Pitchfork: The Walkmen to Release Christmas Single

Yyyyyyyyou've got a nerrrrve to be assskin' for presents! Yyyyou've got a nerrrve to be caaaalllin' up Santa! And that's a motherfucking fact, ladies and countrymen: The Walkmen-- fresh off a banner year in which they released the sophomore non-slumper Bows and Arrows, and rode out the Lollapalooza debacle by hitching their wagons to tours with Modest Mouse and Cake-- will end 2004 with that most humanitarian of gestures: a Christmas single. The three-song "Christmas Party" seven-inch will feature the title track, another new original appropriately called "Eggnog", and a cover of Jonathan Richman's "Fly into the Mystery".

Though a firm release date hasn't yet been set ("for the holidays", the band's site promises), you can swing over to the official Walkmen website right now and hear "Christmas Party" in its glorious entirety. Judging from the shambling sleigh bells, spoken word ramblings, and somewhat downcast lyrics ("IIIIIII can't stand up"), we'd estimate the band's cumulative blood-alcohol level during this session to clock in at around, oh, 2.5. Plus, it might be the first-ever Christmas release to feature a parental advisory sticker.

Plus, the band is busily finishing out its 2004 touring regimen. Remaining dates:

11-18 Los Angeles, CA - Universal Amphitheatre *
11-19 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield *
11-20 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield *
11-23 Vancouver, British Columbia - Centre for Performing Arts *
11-24 Seattle, WA - Moore Theater *
12-04 Philadelphia, PA - Theater of Living Arts
12-07 Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom *
12-08 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground *
12-09 Providence, RI - Living Room
12-10 Portland, ME - State Theater *
12-11 Northampton, MA Pearl Street
12-12 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis *

* with Cake