They Might Be Giants
Holidayland
Restless
A nice little stocking stuffer for They Might Be Giants fans, Holidayland collects five holiday-themed tracks from throughout the band’s career. Most of the tracks are previously released in one form or other, though they’re often rare – “Feast Of Lights” dates to a fairly obscure Hanukah compilation titled Festival Of Light 2, “Careless Santa” is a track from John Flansburgh’s side project, Mono Puff, and the traditional, “O Tannenbaum” (in German, no less), dates to a special green vinyl holiday seven-inch from 1993 – with only the brilliant “Santa’s Beard” having previously made a Giants album proper (1989’s ground-breaking Lincoln). But the lead-off track makes this EP a must-have for TMBG fanatics – it’s a cover of The Sonics’ “Santa Claus,” appearing here for the first time anywhere.
While it’s by no means essential, Holidayland is nevertheless a must for TMBG fanatics, and makes a wonderful addition to any Christmas music collection. We’ll be pulling this one out at the holidays in my house for years to come.
Restless Records: http://www.restless.com • They Might Be Giants: http://www.theymightbegiants.com, http://www.tmbg.com, http://www.dialasong.com
