Christmas Songs, Vol. 1

by Manchester Orchestra

Overview

Holiday albums are often a mixed bag (er, stocking?), either working as a sure-fire sales gimmick, or saddling artists with well-worn songs rife with saccharine sentimentality. With their first holiday-themed album, Christmas Songs, Vol. 1, Georgia's Manchester Orchestra defy the latter pitfall, delivering a hushed and dusky EP of yuletide standards that retain all of the epic emotionality of their original work. Initially released online in 2020 (with proceeds going to help the Georgia-based homeless shelter Atlanta Mission) and re-released the following year as a physical LP, Christmas Songs, Vol. 1 features a mix of classic holiday favorites and traditional songs including "Silent Night," White Christmas," and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." If there's any hook or gimmick here, it's Manchester Orchestra's ability to make even the most light-hearted and merry song sound sad. Rather than a brisk sleigh-ride, these are slow-burn performances, pitched at the speed of trudging through deep snow on a moonlit evening. The album has the feel of a bundled-up Christmas Eve performance at a candle-lit church service as singer Andy Hull commands your attention with his yearning tenor croon. Smartly, the group also strip their sound to its bare, chamber-group essence, framing Hull in woody basslines, brassy percussion, and echoey, tube-amp guitar lines. If you've always thought there was something melancholy and ruminative about the holiday season, Manchester Orchestra's Christmas Songs, Vol. 1 might be the album to match your mood. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	11/11/2022
Label:	Loma Vista
UPC:	0888072275577
Rank:	53180

Tracks

1. Intro
2. Silent Night
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
4. White Christmas
5. O Holy Night
6. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
7. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
8. Outro

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Manchester Orchestra   Primary Artist
Robert McDowell   Piano,Guitar,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Andy Prince   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Tim Very   Drums
Andy Hull   Guitar,Vocals
Mayzie Hull   Vocals

Technical Credits

Traditional   Composer
Hugh Martin   Composer
Irving Berlin   Composer
Franz Gruber   Composer
James Pierpont   Composer
Joseph Mohr   Composer
Robert McDowell   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Group Member,Recording Producer
Adolphe Adam   Composer
Paul Blakemore   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Ralph Blane   Composer
Andy Prince   Group Member
Cappeau de Roquemaure   Composer
Tim Very   Group Member
Andy Hull   Producer,Group Member,Recording Producer
Christopher Leckie   Design,Artwork
Jamie Martens   Recording
Mayzie Hull   Group Member