A Sunflower at Christmas, The Pearlfishers (Marina)

I can't even remember how I stumbled onto these guys, a Scottish band with roots back in the 1980s under such names as Chewy Raccoons and Hearts & Minds before becoming The Pearlfishers in 1989. This Christmas CD came out in 2004 (my copy is German, btw), but it can't be too obscure: the track names come up when I pop the disc into iTunes. The Pearlfishers are from that school of pure retro-pop rock, think late Sixties, Burt Bacharach-Beach Boys influenced. They take their influences and deliver seven cuts of poppy Christmas goodness with a bit of modern-day influence layered over it. Songs include "Snowboardin'," an ode to the popular sport; "Snow plus Christmas," an uptempo bid to spread holiday love; "Blue December (In the City)," a wistful ballad; the fantastical allegory of "Snow Lamb"; and the title song, performed almost simultaneously with "Away in a Manger" and very much in the mode of that classic carol with a "Pet Sounds-Surf's Up" approach. The hidden cut throws up some Brian Wilson-style a cappella singing. Some will find the full effect a bit cloying, but the individual songs are worth a berth on your mix discs. UPDATE: For 2009 the band issued an extended version with five additional songs, and it is to that version that the cover art links to at Amazon.