It's impressive to me that at this point, their fifth release, they're still coming up with material as brilliant as the first two albums, which I first brought to your attention on this here blog. (I still think they'll never top the title What We Do Is Festive, but damn they've come close a few times!) This year, it's a classic Minutemen album, 1983's What Makes A Man Start Fires?, that gets Snowmanned, reimagined as What Makes An Elf Build Toys? (complete with accurate faux-Raymond Pettibon cover drawing -- the level of detail these guys go to is incredible!).
The half-dozen song set charges out of the gate brilliantly with stab at the most well-known cut from that particular Minutemen record. "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs" is regifted to us as "Bing Crosby Wrote Festive Christmas Songs." Elsewhere, The Meatmen and Black Flag are pulled into the jolly old mix among others (I won't give away all the wonderful surprises found within), all played with appropriate reverence for the originals and enough attitude to make it damn clear you haven't stumbled onto the Norman Luboff Choir here.
So far I haven't seen anywhere to get ahold of a physical copy of What Makes An Elf Build Toys?, but it and all of the previous holiday cheer from the Snowmans can be had for your listening pleasure at their Bandcamp page. Go get 'em, and make your Christmas merry and bright!
