New Christmas Music for 2006 Part 2
21 December 2006
Ten years ago Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist produced a Christmas album, The Darkest Night of the Year, as their band, Over the Rhine, began to dissolve around them. Over the Rhine persisted but the album marked a distinct ending of an era with the departure of guitarist Ric Hordinski and the subsequent construction of a six-piece band. Now with the release of Snow Angels, Over the Rhine has fully realized a new era featuring the two principle band members, taking a new look at Christmas.
After plumbing the depths of doubt, frustration, despair, and reconciliation over an almost-failed marriage on their last album, Drunkard’s Prayer, Bergquist and Detweiler seem reinforced, stronger, and more confident than ever in their musical talent and in each other. They have, however, experienced one type of separation, bidding farewell to their label Virgin Backporch Records and once again returning to a familiar status as an independent band. Snow Angels is the first release on their new independent label, Great Spotted Dog Records. The album features upright bass by Byron House, some bass and other string work by Brad Jones, and drumming by Mickey Grimm, but never strays far from the duo’s strength, Detweiler’s piano playing carried along by Bergquist’s vocals, rivaling any roaring 20’s-era speakeasy singer.
The sobriquet of “Christmas album” would seem unfair to bestow on this work and merely lump it in with one month-a-year listenings next to the holly and Andy Williams records. All of the songs, save for a martini influenced “One Olive Jingle” and a portion of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” worked into a new song “Little Town”, are all original songs with very little as far as traditional Christmas ditties to be found. Instead, the listener gets smoky lounge songs like the cleverly titled “All I Ever Get For Christmas Is Blue”, the bouncy “Darlin’ Christmas Is Coming”, and a rollicking “Here It Is” celebrating the Christmas season. Detweiler even gives a nod to one of his favorites, Vince Guaraldi, in an original song “Goodbye Charles”, an instrumental piece that is a tribute to Charles Schultz clearly modeled after music from Christmas specials featuring Charlie Brown. There are more serious songs celebrating the birth of Christ in works like “White Horse” and “Little Town”, but the album could hardly be called a family Christmas album with steamy double entendres in “North Pole Man” and an utterly charming and romantic “Snowed In With You” which showcases Bergquist’s voice at her best.
As they have become bolder in recent years in making political statements, Snow Angels brings some anti-war sentiment to the table. However, the songs never get in your face with protest signs and screaming and yelling. “Little Town” weaves “O Little Town of Bethelem” into an original song wishing for peace in modern day Bethlehem. The epic-like story, “Snow Angel” tells of a fallen solider brought home in the cold winter. The song was originally written with the Civil War era in mind, but is easily applicable to current events. The song is deserving of the honor of being the title track of the album as it encompasses the sorrow, brokenness, and hopeful faith that defines Over the Rhine. The final song “We’re Gonna Pull Through” is the most telling as to the future of the band. Lone gone are the days of the college rock radio band and now the transition is complete. Over the Rhine is now the story of a marriage in a fallen and broken world, here in the winter and soon-to-be in warmer days.
6 Responses to “New Christmas Music for 2006 Part 2”
December 21st, 2006 at 7:20 am
[...] Another review is online at The Corner Table. Check out my review of Over the Rhine’s new album Snow Angels! [...]
December 21st, 2006 at 8:08 pm
You’ve captured it quite well, Jeff. Thanks.
December 21st, 2006 at 9:56 pm
These Are the Raw Materials…
As this entry goes live, it is the southern solstice; in the northern hemisphere, it’s the longest night of the year. In tribute, I’m playing Over the Rhine’s The Darkest Night of the Year.
In writing about the new Over the Rhine Ch…
December 21st, 2006 at 10:11 pm
i have to admit, i was pretty skeptical about going to the OtR show in nashville last week. i kind of was thinking they might be overrated. i don’t know if we even see eye to eye very well on caedmons anymore, you know? but i was really blown away at how good it was. they have a very jazz/blues feel to them, much more than i was expecting. i think the christmas record is excellent, and they’ve certainly got a new fan.
December 28th, 2006 at 10:24 am
Great review Jeffro. Anything using the word “sobriquet” is fine by me. ; )
I’ve listened to OtR for a long time but after seeing them live for the first time at 3rd and Lindsley recently I’m even more sold now than I was before. I think Snow Angels is outstanding. One thing you were right about, it’s not just a christmas album, this one is going on my IPOD “Rowdy” for year round playing with Good Dog Bad Dog, Films For Radio, Drunkard’s Prayer, and Ohio.
January 8th, 2007 at 8:32 am
Beautiful album! I love it! Great review too.