Maybe Next Year, The Layaways (self-issued)

The Layaways are an indie-rock band from Chicago with a pop sensibility, and they started out in the Christmas realm with a three-song EP in 2006. For 2009, they added seven more tunes, including two originals, and fleshed it out into this album. Though these guys are pop-rockers, the whole tone of this album is mostly midtempo and pensive. The title song is a swaying original, and the other original, "Greeting Card," is an acoustic guitar ballad about a struggling relationship at the holiday. "O Christmas Tree" almost starts out like a Flight of the Conchords version with unadorned drums and guitars, and "Auld Lang Syne" has a similar approach. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," ironically, is a little dour-sounding. "Joy to the World," "Angels We Have Heard On High," "Silent Night," "Away in a Manger" and the reprise of "Joy" called "Repeat the Sounding Joy" are all instrumentals. A little more in the way of uptempo numbers would have helped this collection, but taken all together it's not a bad little album. You can download a couple of numbers free at the band's website, linked above.