Thank You SLUKA! There’s Lastly a Track About ‘Christmas Tamales!’ [Video]
Christopher Sluka is normally identified for his severe, extremely technical, expertly composed orchestral work with a touch of synth, however his latest effort is something however severe. Except you’re from Mexico or the American Southwest, that’s. These of us residing anyplace from Colorado to Baja California know simply how essential tamales are year-round, to not point out Christmas. Now, “Christmas Tamales” is the anthem to the corn-based parcels we all the time wanted for the season, because of Sluka and his band, the aptly named SLUKA.
The lore of the tamale is huge and various, its origins relationship again millennia to Mesoamerican cultures however their present kind, which impressed Sluka’s rousing Christmas ode, are nonetheless very a lot a staple wherever one may discover a big Hispanic tradition. Fabricated from a corn masa base and wrapped normally in corn husks (in Southern Mexican and Central American areas, banana leaves are additionally a attainable selection), they differ by way of their taste and filling. Conventional savory decisions are normally rooster or pork with some form of mole (sauce), however there are veggie inexperienced chile varieties in addition to a great deal of candy choices with white corn and crammed with raisins, pineapples of mangoes.
In Southern California the place Sluka probably found the normal pocket meals, tamales can be found all 12 months lengthy at eating places, taco vehicles and even at many locations of enterprise, the place industrious dwelling cooks will promote them to hungry staff. These home made, recent tamales are thought-about the perfect ones amongst SoCal residents within the know; till Christmas, after all, when a great deal of abuelas from all totally different areas and can all totally different recipes get out their large pots and begin to make them for household and buddies. The Christmas tamale-giving season normally begins proper after Thanksgiving (with scrumptious turkey tamales making an look, after all) and lasts via the New 12 months. Anybody fortunate to be a member of the family, good friend or neighbor to somebody who makes tamales is aware of actually how magical they’re, and it’s clear that is the kind of tamale about which Sluka and his band are singing their praises.
The tune itself is way more lighthearted and enjoyable than SLUKA’s regular work, which tends to be dense, emotive and complicated. Clearly supposed a minimum of partially for teenagers, “Christmas Tamales” is joyful tune, simple to sing alongside to with fairly easy lyrics, virtually like a Christmas Carol. It’s nonetheless bought that SLUKA flare, nevertheless, with a great deal of heat, ambient sound design and synth supporting the well-composed and produced music. Sluka’s vocals themselves are booming and jovial with only a contact of cheek, form of like Jack Black’s in Tenacious D songs. An ideal carol to everybody’s favourite Christmas meals in Mexico and the American Southwest.
Sluka and his group additionally created an equally enjoyable and family-forward animated video for “Christmas Tamales” utilizing AI made by SLUKA bass participant, Anna Eppink. The video is a wild experience via a Christmas wonderland the place yetis store for and put together the Christmas tamales. Tamales additionally dance within the sky because the band play the tune. Whimsical, festive and form of trippy, it’s what one would count on if SLUKA did a Christmas video.
Whereas there are probably different songs concerning the Christmas tamale custom, this one finished with such gusto and enjoyable means “Christmas Tamales” may very well be an on the spot basic. With practically 200k views on the YouTube video already and 30k streams on Spotify, it’s effectively on its technique to changing into a family vacation tune and it’s a good way to tease SLUKA’s upcoming album.