Homemade indie-pop Christmas productions

The Chicago indie-rock trio, The Layaways, have extended their three-song 2006 Christmas EP with seven new tracks. The productions retain the same homemade feel, exuding warmth and a dash of holiday melancholy. The album mixes vocal and instrumental tracks, layering folk-rock harmonies on acoustic guitars, and adding some heavier neo-psych sounds. “Auld Lang Syne” channels the mood of the Long Ryders, while the throbbing bass line and subliminal lead guitar of “Silent Night” suggests the end of a long night of egg nog. The backward guitar of “Away in a Manger” adds a contemplative Eastern tinge, and the album finishes with the short, meditative instrumental raga “Repeating the Sounds of Joy.” This is a sweet treat, deliciously musical without being over baked for mass media consumption. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | O Christmas Tree
MP3 | Silent Night
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