Move over, Singing Dogs. And Jingle Cats, your time in the spotlight has passed. This is the year of the goat. The internet has already shown its love for goats who make amusingly horrifying, human-like screaming noises. A Swedish charitable organization called ActionAid Sverige is now taking that love and channeling it into something actually useful. Specifically: fighting poverty. It turns out that goats, in addition to being hilarious vocalists, can also play a vital role in improving the lives of the disadvantaged. In that spirit, ActionAid Sverige has assembled a Yuletide chairty album entitled All I Want For Christmas Is A Goat. The LP, featuring caprine renditions of “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night,” and other holiday favorites, is available at Spotify and iTunes. A subtitled introductory video spells out the album’s peculiar mission statement:
When it’s cold outside and the darkness of winter prevails, the Christmas goat invites us all to an emotional moment by the fireplace. Gather the family and enjoy the warmth, listening to the most popular songs of the season. All I Want For Christmas Is A Goat, a Christmas album warming families all around the world. Listen and spread the spirit to your friends. Give your loved ones a goat from ActionAid this Christmas
In addition to being an admirable act of charity, All I Want For Christmas Is A Goat is also a milestone in stubborn musical absurdism. The lush orchestral arrangements are like those one would expect to find on any Christmas album, except the lead vocals and familiar lyrics have been replaced with the agonized shrieking of goats. The result is an album that captures both the sentimentality and the nerve-fraying angst of the holiday season.
[pm_embed_youtube id=’PL1K_2u71AILJf0Trba9HZgchij2YDKIsu’ type=’playlist’][via Laughing Squid]