Having just listened to the incredible "Turbulence" by Cosmos, the idea of a Christmas album by Cosmos is stunning and a little scary. Christmas music is, almost by definition, elementary, simple, and repetitive. Cosmos is dynamic, stunning, envelope-pushing, crazed a cappella, arranged (by the group) like nothing you have ever heard before. The bold, colorful liner notes, with an accordion foldout lyric book with photos of the six young men hamming it up in formal wear all warn us - this is not your Grandmother's Christmas album. All but one of the cuts has a Latvian title ("Klusa nakts," "Aija, Ancit, aija," "Jus, ticigie, naciet," "Supula dziesma," "Vakars," "Circenisa Ziemassvetki," "Ticu un viss," "Neticu un viss," "Reiz meza dzima eglite" and "Rukisi un Mezavecis;" the Bobby McFerrinesque "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" speaks for itself. But we recognized "Silent Night," "O Come All Ye Faithful," and a very cool, jazzy, almost unrecognizable version of "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer," as far as we can tell! "Ticu un viss" is bizarre, funny, unbelievable and wonderful, like Christmas music from another planet. It will blow your mind and open it, to the immense creative power of the human voice - and, for that matter, of Christmas!