narratives

i hate christmas music. hate it. it's the worst thing you could possibly do to someone i think. but there are exceptions. there are a few holiday albums i can handle and even enjoy. of course anything bing crosby recorded (mele kalikimaka is hawaii's way...) and i think most people would agree that sufjan steven's 4-disc work of holiday music is quality and an interesting take on many holiday stalwarts.

josh rosenthal's new ep, narratives is also an exception and represents an original christmas album. the album begins with a standard you'd expect (o come, o come emmanual) that would fit in any holiday mix, but then leaves the familiar, over-trod path of traditional "holiday" music and heads in its' own direction. narratives is marked by original tracks that establish josh's personal view on christmas. in his own words, he's not the biggest fan of christmas or christmas music either. tracks like "this changes everything" and "before i go" could be a part of any album really. they deal honestly with christmas themes, but i honestly don't catagorize them as "christmas songs."

my biggest reservation about the ep is the glaring absence of mele kalikmaka. i even checked on itunes for bonus tracks and it wasn't there. i did discover that narratives is selling on itunes for $4.95 though which was worth discovering. i've heard josh play a few of these in person and they play well live. we may not feel like it today, but very soon we'll all feel like cozying up to someone we love and playing some holiday music. when you do, this is an ep you'll be glad you have. of course bing won't be far behind. i'll keep looking for bonus tracks.