The Bacarrudas, who released the delightful Pool Party earlier this year, are the winners of this year's "Which Christmas release will I review first?" sweepstakes. New single "Wanamaker's Christmas" finds lead singer Adam Rabuck reminiscing about a favorite childhood memory — partaking in the annual Christmas festivities at the John Wanamaker's department store in Philadelphia. When it comes to reviewing Christmas music, I tend to be selective. I usually ask myself two things: A) Would I enjoy this music even if it were not Christmas-themed? and B) Does this add something of value to the vast ocean of existing Christmas music? In the case of The Bacarrudas' "Wanamaker's Christmas," that's a double yes!
As far as I know, there has never been a song about the Wanamaker's Christmas tradition in Philadelphia. And if there has been one, it certainly wasn't recorded by a frat rock band. "Wanamaker's Christmas" is everything I hoped it would be: joyful, triumphant, nostalgic, and a whole lot of fun. Adam does a great job of painting a picture here. Just listening to the song's lyrics, you can visualize how thrilling it would have been for a kid to experience Christmas at Wanamaker's every year. If you have personal memories of Wanamaker's Christmases, this song will give you all the feels. And even if you haven't, you will likely be reminded of similar memories from your own childhood Christmases. This song instantly joins my list of Christmas songs I have to hear every year. It's a new standard! On the virtual flipside, "Christmas with the Cat" belongs to that time-honored tradition of sad Christmas songs. I suppose this is Adam's own version of "Blue Christmas." This song will totally tear your heart out. But if you have to hear a song about being alone and lonely at Christmas, doesn't the involvement of cats make the pill much less bitter to swallow? Cats make everything better. In the spirit of the season, The Bacarrudas have made "Wanamaker's Christmas" a free download from Bandcamp. Check it out, and be sure to give Pool Party a listen while you're hanging out on The Bacarrudas' Bandcamp page. Have a Schuylkill duylkill Christmas!
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