Up All Night, The Yule Logs (self-issued)

When The Yule Logs popped out a live album back in 2012, the Mistletunes brain trust thought we might not be hearing much new music going forward, since three albums is plenty of material to base a seasonal act upon. But they're back for 2015 with this entertaining full-length collection. In the past, a lot of their material was pastiches of popular songs overlaid with Christmas lyrics; this time around it's mostly original songs, although the sentiments will be familiar, except when they snark around with them. "A Jingle Ate My Baby" is them messing around with the lyrics to "Jingle Bells," and "Story of Hanukkah" is a short reading of the legend over a Beach Boys/Jan & Dean bed. And they do a fairly straight reading of "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" over a semi-calypso beat. The title song is a poppy ode to Christmas parties, "Ain't Got Nothing {On Christmas Day)" enlists a horn section in service of a soulful number about being alone on the holiday, and "Thought That Counts" recounts the awkwardness of getting unwanted gifts. "Leaping Lord" has fun playing with one of the lyrics to "First Day of Christmas," as does "Four Calling Birds." They break out the pedal steel for "(I Saw Mommy Kiss Santa) Last Night," a different take on the better known song in that Santa wasn't Daddy, and "Oh Dreidel" is an almost "Blue Suede Shoes" take on the Hanukkah custom. Wrapping things up is "Michael and His Christmas Tree," the plot of which escapes me except that they're apparently singing about Michael Stipe. Nevertheless, it's a fun album closer. All their albums are up at Bandcamp now, but you can also preorder the new one at Amazon.