Thursday, 29 October 2020

The Bird and The Bee - Put Up The Lights

57 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy Put Up The Lights here (Apple Music)
Stream Put Up The Lights here (Spotify)

I love that the supremely talented Greg Kurstin and Inara George, collectively known as The Bird and The Bee, worked on their first (of many, one hopes) Christmas album, Put Up The Lights, not only during the balmy summer months but against the backdrop of Covid-19. Personally, I found escape and solace in whatever I could during the national lockdown in the UK (thank you Gilmore Girls re-runs and an unhealthy obsession with re-living Debbie Gibson's Electric Youth album) so I'm more than open to the duo singing seasonal songs while the sun shone bright and hot. The entire 8 track album feels like they found some hope against a backdrop of despair and share that through their original songs and festive standards. Heck, even the title of Put Up The Lights feels like an activity which conjures up a sense of magic and optimism about what lies ahead. With their usual flair for musical innovation, emotive singing and savvy production, this rewards you with a gloriously alternative Christmas soundtrack that will become a favourite for many years to follow. 

The album's opening song, You and I At Christmas Time, may have been written and produced via e-mail but it instantly promotes a sense of togetherness that is very much needed right now. There is no doubt Greg is a gifted song writer (he co-wrote one of my favourite pop anthems of 2020 - Steps' What The Future Holds) and Inara sings this shimmering romantic ode with an ethereal grace. The textured score & jingling beat sets a gorgeous scene for the album. This is followed by The Christmas Song; echoing synths ensconce Inana's vocal to give the music an otherworldly vibe - as if the performance has traversed the passages of time to land as the perfect gift in 2020. The way the music transitions to and from this to an Erasure-esque pop score is effective and delightful. And the delights continue with Sleigh Ride. Layered vox give an a cappella opening before a playful romp of an instrumental (with actual clip-clops) is added. The beguiling electronica of the middle 8 really does feel like futuristic horses pulling some gliding sleigh. Deck The Halls transforms the song into a transcendent, organ-driven gem that makes use of percussive riffs and Greg's detailed synth skills to feel like tinsel and baubles are cascading around you. With this trifecta of songs, the duo's ability to take the core elements you love about the classics and dust them with an exhilarating new musical winter coat is forever proven as nothing short of excellence.

I'm not sure I can say anything new about Dave Grohl's drumming that hasn't been said before, but its the best Little Drummer Boy collaboration since Bing & Bowie. His epic performance is the guiding star of this stellar new take; equally as prominent as that rapturous piano and reverent vocal. The instrumental solo that acts as the dramatic conclusion is nothing short of breathtaking. Christmas Time Is Here may be one of the melancholy songs about the joy of the season I've ever heard. The Charlie Brown standard is in good hands with the duo, as fragile yet hopeful as an intricate snowflake. The sincere wish of wanting to see such spirit through the year resonants long after the song has finished. Merry Merry is the album's second original composition; a jazzy infused groove with sumptuous piano accompaniment and Inara giving a gleeful performance. With clever bon-mots peppered throughout the lyrics and that cool-as-ice sing-along refrain, it is joyful AND triumphant. The album closes with Hallelujah Chorus, Bird And The Bee's own take on the Handel's Messiah classic. A clever hand clap metronome enhances the beautifully harmonised vocals and you can't help but think if Enigma's Sadeness Part One topped the charts 30 years ago, this should receive equal success. A celestial end to a heavenly set. 

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