This is a head scratcher for sure. When I was in high school my punk friends loved the Bad Religion song “I Want To Conquer The World,” which features lyrics like “Hey, Brother Christian, with your high and mighty errand/Your actions speak so loud, I can’t hear a word you’re saying” and “I want to conquer the world/Give all the idiots a brand new religion.” And then there’s the band name! Bad Religion is not the band I’d expect to release an EP of punked-up but otherwise traditional Christmas songs.
But then frontman Greg Graffin, the punkest evolutionary biologist you’ll ever meet, is a surprising guy. And the thing is, as unexpected as this album is, it works. It’s really well done. I hope my high school punk friends play it this time of year.