard a singing saw, close relations in sound are the Theramin, an electronic instrument that's been featured in many films (Spellbound, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Ed Wood), and the electro-theremin, most famously used on the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations."

Like these electronic instruments, the musical saw produces an other-worldly sound whose pitch is wavery and laden with overtones. Julian Koster, whose saw graced the works of Neutral Milk Hotel, has sharpened his axe, uh, saw, on a dozen Christmas and wintertime classics. Koster performs these as instrumentals, allowing the saws to sing on their own. The result is an unearthly tonal chorus that's simultaneously beautiful and unnerving. Jolly holiday favorites "Frosty the Snowman," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Jingle Bells" can't quite dash along, given the slow speed with which one can change notes on a saw. The more somber tunes are stretched and thickened with tonal ambience. This isn't the rocking good cheer of A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector, and it won't inspire the dance moves of a Jackson 5 Christmas, but it will add unusual and thoughtful moments to your Christmas mix. It's also the perfect album to play when the eggnog is all gone. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Creepy, December 23, 2011

By 

Gary (Saratoga, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Singing Saw at Christmastime (Audio CD)

This CD might better have been titled "An Adam's Family Christmas". Favorites are performed at a dreary pace better suited for a one-star horror movie. It's not even amusing; play it a party and the merriment will dissipate. It's a travesty such a tempting title will inevitably deceive so many buyers.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for your really far out collection., February 11, 2010

By 

M. Brammall (Plant City, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Singing Saw at Christmastime (Audio CD)

I bought this for my daughter, who is an alternative music fan. It was a real plus that she and Julian had been close friends some years ago and she had sort of lost track of him.