by Izzy Grinspan
There's a good reason Hannukah music isn't nearly as good as Chrismas music: it's just not that important a holiday, religiously. Christmas requires songs of solemn majesty -- "Silent Night" and "We Three Kings" and "The Little Drummer Boy" are all so stirring because "Happy Birthday" doesn't cut it when the birthday boy happens to be God. It's sort of like how the Kol Nidre service contains some of the most beautiful music of the Jewish liturgy: religions tend to save the really serious stuff for the really serious holidays. And Hannukah's not that serious. It's a miliary victory, a celebration. It's for the kids. It makes sense that the most famous Hannukah song, at least in the US, is a repetitive child's ditty about a beloved toy.
But just because it makes sense doesn't mean it's fair. How many Jewish kids have experienced the humiliation of the high school Christmas pageant, in which half an hour of beautiful old carols is followed by two minutes of a song written for toddlers? Why can't Hannukah have fun, celebratory music that doesn't suck?
Fun, celebratory music that doesn't suck -- that's "for the kids" but aimed at those on their way out of childhood? Could it be that what the world needs is some Hannukah-based indie pop? That's JDub's solution. This month, along with Reprise, they release the first album by the LeeVees, "Hannukah Rocks." Dreamed up by Guster's Adam Gardner and the Zambonis' Dave Schneider, the LeeVees is a band dedicated to writing cute jangly songs exclusively about Hannukah. Here's hoping they make it to a high school holiday concert near you.