David Wu's track-by-track notes for The Fringemunks' new holiday EP, "Yule Freakout!"

Listen/Download Now!:
 http://tinyurl.com/fringe-xmas
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Notes are fun, right?  Here goes:

I released this album for 2 main reasons:  1) to generate some interest in the project, using an elastic market (holiday albums get buzz) and uniqueness (there are no other Fringe-themed holiday albums out there) to move the product; and 2) just felt like it.

These songs are not episodic recaps like the main Fringemunks songs.  Thus, they were less detail-oriented, and more about invoking emotion and reflection.  In many ways, the lyric-writing was more natural, while still retaining the "essence" of gross-out Fringemunk standard gag-worthy flavor.

1. Happy Xmas (Oppression Is Over)
   A new recording.  This is actually one of my favorite Fringemunks songs of all - a rousing way to kick off the album, at the very least.  That's of course me playing all the instruments (which is the case for any Fringemunks song).  My new digital piano (a Yamaha Arius) is being used, and upstairs I overdubbed some tremelo guitar - using a Fender Strat and recording it using a microphone (as opposed to plugging the guitar straight into a mixer).
2. Blight Christmas
   An underrated track, released last year (2011) on the odds-and-sods album Bloody Rare.  The song's storyline takes place in the alter-universe from Walter's POV when William Bell informs him that he is at fault for all the blight.  Also an ironic track - very upbeat material, positioned with very dark lyrics.
3. The 12 Days of Fringemas
   A popular track, released last year concurrently with "Blight Christmas."  The piano that I used is at my parents' house up in Seattle.  One year later, the song holds up as a good performance that people should enjoy for many holidays/Christmases to come.
4. Have Yourself a Fine Delicious Egg Stick
   A new recording.  Like "Blight Christmas," this combines 2 elements that only music can bring together:  this time, gag-worthy lyrics are combined with a very solemn melody and arrangement.  Around this time of the year, I frequently hear all these long, drawn-out holiday songs... perhaps by that one Josh Groban dude.  "Silent Night" ... "O Holy Night" ... all sung and arranged so slowly that it's almost comical.  Hence, this song here makes fun of those types of songs ... long and drawn-out, and maybe people will fall asleep to this song some time in the future.
5. The Fringemunk Song (with David Wu)
   This is the oldest of the 5 songs - recorded and released in 2008 (during Season 1 of Fringe) as part of my annual Christmas release.  It's meant to be obvious that we basically copied over the lyrics AND dialogue from the original Chipmunks' recording, with a change in one of the lines.  The recording isn't the greatest, but it's 100% Fringemunks, historical and hysterical.  'Nuff said.

David Wu
5 December 2012