It’s a bit of a jaunt (4,128 miles to be exact) to travel from Wakefield, England to Whitehorse, Yukon. But that didn’t stop the duo of Andy Campbell and Dave Langdale from naming their fine indie rock group Wonders Of The Yukon. Now, the group offers up a superb seasonal single, “Christmas Not Ending,” a beautifully executed song that is rich in texture and deep in feeling.
When Wonders of the Yukon correlates the vibe of “Christmas Not Ending” with the Bing Crosby standard “White Christmas” there is a clear hint of mischief in the comparison. “Christmas Not Ending” is more a tale of melancholic hoping than aspirational dreaming; less an all-American ‘40s family sitting around the fire on Christmas Day and more a present-day family sat disparately around the house spending the big day glued to their individual phones. There are parallels though. Crosby dreams. Campbell hopes. Maybe Campbell, like Crosby, is aching for that magic sparkle that a dusting of snow can bring. Or maybe both men just want the opportunity to enhance and extend that Christmas spirit and are willing loved ones not to leave.
But, as Wonders of the Yukon humorously suggest “most likely both men (Crosby and Campbell), watching at their windows, dreaming and hoping for the first sight of snow, are in reality praying for a blizzard of epic proportions so that they don’t have to endure the drudgery and dogshit monotony of returning to work on January 2″.
“Christmas Not Ending,” a song they describe as “Christmas folk noir”, is a brilliant new addition to the seasonal standards, bringing to mind the work of Badly Drawn Boy, Sparklehorse, and Canadian artists such as Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor’s solo work, the Cowboy Junkies and the sparse but inviting instrumentation of Daniel Lanois. With a deliberate back beat that glides the tune along perfectly, Campbell’s vocals are soothing, while the economy of words only heightens “Christmas Not Ending.” Campbell sings, while delayed harmonies add a richness to the proceedings. Meanwhile acoustic guitar, electric guitar and mellotron, all played by Campbell, give the single a world-weary but uplifting, hymnal-like feel throughout. “Christmas Not Ending” is augmented with Langdale on bass and the Wonders of the Yukon Gospel Choir adding lovely closing accompaniment.
“It’s like a fever dream in which Michael Bublé is fronting Mercury Rev,” the band says in describing “Christmas Not Ending.” The single was written, recorded, produced, and mixed by both Campbell and Langdale while mastered by Steve Whitfield.
“Christmas Not Ending” is the latest single from Wonders of the Yukon, a group based in the city of Wakefield, England, which is a 20-minute drive south of Leeds. The group, who describe themselves as “somewhere on the spectrum between Queens of the Stone Age and The Everly Brothers,” have performed at various venues in Leeds including the Brudenell Social Club, the 360 Club and Tapestry Arts as well as holding a residency at the Northern Guitars Cafe Bar. Wonders of the Yukon have also had their music featured on radio stations including Radio Leyland. And they’ve been written about in media outlets including Top40-Charts.com and Record World Magazine.
Wonders of the Yukon is the first band featuring both Langdale and Campbell together, but both have had illustrious musical careers beforehand. Langdale was a member of Salako who released two albums in the late ’90s on influential indie darlings label Jeepster Records. Meanwhile Campbell worked as a musician and songwriter at Columbia Records and BMG Publishing. Their musical journeys have seen the pair individually share stages with Pavement, Bootsy Collins, Grandaddy and Sparklehorse among others. Given Campbell’s day job as an addiction therapist, there’s a certain irony in the band’s claim that they formed when Campbell, trying to free himself of a serious addiction to guitar effects pedals, met Langdale as the latter was trying to “overcome the octave high of the pitch-shifter”. Having now been joined by ace guitarist and “custom effect pedals designer” Phil Greenwood seems like an example of either cruel fate, satirical genius or simply a band not wanting to let the truth get in the way of a good story.
What is certain however is that with a simply stunning new single “Christmas Not Ending,” Wonders of the Yukon are set to ensure listeners have a tender, earnest and musically marvelous memory. Wonders of the Yukon have struck gold with this single!
