ProChristmas is usually the month when Christmas, holiday and all sorts of winter records try to score points on the market. In most cases, they are kitsch, but there are also interesting records among them. This year was no exception in this regard.
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Second time this year and even better
Taylor Swift – evermore
The second one this year studioThe American star singer's album is not only interesting because she doesn't use capital letters anywhere. She received five Grammy nominations for her album Folklore, released in the summer, and its sister record Evermore is perhaps even more interesting. It is definitely not a collection of B-sides or songs that didn't fit on Folklore, but a full-fledged album with a winter atmosphere. It is quiet, modest music, as if recorded without regard to the demands of the charts and radio. For that reason alone, it is worth listening to.
When the master plays
Paul McCartney – III
The tireless ex-beatle didn't idle away even during lockdown and recorded the entire album at home. And he recorded it in its entirety. Unlike older recordings on the new McCartney experiments more, plays with technique more and doesn't pay as much attention to the classic song form, which is a paradox from a man who helped create pop sixty years ago.music introduce the format of the ideal hit. Many songs from III at concerts probably McCartney will not be playing, but it is still an amazing recording and proof that even at the age of seventy-eight, he can record a progressive album as part of his work.
The sun and Christmas go together
Calexico - Seasonal Shift
One of the most original albums of this Christmas. Calexico have always reflected the atmosphere of the US-Mexico border in their music, the arid desert, sweaty flannels and nighttime fiestas in the streets, all of which can be felt tangibly on their albums. And now, in this spirit, they have recorded a Christmas album containing covers of Christmas songs by John Lennon and Tom Petty. It is surprising, it is original and it is fun. As part of studioAlthough Seasonal Shift is not one of the best things Calexico has released, it is definitely an album that shows the way out of the maze of holiday kitsch in which dozens of other musicians have already gotten lost.
Again and again for the first time
Deftonewith – White Pony / Black Stallion
Labeling themselves as cult or legendary is not only a plague of music journalism, but Deft's album White Ponyones is simply cult. And in December, after twenty years, it was reissued along with the second album Black Stallion. It is a well-known model, when the original songs are entrusted to colleagues in the industry to be remixed. Usually, nothing more remains from such albums than interesting PR material, but Black Stallion stands out from the competition in this regard, because some of the remixes sound fresh and unexpected, and they were also taken care of by a number of star guests such as Mike Shinoda or Robert Smith. If you don't have White Pony at home yet, buying the new edition along with Black Stallion is a certainty.
Calm tomboy
Tori Amos - Christmastide
It's only a four-song EP, but it's still worth paying attention to. The tireless wild woman Tori Amos decided to record a positive holiday record, which is supposed to please the fans, make them forget about the troubles around them for a while and enjoy the peace with their loved ones. At other times urgent and somewhat demanding on the listener, Amos really loosened up and came up with relaxed compositions, which, however, she accompanies with her typical approach: vocal equilibria, pompous piano surfaces and meticulously perfect production.
