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Sunday, April 12, 2009
I gotta have more sleigh bells
You know, it strikes me that there are a lot of popular handheld instruments out there - the maracas, the triangle, the recently ballyhooed cowbell and, of course, who can resist the sound of a tambourine? At Christmas time, we also see the entry of another reveler to the party - the sleigh bells. You may be asking yourself - Knox, why the hell are you talking about sleigh bells in April. The answer is simple. It's because ol' Knox believes that the sleigh bells should be released from their Christmas shackles, and should be allowed to roam freely across the musical landscape.
Sure, people like Gordon Lightfoot have pushed the envelope. On "Song for a Winter's Night" (still a winter song, but certainly not a Christmas song) we see Gord break out the sleigh bells with aplomb. His reference to his glass being "almost empty" as he pines away in his cabin or shack, in what I believe to be a snowy forest somewhere wherein he toils away at his manifesto, serves to paint a vivid picture of a lonely, drunken man who by candle light, misses his love. All of that is grand in and of itself, but the addition of the sleigh bells makes the song a Canadian classic.
Ok, ok. Maybe the combination of Lightfoot and sleigh bells isn't shocking. What about Austin, Texas' Okkervil River, who on their dynamite track "Calling And Not My Ex" from their album "The Stand Ins" uses the sleigh bells in a more subtler fashion. Only when the occasional Christmas Eve reference is worked into the otherwise witty and peppy number are the sleigh bells inserted. The listener is hooked, and yearns for more sleigh bells.
Then there are songs where the sleigh bells are absent, but ought not be. Take Fountains of Wayne and "Valley Winter Song" from their "Welcome Interstate Managers" album. A great song, with a great wintery vibe that is outstanding, but which could move to sheer transcendence if the sleigh bells were added. Instead, what are we left with? The old, faithful tambourine.
Rise up my friends! Rise up to free the sleigh bells from their yuletide prison! Knox has got a fever - and the only prescription is more sleigh bells.
Posted by Knox Harrington on April 12, 2009 | Permalink
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