Severson: I saw The Chill Dawgs in concert a month or two ago and was shocked to know I'd never had the pleasure of taking in their ultimate party-on attitude before. Awesome dudes one and all (and contributors to the eponymous Dudes Magazine, in many or all cases - drummer Nighthawk is the editor-in-chief, for example). They are a lot of great fun, both on stage and within this recording. I also love the use of "Jingle Dawgs" in the title (and intro) of this song. What better way to spend the holidays than poundin' coldies with yer buds, and Santa, too, and...Marisa Tomei? Heck yes!
Hess: So it's decided, this is the seminal party anthem. When that airy intro, snapping and all, creeps in, you can't help but crack a smile. The vocally intense instrumentation, shakers, snapping and every little thing between provide the perfect holiday sing a-long. The Marisa Tomei climax begs to be heard, and the off mic banter at the end makes the party tone quite obvious. The Dawgs spend their holidays right.
"Happy Birthday Little Jesus" by Black James
Severson: Black James has been pretty much my favorite thing of all time since I first saw her live, but I tell you now she outdid even herself for this track. There's something special about a Daxmas finale. She joins the exclusive ranks of BUTT, Aldo Nagy, Googolplexia, The Frankenhookers, Skarekrau Radio, Strawfoot, Blondiegrunt, and Johnny Vega$, in that order. She really hit it on the head. That ethereal harp outro, complete with chirping birds and babbling brook noises, I could practically swear it comes from a relaxation tape (and if it actually does, so much the better). The dreamy beginning, the drawly vocals, the steam-engine-and-clippity-clop accelerando leading into the repeated strains of "Happy Birthday," it's all...just...so nice. Black James herself tells me she wrote the lyrics to this one as a little kid for an X-Mas pageant she was in. I'm sort of half-hoping that the extremely-pregnant Black James has to be rushed to the hospital straight from her performance at El Leñador on the 15th. Our first Daxmas baby! Well, we can hope...
Hess: Black James lends her voice and melody against a backdrop of other-worldy sounds, tribal drums and backing vocals in an esoteric, thoughtful finale to this year's AVBDC. The building percussion could be the highlight for me, but it's so hard to choose when every part of the song is done so seamlessly. Happy Birthday Little Jesus is as organic as Catholic Guilt's noisy Silent, Night? and as raw and touching as Dubb Nubb's Hanukkah At Home. This song is a great way to wrap up the compilation, and makes me hopeful for next year's line-up.
