Baked Into Pies For The King’s Winter Festival

Stratagème “James Vs. The Reds” – Perhaps I have been conditioned by the past two years of screening through dozens of recordings by electronic-punk bands to expect oppressive monochromatic arrangements, but the most immediately satisfying thing about Stratagème’s debut EP Recession is that the songs all have unconventional structures that actually surprised me without seeming illogical or jarring. The band is clearly in love with texture, playfully adding in new sounds whenever the songs seem to be moving in a predictable path. There’s a great sense of movement and space in their compositions, as though they intend for sections of their songs to feel like distinct places. The vocals are very much of the “shouting poetic truths of high school journal keepers” school of punk singing, so I find it especially amusing that the lead singer is actually a high school student and that one of their upcoming shows will be at a school fundraiser. (Click here to buy it from Judah Records and here to visit the Stratagème website.)

Ed Shepp “The Christmas Story” – Nevermind what you’ve read in the Bible or have seen on tv. Ed Shepp tells the story of the first Christmas as it truly happened, and along the way explains the origins of Christmas iconography such as Christmas trees, candy canes, and flying reindeer. (Click here to visit the Ed Shepp website.)