I had heard that the 2012 entry in this label's annual sequence of Christmas music collections was supposed to be the last, so imagine my surprise to find they not only did a new one this year, but that they've revamped the website a bit to make this, and previous years' albums, easier to find. Where previous collections had 40 or more songs, this year's wraps up at just 27 selections, including the album-ending goof "The Paincakes Sell Out," 41 seconds of tribute by The Paincakes to the famous album of the otherwise same name by the Who. This is more of an indie-rock collection, though some Americana shows up in the playlist as well. This year's batch opens with the Kickstand Band paying tribute to Pia Zadora with "Hooray For Santy Claus," Javelins crank the reverb on their guitars for the instrumental "This Time of Year," The Next Door Neighbors recycle "Jingle Bell Rock's" arrangement with "Open For Christmas," Love Axe takes the New Testament literally in "Jesus Came From Heaven," PreciseHero notes that "Martian Kids Need Santa Too," Blaire Alise & the Bombshells rock out an ode to "Mistletoe," Carjack/Pupils do a rock cover of "Christmas in Hollis," Jeremy Porter & the Tucos check off some modern pop culture points in "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year," Six and the Sevens evoke the old garage hit "Baby Please Come Home" in "Please Come Home For Christmas," and ScreechGING Weasel rocks out "The Government Don't Get Shit For Christmas." There's more, but you can examine the free download for yourself.
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