Ruin Christmas Songs!, Combustible Nuts (self-issued)

As promised, the second of two Christmas albums by this Buffalo ska-punk band. This one's title is sardonic, in that it's 14 covers of familiar holiday tunes in which they pull the arrangements apart and dance merrily upon even the actual melodies of the songs. Whether they're actually ruined, of course, is up to the listener; I found them highly entertaining. They thrash "Holly Jolly Christmas" to a fare-thee-well, go way upbeat on "Blue Christmas," take the familiar blues "Please Come Home For Christmas" uptempo and jaunty, impose a minor-key arrangement on "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree," make a waltz out of "I'll Be Home For Christmas," transform "Monsters Holiday," the Bobby "Boris" Pickett followup to "Monster Mash," and turn "Christmas In Hollis" into a more melodic ska anthem. They manage to not make too much of a change to "Mele Kalikimaka," and go crazy on "Christmas Vacation." This is fun all the way through, with playlist possibilities galore. Unlike the other one, this is only available through Bandcamp.