A Very Cherry Christmas 14, various artists (Cherryade)

There's been a dropoff in curated holiday compilations over time, no doubt because it's hard to make any money by selling physical copies and because dealing with a dozen or two different artists' recording contracts makes things even harder. Case in point, the 2019 edition of this long-running series by British indie label Cherryade, which is only available by going to Bandcamp and pre-ordering the physical CD for postal delivery. They thoughtfully provide a supercut of song previews, but the entire collection is pointedly NOT available to stream or download. For that matter, the compilation is limited to 200 copies, so you might want to act quickly if you're curious to hear 25 obscure indie-pop takes on the holidays. Some of these tunes may be available other ways, and a number of the acts here are frequent flyers on the Cherryade Express. I've been a longtime follower of this series, and you'll no doubt recall reviews of past editions posted in this very location. As with the others, some tunes are wildly amateurish and others more polished, but indie rock fans will certainly find lots to like with the current collection. Of the available tunes, I'm enjoying Ballard's "I Miss Christmas," The Yellow Melodies' "Mi Navidad," Frank Sexuality and the Negative Emotions' "It's Christmas All Around," a Festival of Lights anthem from The Holiday Scene called "Eight Dates a Week (Song For Hanukkah)," The Popguns' "In Red and in White," The Hannah Barberas' "Oh Santa Claus," Cool Sweet Deal's indie-soul "A Very CSD Christmas," GOOFY18's crunchy "Put an End to Sorrow," a goofy nerd fantasia by Sci-Fried called "Star Wars Christmas," Fonda 500's "Christmas Sunshine," and Goddammit Jeremiah's "What If Santa Claus Is Just 20 Ferrets in a Red Suit?" Well, what if? This is out November 22 and is likely to sell out quickly, so be advised.