Bright Eyes A Christmas Album Clear Red Vinyl Edition

Bright Eyes' Christmas Album begins with a piano, flute, ambientnoise, and musical saw-driven version of "Away in a Manger,"helping weed out casual Christmas music enjoyers, but all tootempting for the most devout of Conor Oberst's disciples,who originally learned that the warmth of the holiday season istrumped only by its potential for melancholy back in 2002 withthe original Saddle Creek release. Oberst and a small army offriends at his house proceed to jamboree through Christmasclassics like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "GodRest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem,"Clear Red Vinyl.Holiday cheer, when delivered with Oberst's trademark tremble,sounds more like a lament than it does hymns of ecclesiasticaljoy. But the spirited listener will find that the fragile, homespun,and somewhat blinkered vibe that permeates the album setsitself apart from the bog-standard, less sonically humbleofferings...