Jingle Punx

1225 (2005)

Jordan Rogowski

If there's one thing in the world I hate, besides Paris Hilton, it's Christmas music. Now don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. I love the Christmas season, I love sitting in my house and looking at the beautiful tree. I love driving around and seeing people who went all out to decorate their houses and show their spirit. I really don't even care about receiving presents; it's an extremely nice gesture, but I never ask for it. But Christmas music bugs me like few other things. Worse is Christmas music in March [Ed.'s Note: The band did send this to me for review in a timely manner; I just couldn't promise a review in that frame of time.].

And that's exactly what novelty act Jingle Punx are forcing me to hear. I can't fault them for effort though, because these guys actually pull it off pretty well.

Sounding a bit like MxPx frontman Mike Herrera, lead singer Rico snottily sings his way into such Christmas classics as "Jingle Bells," "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas," and "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." The injection of youthful enthusiasm is a welcome change from the usual voices you'll hear taking these songs on it, and the band also finds interesting things to do with the rest of their instruments. The significantly shorted "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" is much more quick and bouncy song than it ever appeared before, with the guitar work standing out to play the melody where the vocals do not appear. It's rather cheery, and the chants of "hey, ho, the mistle toe!" inject just that much more life into the song. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" is also sped up to finish in less than half the time it normally would, and the other band members join in for a rousing chorus right before a wicked guitar solo closes the song out.

It's just a fun, goofy record that's not at all meant to be taken to heart. And in that right, mission successful.