A Caroling We Will Go

I love Christmas music and when I say that I love Christmas music, I mean I love all TYPES of Christmas music. You can't beat the traditional stuff ala Mel Torme, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, etc...but this time of year, I also find myself on a quest to find holiday tunes you won't hear while shopping for a last-minute fruitcake at Walgreen's. Be it modern covers of the classics to originals of their own modern bent, it's an obsession that comes up each and every year.

Much of the latter usually finds it's way to my annual holiday mix, but while you wait for me to post up w/ this years audio gift bag to get the sugar plums dancing in your head (look to the skies early next week)...here are a few standouts of a non-traditional variety for you to check out:

'Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus'

An excellent compilation from the Sympathy for the Record Industry label, this'll incite you to cover yourself in x-mas lights and set the tree on fire just to watch it burn. Well, maybe not that excited...but you'll have a lot of fun w/ new tunes and new takes on old tunes served up in surf/garage/punk rock wrapping from artists like Rocket from the Crypt, New Bomb Turks, Man or Astroman, Mono Men, Supersuckers and Go-Nuts just to name a few.

'Tis' the Season for Los Straitjackets'

Instrumental versions of x-mas classics performed in a surf rock manner by an amazing band wearing Mexican wrestling masks...what's not to love? Really though, Los Straitjackets are no novelty act and bring forth a wonderful sounding uptempo holiday album that will have the entire family twisting by the chimney with care. One of my personal favorites.

'Merry X-mas from the Space-age Bachelor Pad'

I have been on a big space age pop/lounge kick as of late and thanks to my good friend, Miss Yvonne, I finally got my hands on the fantastic holiday offering from the genre's King himself, Esquivel. A mess of big-sounding lounge-esque holiday magic complete w/ instrumentalization using everything but the kitchen sink and plenty of POW DOO DOO ZA ZA ZA ZOOOOOOO-WOW! Can be enjoyed ironically or for the fun album it actually is at any 'holiday happening'.

The first two are availble via iTunes and you can pick up a copy of the third on Amazon or, likely, other means of an e-variety if you look hard enough. I'll have a lot more musical fun for you all w/ the holiday mix early next week...kids on the naughty list get first dibs.