This is one of those times when there are simply no words. Because you don’t need them. If you’re sick of sitting through the umpteenth overwrought, oversung or overtreacled Yuletide classic emanating from the piehole of some overrated pop star, join the club. Then push play on indie guitar hero Delicate Steve’s much-welcomed instrumental contribution to this year’s holiday playlist. Backed by various side-players from Ween, Arcade Fire, St. Vincent and Cass McCombs, Steve-O retools a roster of familiar carols into floating surf-rock, swampy southern soul, groovy mambo, clattery funk-rock and even epic arena-rock jams. Most holiday instrumental discs sound like background music on the weather channel, but Delicate Steve’s Christmas Album seems more like what you’d hear blasting through the aisles of the world’s coolest mall. Let us all sing his praises.
