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Being passing familiar with a few of their artists, this new Christmas compilation (It's a Team Mint Xmas, Vol.2!) from Mint Records caught my eye immediately. Earlier in the year (or was it last year?) I had listened to Young and Sexy open for the New Pornographers at emos in Austin. It was in the dead of winter, so it was hot, of course. It was the final night of their tour, both bands were exhausted and irritable, not dressed down enough for Austin, Texas. All parties appeared to be having a bad night, with even a few cross words exchanged onstage. But there was nothing wrong with either band's music, and Young and Sexy put on a good (and obviously memorable) early set, in spite of circumstances. Also, members of the band spoke kindly to me when I stopped at their merch table after the show.

On that hot winter night not so long ago, I remember Young and Sexy seeming a bit quirky, even for a Canadian indie pop band. Their lyrics weren't tinged with irony; it was more like their irony was tinged with lyrics! Looking clean-cut like the Archies, they seemed to wear their incongruity inside and out. I'm pleased to report that they do not disappoint here: offering up the snarkily-titled Santa Claus Likes Rich Kids Better, in a performance with the breathless sincerity of the Mamas and Papas.

Thematically, this is clearly a seasonal release, but never cloyingly so. And by that I mean the song selections are mostly unknown to the average Christmas listener (with the exceptions of the country standard Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas and Bob Geldof's Do They Know It's Christmas). The new CD is better understood as a generous set of band demos that happen to be seasonal than as a hard-core Christmas CD. (There are no hard-core bands on Vol. 2!, in any event.) The bands model their avant styles, and they don't even torture "Jingle Bells" in the outing.

There are several styles on the CD--all well within the strictures of "indie pop", whatever that means--all distinctly unique. Atomic 7 performs almost Austin-style blues power riffery on Señor Santa Él Es El Monstruo. (¿Que?) The Tennessee Twin does an alt-bluegrass thing on X-mas Is Past. Carolyn Mark and Her Room-Mates perform the penultimate selection, Mark's own Christmas Song striking an almost punk-Irish pose. This is followed by MintAid (aka every singing voice at Mint Records) performing an inspiring version of Do They Know It's Christmas. An actual finale, and a nice one at that.

There's tons more good stuff on Vol. 2!. I'm not going to hum the whole thing for you. But it's a top pick, and anyone who follows indie pop or who loves rock music would be a holiday fool to pass this one up.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2004)

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From the liner notes:

"Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas"
Recorded in August of 2004 by Johnny Blerot at Wolf Willow Studios in Edmonton, Alberta.

"Señor Santa Él Es El Monstruo"
Carved from a lump of coal by Atomic 7.
Recorded by James Heidenbrecht

"Song For The Girl With Two Of Everything"
Carolyn Mark: vocals, acoustic guitar
Tolan McNeil: guitar, vocals
Ford Pier: organ, vocals
Garth Johnson: drums, vocals

"Santa Claus Likes Rich Kids Better"
Lucy Brain: vocals and percussion
Paul Hixon Pittman: acoustic guitar and vocals
Andre Lagace: electric guitar
Brent McDonald: bass guitar
Alex Brain: drums
Ted Bois: piano

"The Blizzard"
Dave Gowans: voice and acoustic guitar
Morgan McDonald: keyboards and slim whistle
Lasse Lutick: electric guitar, lap steel and synthesizer
Torben Wilson: drums and percussion

"Don't Fear The Reindeer"
Brent J. Cooper: eggnog
Scott Nickless: mulled wine
Tyler Pickering: glogg

"X-mas Is Past"
Lucinda Wolfe: lead vocal, mandolin
Paul Kehanas: electric guitar, electric bass, acoustic guitar
Erin Parton: harmony vocal, harmonies

"Lonely Christmas"
Grant Lawrence: voice
Jolly Saint Nick Thomas: guitars, keyboard, percussion
Beez: backing vocals

"Christmas Dog
Thee Snowglobe-lin: vocals
The Snowglobe-lin: drums
A Snowglobe-lin: bass
Snowglobe-lin: guitar

"Who Are You?"
Scott Livingstone: drums
John Collins: bass
David Carswell: guitar and vocals
Narduar: organ and vocals

"Old Man Davie's Christmas Kingdom"
Rod Slaughter: bass and vocals
Sean Allum:drums
Sean's niece and her three friends sang at the beginning

"Christmas Song"
Carolyn Mark: vocals and guitar
Tolan McNeil: vocals and guitars
Garth Johnson: drums and vocals

"Do They Know It's Christmas"
Carolyn Mark: vocal
Coco Cuthbertson: vocal
Dave Gowans: vocal
Grant Lawrence: vocal
Katie Sketch: vocal
Ida Nilsen: vocal
Lucy Brain: vocal
Makja Martin: vocal
Paul Pittman: vocal
Tobey Black: vocal
Morgan McDonald: keyboards
Torben Wilson: drums, pads and percussion
Recorded and mixed by Torben Wilson

Bonus: a quicktime video for "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Just pop this CD into your computer.

Mint Records Inc. and the artists on this compilation have chosen to donate $3 from each CD sold to the Stephen Lewis Foundation. For more information about the Stephen Lewis Foundation and the projects it funds, go here: www.stephenlewisfoundation.org.

Please note: the Stephen Lewis Foundation is a grateful beneficiary of these funds, but is not affiliated with Mint Records Inc.

Various Artists

It's a Team Mint Xmas Vol. 2!

Artist link

Track List