Ben Danger, WECB Music Staff
As Christmastime looms over us, the flood of holiday music has already begun. The question then becomes, what, if any, Christmas music should I listen to? As much as I would like my answer to be “none of it,” I can no longer make that claim. This year, the jolly folks at Adult Swim have provided us with Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas, an Aqua Teen Hunger Force Christmas album. I think this proves that there is a God.
The album opens with a rousing rendition of the classic “Feliz Navidad” being sung by the four main characters of the show. The instrumentation remains the same but the song lyrics quickly about-face to “Meat Navi-wad, chicken quesadilla with the mild sauce.” The rest of the song is literally an order of Mexican food set to the popular tune.
Perhaps the best part about the album is its ability to have both traditional Christmas songs mixed with the off-beat humor of Aqua Teen Hunger Force and original material that captures a similar experience. Included on the album are gems such as “Hark! The Herald Angels Rap,” a song that manages to sh*t on Creed and promote black Jesus to the scratch beat rhythms of old-school rap and the white-as-mayonnaise Christmas song that serves as its inspiration.
Other highlights are the retelling of the Christmas story by Master Shake, “’Twas the Night Before Jesus,” the rollin’ Country Christmas ramble “Santa Left a Booger in My Stocking” which features guest artist Neko Case singing with Meatwad about the joy of receiving presents for Christmas, and the Jersey schmo styling’s of Carl singing “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” a song about football, masturbation, and holiday cheer.
In the final analysis, the album may only be played once a year but it’s worth having around for the gag. As long as Aqua Teen Hunger Force continues to be funny, so will this album, and as long as Christmas music regrettably remains popular, this will serve as a beautifully gift-wrapped middle finger to the bland holiday music that usually dominates.
