I like Christmas music – exclusively from the day after Thanksgiving through New Years Eve – but the idea of making the stuff sounds terrible. According to most anecdotes about the process, people decorate the studio to make it feel like Christmas even as they record months in advance of when people will buy the music. I imagine that it’s June and well over 80 degrees outside. The studio features a Christmas tree, stockings, and all the trimmings. The vocal booth overflows with twinkling lights and tinsel. You have to get in the mood to belt out “Silent Night” and “Frosty the Snowman” with extra feeling. I get the hives just thinking about such an arrangement.
And then there are people like Ronnie Martin who absolutely love Christmas.
I’ve followed his work for decades, and he lives for this season. Under his now-retired Joy Electric moniker, he made an entire album of Christmas standards in his peppy synth-pop style while also recording a handful of singles for various Tooth & Nail holiday compilations. And after he started making music under his own name in 2022, his second full-length project in that calendar year was an album of Christmas originals.
So, what did he do in 2023 along with finishing his doctoral work? He made yet another Christmas album full of his own music entitled Holiday Fable. Released on Velvet Blue Music, this 8-song project exudes pure holiday joy without relying upon the classics. To be sure, it oozes sweetness and sentimentality like any good holiday album should, but Martin opts originality. Instead of bludgeoning you with new-ish renditions of songs you’ve heard for decades, he chooses pure vibes and impeccable musicianship.
This ‘80s synth-pop musical extravaganza celebrates winter and family.
These darkwave bangers fuse vintage Joy Electric goodness circa Robot Rock with New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Wham!, and Everything But the Girl. Nearly all eight songs are major-key bops with sleekly festive energy. I’m talking bubbly synth pads, thick snares, deep bass lines, and twinkling keyboard melody lines. Martin has given the world well-crafted music that celebrates the holidays, including danceable grooves at the perfect mix of andante and allegro.
What’s even more impressive is how he effortlessly invites nostalgia but without any cheese or schlock. The songs stand firmly on their own while also feeling perfect as background music for any possible holiday activity. It’s a tonal match in terms of pacing, tempo, temperament, and more.
Holiday Fable is a song cycle that follows the course of a perfect winter day.
When the title track opens the album, I can picture kids waking up in the early morning light, ready to tromp in the new-fallen snow. From there, the mood crests into “All Christmastime Sings” as kids gambol in the park, throwing snowballs at each other. On “Noble Fir,” we hear a revised version of “O Tannenbaum” perfect for trimming the tree right before lunch.
With “Holly On the Bough,” sledders whip their way down high hilltops, voices shrieking with pleasure. “First Snow of the Season” has me imagining young couples in love walking holding hands as they walk in the twilight. As “Winterberry Red, Winterberry White” draws us to a close, you get visions of parents wrapping Christmas presents after their kids go to sleep, finally able to enjoy some peace and quiet.
Ronnie Martin has gifted the world a proper holiday album.
Sure, it’s easy to hear these tunes and imagine kids frolicking in the snow in a vintage ‘80s music video. And yes, the record honors Christmas as a modern secular holiday you can celebrate with family and friends while giving subtle nods to its religious origins (if you know what to listen for). But the true magic comes alive when you recognize how the music pays homage to both the medium and the mode of Christmas classics.
Ronnie Martin created easy melodies, catchy arrangements, fun instrumentation, warm feelings, simple lyrics, and relatable themes. By combining engaging music, friendly moods, and welcoming vibes with thoughtful care, Holiday Fable is pure pastoral synth-pop.