Christmas is about tradition. And here’s the thing about traditions: You can’t just up and make new ones whenever you feel like it. Of course, that’s never stopped anyone in Hollywood from trying to pick our collective pockets by unnecessarily remaking holiday classics like Miracle on 34th Street, The Preacher’s Wife or Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The latest version of the latter — the third, for those keeping score at home – is some sort of 3D computer-animated cartoon. Aside from the profit motive, I have no idea why it exists. Nor can I explain why Tyler, The Creator factors so heavily in its musical landscape. But he does. The Odd Future mastermind and rap provocateur not only cowrote the low-rolling, mumbly ditty I Am The Grinch and drastically retooled the classic You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch for the soundtrack — he also released a reasonably entertaining but decidedly underweight 10-minute EP of holiday-themed hip-hop trifles and instrumentals inspired by the film. As for the rest of the actual soundtrack, it’s dominated by second-generation remakes of classic Christmas fare — The Supremes‘ version of My Favorite Things, Brian Setzer‘s Run Rudolph Run and so on — that seem to winkingly acknowledge the film’s recycled pedigree. So that’s nice, I guess. Also nice: It includes Nat King Cole‘s take on The Christmas Song and Run-DMC‘s Christmas in Hollis. Those are about as close to actual holiday traditions as you’re likely to get these days.
