1. Once in Royal David's City - Sarah Crane, Ned Donovan, Megan Dorn, and Peter Gosik
2. Never Thought I'd See the City Sleep - Gabriel Violett 3. Oh Holy Night - Chris Brandes 4. Gabriel's Message - Whiskey and Wine 5. Wexford Carol - Lauren Csete and John Krause 6. Snowfall - Whiskey and Wine 7. Silent Night - Claudia Yanez 8. My Main Man (Ho Ho Ho) - Matt Rodin 9. In the Bleak Midwinter - Common Jack 10. Christmas Without You - Ned Donovan [Bonus] Christmas in Tokyo - Sam Bagala (ft. Small Batch Mafia) CHARGING MOOSE WEBSITE |
Charging Moose is a New York based multi-media outfit and they dropped this collection right around December 20. These are all New York based artists, though some are better known for film and theater projects. The one name that might be familiar to you is former Voice contestant Gabriel Violett. Violett, a member of Alicia Keys' team, was eliminated in the Battle Rounds in the most recent season of the show.
Though the Charging Moose entry isn't consistently great, there are a few tracks that are worth checking out and possibly purchasing. The one I keep coming back to is the Electro Pop version of "O Holy Night" by Chris Brandes (one half of the group Cast Party). While it might not be the way I prefer to listen to the song, it is undeniably fascinating and original. Speaking of original, Matt Rodin's original Indie-Pop-with-Country-Rock-overtones "My Main Man (Ho Ho Ho)" is another of my favorites, here. Whiskey & Wine get two tracks; "Snowfall" I liked, "Gabriel's Message" I didn't (though I could see others liking it). Common Jack offer a nice Indie Folk Pop version of "In The Bleak Midwinter", but nothing earthshattering. I could go either way on "Christmas In Tokyo" by Sam Bagala. I like it, but it's got a nice Jazz Pop feel that seems wasted, rather than enhanced, by all the novelty aspects thrown in. I'd probably have liked it better before Christmas than after, so I might hang onto it and give it a fair hearing next year (honestly, as a general rule, you do not want me reviewing your record right after Christmas). And Violett's "I Never Thought I'd See The City Sleep" is a nice enough AC track that could have some seasonal legs.
You can stream the entirety of "A Very Charging Moose Christmas" on Soundcloud and purchase all or some of it at Bandcamp, Amazon, or CD Baby.