52 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!
Buy Happy Holidays here (Bandcamp)
When it comes to the vocal trio The Bandana Splits, I am quite the smitten kitten. Even their name conjures up images of simpler times when boys would be in impeccable jeans and a bandana to meet the gal they were courting down at the dairy queen for a milkshake and banana split. And the music paints equally as vivid a picture thanks to their exquisite harmony arrangements and sumptuous instrumental scores. So colour me all sorts of excited to learn that they have a whole album out dedicated to the most wonderful time of the year - Christmas! Titled Happy Holidays, it sees the three ladies take us on a seasonal journey through old favourites and future classics. With timeless textured vocals and exquisite production this is destined to be an album that keeps on giving the gift of music year after year...
It opens with a brand new composition called All The Bells - and it's a great introduction to The Bandana Splits if you are late to the party. Set to a vibrant percussive groove that's positively dripping in deliciously evocative chimes, the ladies sing of all the great things about the anticipation of Christmas and how certain sounds, smells and sights can invoke feelings of joy and happiness. It's performed with a pleasing vigour that's oh so hard to resist and by the time the two minute song ends, you are fully on board for this sleigh ride through a very Bandana Splits Christmas. Another original song follows (A Lonely Night For Mrs Claus) and it's narrative examines how poor Santa's missus spends every Christmas eve alone. It's a clever (and oft overlooked) subject matter that, despite the perky instrumental it is set to, manages to uncover the melancholy the story needs. This is in large part to the nuanced and precision perfect vocals that weave through that intoxicating music like Rudolph through the night sky. A truly glorious song that should be an instant addition to any seasonal playlist. Next up is Mele Kalikimaka (the Hawaiian Christmas song) and the trio instantly transport you to the sunny beaches with a shuffling beat, electric guitar and engaging ukulele. It really is incredible how they manage to make their voices match the song - here they vocals sway together like palm trees on a sandy beach and it's just magical. It's also so blooming catcy that I actually accidentally asked for a Mele Kaliki Mocha at Starbucks today...
Christmas With You is a glorious duet with producer Paul Loren - it's dripping with old school elegance, jazzy charms and a playful piano that's as gleeful and impish as the flirtatious lyrics. Opposites attract as the competing vocals argue over whether Christmas in the city or country is better. It's like the lasses and sir emerged from one of those magnificent 50s Hollywood musicals and unearthed a long lost composition that just needed to be shared with the world. Quite honestly it would be quite hard not to fall for Paul's charm based on his seductive voice here ;) What these original songs showcase is how much they understand what a Christmas song should be (as well as an enviable ear for a catchy melody). They stand shoulder to shoulder with the vintage songs on the album and if I had my way, Christmas With You would be the UK Christmas number one this year...
A trio of exhilarating festive faves follow. It all kicks off with a buoyant trip on a Sleigh Ride. There's actual joy and excitement in every note the girls deliver as if they were singing whilst the wind rushed through their hair, dashing through the snow. When they sing "pop pop pop", it sends a shiver of delight up and down your spine and leaves you grinning like a cheshire cat. This continues with Winter Wonderland, which opens with a wonderfully slowed down tempo that really allows those tightly knitted harmonies to shine like the brightest star. Delicate piano blossoms into a bouncy refrain and those vocal "ting-a-lings" and cooings are a sheer eargasm that continue to be irresistable. Jingle Bell Rock completes this trio of glittering majesty and adds a sense of carefree abandon to the song that makes you want to grab the one you love and shimmy. HARD.
The album comes to a close with another trio of songs - this time, those that tap into the more reflective and sometimes melancholy sentiments of the season. I'll Be Home For Christmas is the most erudite and swooning performance thus far - no instruments are needed because this a cappella is infused with every ounce of earnest longing and sincere hope that the song needs. It's as emotionally satisfying as if you'd seen a whole heartwarming Christmas movie on Hallmark. Blue Christmas teases out some real pathos from the ladies via a gently trotting beat that makes you imagine they are singing in the back of the horse drawn cart Doris Day sang "Black Hills of Dakota" in in Calamity Jane. Throughout the whole album, there's been a real organic feel to the music that exudes the feel of a live act rather than studio trickery. In a time when beats, bleeps and beeps dominate the chart who woulda thunk that a throwback to the good ol' days would be so wonderfully refreshing? Silent Night winds things down and as the most traditional carol on the album they pay due respect and deferential reverence to the melody and original German composition. It's a sweet close to what has proven to be a simply effervescent collection of Christmas songs. Love.
**Ghosts of Christmas Past**
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