Our Review
With the self-styled "Chet Atkins-on-acid" Silent Night and the cherubic voices of little children asking Santa Claus to bring them eternal bliss, this is not your parents Christmas record. More like a trip down memory lane with roots-rock riffs and kaleidoscope eyes--on acid--The Weisstronauts Christmas leaves neither irony nor the spirit of Christmas behind.
This record keeps the energy flowing, but every song sets a different tone. From the rockabilly Jingle Bells to the smoky poolhall mood of Santa Baby, Pete Weiss wants to project familiar images and settings, but present them with a surrealist's edge. Like Magritte's best work, these images make us do a double take, and we are never quite sure whether the artist is laughing with us or at us, or whether he is laughing at all. But just when I want to give myself over to Weiss's irony, he plays the sincerity card with Sweet Baby Jesus, a Kevin Quinn, Pete Weiss composition, featuring guitar work reminiscent of Hendrix.
Nothin' Comin' Good this Christmas may be the artist's self portrait, or maybe not. Either way, it's a nice, easy, toe-tapping, white boy blues anthem. Penned by Chris Winter and Pete Weiss, it pays the toll for guiding us down the road less traveled on this Christmas sleighride.
--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2001)
No More
Weisstronauts
Weisstronauts Christmas
(EP)
Artist link
Label: Stereoriffic
Length: 16 minutes
Genre: Rock
Release: 2000
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Jingle Bells |
| Nuthin' Comin' Good this Christmas |
| Silent Night |
| Sweet Baby Jesus |
| Santa Baby |