Pandemic Christmas, various artists (Green Monkey)

Once again, Olympia, WA's leading record label compiles 22 holiday tunes from their artist roster into this 2020 compilation of indie rock future classics. Yes, there's a title cut, provided by label chief Tom Dyer and his band the True Olympians, and it's a satisfying rock shuffle about the biggest issue of the current year. Tom comes back by himself later in the album with "Gonna Sing a Christmas Song," a primitive little number that owes just a bit to Wild Man Fischer. "How I Know" by Toxic Socket is a perky little rocker about the telltale tips pointing to the holiday, Frankly, My Deer is a female duo performing a lilting ukulele arrangement of Sammy Kahn's "Christmas Waltz," Jon Davis breaks out the synths and vocoder for the original "Techno Christmas," which sounds exactly like you imagine it would, and the Elf-Tones' original "On Christmas Day" is a mid-tempo piano number about holiday goings-on. Jeff & Ed do their own shambolic version of the Bing & Bowie duet "Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth," 20-Twin/Twin go synth-pop for their version of "Up On the Rooftop," Zelda Starfire strums out her ode to kids on the holiday, "Mothers Little Christmas Helpers," and INFRA eD performs an original drum-based chant, "A Christmas Wish." Utterance Tongue covers John & Yoko's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)," Richard Stuverud offers his ballad "By Christmas Time," and Chris Newman Deluxe Combo performs the hippie-rock anthem "Xmas." The Freewheelin' Joe Ross covers Big Star's "Jesus Christ," Walt Perry writes and strums his folkie ballad "Born in a Stall," and Jeff Kelly provided a non-Christmas number "Change is Gonna Come" that he believes is nevertheless a good album closer. I think he's onto something. There's a bumper crop of instrumentals on here too, starting with Yes Masters' "I Hope," Dante & Eros Faulk's "Christmas Eve," Toiling Midgets' "It Ain't Sleazey Being Green," Lisa King's "Carol of the Bells, Approximately," Richard Peterson's "Silent Night," and Dan Tecucianu's "Cinnamon Stars Painted Blue." Another solid holiday collection from the Northwest. You can get it from Bandcamp or click the cover to visit Amazon.