Album Notes

New music for the holidays? Snow Wonder

Geoffrey Code's new album, entitled Snow Wonder, introduces two new songs into the holiday music canon - Snow Wonder and When the Flowers and the Dust Have Gone.

Snow Wonder is an instrumental piece utilizing many instruments traditionally associated with Christmas music, beginning with a simple ascending guitar chord progression, joined by the Music Box and built up further with Christmas Bells, Tubular bells and, finally, in the second verse, the organ. Snow Wonder evokes images of children waking up early to get a peek of what's in store for them on the eventful Christmas day ahead.

The second new song on the album is called When the Flowers and the Dust Have Gone. Jennifer Kapp, a Calgary based singer, makes her recording debut performing the vocals for ‘Flowers and Dust’ as she sings a hauntingly beautiful melody over unadorned piano, singing about the first snowfall and the onset of winter.

The remaining songs on the album are instrumental versions of traditional Christmas carols. Silent Night features improvised soloing over a harmonized acoustic rhythm. Despite the use of four guitars in the recording, the song retains its quiet, pastoral feel about a mood of peacefulness.

The Bleak Midwinter features instrumental theme and variations of the beautiful gaelic melody.

O Holy Night is one of the center pieces of the album. Just as a Gothic Cathedral is designed to compel the visitor to look toward the heavens, counting on the support of Flying Buttresses to support the soaring walls, so the melody of O Holy Night, played on a slightly distorted electric guitar over a solid 12 string acoustic rhythm guitar, compels the listerners to lift up their hearts towards the heavens via the ascending glissandos on the chorus of supporting guitars. A rocking and epic arrangement of a beautiful song.

The album closes with a traditional english carol, The Wassail Song, sending the listener off into the New Year with glad wishes.