After reading this, I’m kind of interested in hearing Rodney Crowell’s (Great songwriter, ex-husband of Rosanne Cash) album now. Another unexpected take on the season.
House of Broken Gingerbread - 3/5 I like this one alright. I don't think it's anything special but it's certainly different to the previous songs with its harder arrangement, and it's quite catchy.
House Of Broken Gingerbread is 4/5 Think this is a good track and like that it’s a non traditional kind of Christmas song and Chabon is a favorite writer of mine. He won the Pulitzer and I’m guessing is an appreciator of the Monkees too. What more do we really need? I’ll take that the validation from other creatives like him over anything, like getting into the Hall of Fame One critique - it’s sounds more like a Fountains of Wayne song than a Monkees song
This is a good little tune and I really like Micky's vocal. The subject matter is also atypical yet very welcome - I'm glad to see the whole divorce angle addressed (especially from these guys, given the number of Monkee ex-wives out there!) I'm a big fan of Michael Chabon's writing, so it's very cool that he wound up collaborating on a Monkees song. Much like the rest of the album, it seems, a solid 3/5.
Just read that Chabon will apparently be one (season) and done on “Picard,” because Kavalier and Clay is coming to TV! Hope it turns out well. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay to Become a Showtime Series Anyhow I listened to “Broken House” again and it’s definitely a grower. I said earlier I wasn’t keen on Mick’s vocal. I don’t think that’s it. I would’ve still like some Nez harmony on it, but the production is... Odd. It sounds a bit like Good Times, especially the instrumental break/guitar solo, but with an 80s or early 90s gloss? That big, “gated” (?) drum sound. An odd listen, at first, but it is growing on me.
I prefer my Christmas music to be a little on the dysfunctional side and 'House Of Broken Gingerbread' fits the bill to a T. Another track that I warmed up to much more on repeat listens this year. 4/5
If you ever saw Wonder Boys (with Michael Douglas, Robert Downey, Jr., etc.), which came out around 20 years ago, you already have - that's based on his first novel. Telegraph Avenue might not be a bad book to start with, as one of the main storylines is very music-centric. But much like his "Broken Gingerbread" lyrics, his books aren't light reads - really wordy, really emotionally-focused, often pretty dark. Good stuff, though - he creates great characters!
Not to veer too far OT, I hope, but I agree with @JuanTCB. Chabon is rarely what I’d call a light, breezy read, but he is very good. Telegraph Avenue might be a good start for music fans (Although it covers a lot more than just music), but whether you saw the Wonder Boys movie or not I think I’d start there. Wonder Boys is a very funny, relatively quick, read, influenced by his own experiences as a novelist who found quick fame but came crashing back to Earth when his second novel got rejected and ultimately scrapped (His first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh would also be a good starting place). It’s a stitch. He won his Pulitzer for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, about two young, Jewish cousins in NYC in the 1940 trying to make it as comic book creators (Drawing on a great many real life experiences of actual comic book creators of that time). I’m also fond of The Yiddish Policeman’s Union (An alternate history of the 20th century, by way of detective novel), and Summerland (A young adult fantasy novel that somehow weaves together Norse and Native American mythologies and saving the world with baseball. Love it). Sorry for the lack of Monkees, folks. Maybe Chabon will work them into a novel, someday?
He could have fun articulating all the inter-band drama over the years! His take on Davy would be worth the price of admission in and of itself.
"House Of Broken Gingerbread" Not bad. I like it especially for a Christmas song. I like Miky's vocal (as usual) and it's kind of a kool, off-kilter song. It's not the best but it's really good for this album. Still, taking all Monkees' songs into the equation I can't go above 3/5.
House of Broken Gingerbread I've definitely surprised by the lukewarm-to-cool ratings for this song; I really thought that, with this song's serious subject matter, its window on a rarely seen view of Christmas, and some very clever lyrics in places (and a clever title), this would've been a forum favorite—perhaps the favorite—from this album. Some people slight Christmas music for being, well ... slight ... but here we have some very unslight material, and it's proving not much more popular than Mele Kalikimaka. I also have the feeling that if Nez had written this, it would be getting mostly 4s and 5s. But, I digress. /rant As for me, I think that this song, or Christmas Party, should’ve been the first single. The chorus rocks, and I especially like how Micky’s voice takes off just before the chorus: “Saint Nick and the Wise Men got lost ... on the ... WAY-AYYYYYYY-AYY-AYY-AYY.” And lyrically this song is bold. I’m fortunate in that my parents always stayed together, but a LOT of people haven’t been so fortunate, and I like that this song dares to take on such a difficult topic. I like how the first verse features “two of everything,” and the final line is the song’s most powerful and poignant: Mistletoe is hanging by a thread, and the misfit toys just shake their heads, stockings hung up and full of dread, at the house of broken gingerbread. Mistletoe “hanging by a thread” and stockings being “full of dread” are concepts that just smack me upside the head and help me understand how Christmas can be a difficult time for people who are in or come from broken homes. 4/5
I sincerely doubt that. If we move onto the solo stuff later, then I would be surprised if Nez's later solo stuff is getting unanimous praise and I Know What I Know didn't get mostly 4s and 5s on the previous album. Having an "unslight" song is fine if the execution is right. Whether it was right on this song is debatable, though.
Today’s song is The Christmas Song: A nice mellow effort here from Mike and Christian. It’s nothing earth shattering, as you would expect of a song that has been recorded so many times, but it does at least create a feeling of the season. Something that can’t really be said for several of the songs that precede it on the album. Mike’s voice is still strong considering his age. A cute video too. 3.5/5.
"The Christmas Song" -- 3.5/5 Nothing we haven't heard done similarly many, many times by many, many others. It's good.
The Christmas Song - Nez comes on the scene with his son Christian for their mellow take on this classic Christmas perennial, a song Nez chose as his contribution to the album. The instrumentation is more reminiscent of the First National Band than the Monkees, but it still fits very nicely. I love the video which references different periods of the Monkees career in a cute way. It’s nice to see Mr. Schneider and April Conquest again. We even have new Monkees related dialogue coming from Mike and Micky, even though it’s a little disconcerting hearing their older voices coming out of the mouths of their younger selves, but that’s a slight nit pick. For those complaining about the lack of inter group collaboration, here you go. It is a bit sad and poignant to see the silent images of Davy and Peter sitting right behind them in the video. A 4/5 for the song and the video.
For such a trite Christmas song, Mike and co. sound pretty good. It's definitely listenable. I'd almost go so far as to say I enjoy it. 3/5
