Christmas

Christmas

“Blistering” and “ferocious” aren’t words normally applied to Christmas music, but they definitely describe Hawk Nelson’s latest blast of holiday cheer. Expanding on the group’s 2006 Gloria EP, this seven-song release features often-overlooked traditional tunes and gives a new spin to familiar favorites. Hawk Nelson doesn’t tone down its punk-pop edge for most of these tracks; if anything, the band dives into them with extra jolts of joyful abandon. Hawk Nelson invites comparisons to The Pogues as it barnstorms its way through folk-based hymns like “The Wassail Song” and “I Saw Three Ships.” The banjo-driven “Up on the Housetop” turns into a wild hootenanny, while a medley of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “O Come All Ye Faithful” rides a slalom-like curve from crazed to serene. Just as arresting is the vocal harmony interplay in “Joy to the World” that takes the band from caroling to caterwauling. Acoustic-based renditions of “The Holly and the Ivy” and “Silent Night” offer reflective moments amid the more raucous tunes.

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