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A Mutated Christmas

A Mutated Christmas

a review by Stephen Fruitman of
release format A Mutated Christmas by Corporal Blossom (CD Album)

text

The Corporal wishes us all a very illbient Christmas with this spirited collection of twisted yuletide favorites and mangled carols. The label Illegal Art encourages its artists to feel free to steal from the best and the worst of recorded history, flaunting copyright legislation with impunity. And under the Corporal's command, they have each assembled an array entertaining, hilarious and at times downright disconcerting sounds, guaranteed to stop those damned saccharine sugarplums from dancing round your head and get it thinking and nodding in time instead.

The compiler of 'A Mutated Christmas' himself begins the proceedings with the classic 'White Christmas', creating a crazy quilt of versions by Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Elvis, Sinatra and The Supremes, among numerous others. DJ Olive checks in with a down-tempo and slightly obscene take on 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' before Fognode offers a real glimpse of the spirituality beneath all the commercial glitter with his 'Carol of the Bells'. Further trips out into the snow and back into the warmth of the family living room are wrapped around twisted beats and chock full of surprising and delighting juxtapositions.

A trainspotter's delight from the opening track - isn't that Mel Torm*, wasn't that Johnny Matthis? That was definitely The Jackson Five! A certain No-L ends his version of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' with subtle panache by appending the very last notes of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Placed in a new context, each time Bing Crosby intones 'silver bells' on Grassy Knoll's take, he sounds utterly chilling.

One of the absolute pinnacles of this collection is Lustmord's disturbing 'Silent Night'. A chorale version is succeeded by a countrified one and then by Tom Waits' inimitable and heart-felt crooning. All the while in the background the artist has constructed a frightening war soundscape - bombs going off, machine guns smattering. Is this a comment on the current situation in the Holy Land? A reminder of the less-than-peaceful history of the Christian Church? Lustmord is just one of the many contributors to this ingenious selection who, in the best postmodern tradition, gives us ideas to ponder while dozing over an eggnog. Ingenious concept, brilliantly conceived.

Posted by Stephen Fruitman at 17:00, 24 Dec 2001