Limited Christmas action from Oz funk-soul veterans The Bamboos on the new Christmas single Wrapt In A Beau b/w The Bells Of Holly Hill – at least on wax as this has dropped on unlimited digital too. Indeed the digital version is a three-track EP including extra track Hot Christmas featuring the ever reliable Kylie Auldist reflecting how the snow-less heat of a southern hemisphere might have the edge over a northern hemisphere cold one. Especially in the UK when a wet Christmas is distinctly more likely than a snowy one. On the wax though the sound is rather more evocative of journeys through winter wonderlands what with both Wrapt In A Beau and The Bells Of Holly Hill featuring some heavy sleigh bell action. Well, you would wouldn’t you? And so it is that the jaunty former finds our Kylie (again) all wrapped up in the idea of her man, or, who knows, maybe it’s a literal tangle of legs, arms and sheets. Meanwhile, The Bells Of Holly Hill starts off with a drum break crunchier than walking on frozen snow before unfurling into seasonal orchestral soul. It’s not easy to make a good Christmas track and for the every sparkling jewel like Fairytale Of New York or Back Door Santa (the Clarence Carter version) there’s piles of yellow snow like Millenium Prayer or Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (the Bruce Springsteen version). Happily, The Bamboos have managed to swerve being classed along with the latter – not once but three times!
(Out now on Pacific Theatre)
