Bad Religion have released a Christmas album. That isn’t the punch line to a bad joke. The often political and always atheistic (the clue is in the name) punk rock band have seen fit to record a series of popular Christmas carols, possibly with more than a hint of sarcasm.
Does it work? Yes and no.
Some of the songs here are fun, there is no doubt about that. Hearing Greg Graffin sing about the birth of Christ does have its amusing moments, and who doesn’t enjoy pogo-ing to seasonal standards (anyone? anyone?). Unfortunately it still seems to be somewhat beneath a band who helped shape modern alternative rock.
This kind of thing might be funny in a younger band. But Bad Religion’s maturity, in the way they rail against organised religion, has grown over the years from the evangelist bashing of their 80s work, to a dark and layered presentation of the band’s fears for what a right wing religious America would mean. While Christmas Songs might be the band’s attempt at being lighthearted, it remains unnecessary.
Additionally, the fun of some of the album’s moments aside, the songs haven’t been changed much at all. Instead it feels like the band jammed out some Christmas carols they vaguely remembered while they were particularly drowsy on eggnog. There are a few exceptions to this, in particular the “I Wanna Be Sedated” reference to “White Christmas”. For the most part, the vocals sound disengaged and the instrumentation lacks interest or enthusiasm.
Overall, however, this is an album that nobody was asking for, and recorded without much enthusiasm from a band that should know better. If you’re a Grinch with a pathological need to head-bang while simultaneously sucking the fun out of grandma’s Christmas lunch, this is an album for you.
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