Now that Halloween and Thanksgiving have passed, and with them the spirit of fall, Christmas season descends upon us. I’m sure since the middle of November you’ve been hearing Christmas music for better or worse (I personally would like to wait until after Thanksgiving, but my family is especially impatient), and so now you might be getting tired of it already.

However, I’ve compiled a list of Christmas albums and EPs to review that you may or may not have heard of as they’re not really the typical radio hits. From covers of classic songs to brand-new tunes, these albums have something for everyone.

Jschlatt - A Very 1999 Christmas

If you know Jschlatt, you probably know him from his popular YouTube and Twitch channels, where he’s a fun personality, but certainly a jarring one with his out-of-pocket comments and questionable jokes. He plays video games, does livestreams of events, and commonly does reactions to videos his fans send in, which is more entertaining than you’d think. About a year ago he released his cover of “My Way” by Frank Sinatra and his fans went crazy after he revealed that no, it wasn’t AI. People begged for a Christmas album, and so December 1, he delivered. It’s a short album and only has eight songs, but he really knocked it out of the park. Every song sounds like the greats from your favorite old-school Christmas album, whether by Sinatra, Williams, Crosby, you name it. Jschlatt has really done a phenomenal job replicating the sound of these classic crooners, and his own unique touch makes it all the better. It’s a quick listen, but a fun one, and I definitely recommend checking it out. 9/10

Tyler, The Creator - Music Inspired by Illumination & Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch

Tyler’s little Christmas EP is a very, very quick listen, clocking in at about 10 minutes long, but it’s also a fun listen. Tyler employs the creative production he’s known for, and combines it with some cool concepts and features to bring about this six-track EP. They’re all themed around Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch story, and was also inspired by the Illumination movie of the same story that was released a few years ago. Tyler also got himself a spot on the official soundtrack of that movie, actually. However, this EP unfortunately is too short to really be anything remarkable, and some of the songs are just okay. It’s fun, but nothing too, too special. 6.5/10

Lemon Demon - I Am Become Christmas EP

Lemon Demon is a niche name, but he makes some incredible music. His style is electronic and out of the ordinary, and his songwriting is far off the usual, telling strange and even off-putting stories with his music. This Christmas-themed EP is no less Lemon Demon than any of his other projects, channeling his talent for fun and quirky instrumentals, and pairing it with a holiday spin on his strange songwriting. It’s a rather short EP as well, only coming to 16 minutes total. The first song is also an intro, so there are only four real songs on the EP, but that doesn’t detract from its quality. It does stray a little bit from the Christmas theming throughout, but the influence is clear. It’s a really solid EP from a great artist. 8/10

Sia - Everyday Is Christmas (Deluxe Edition)

Sia is a pretty big name in pop, mostly known for her collaborations with David Guetta on some fun electro tracks as well as a solid solo catalog. Her voice is pretty unique to her style, and her Christmas album has one big hit that you’ve probably heard on the radio—“Snowman”. It’s a solid song, but unfortunately, it might be the best on this underwhelming album. The record strays from Christmas themes a little too often, and while this would be okay, sometimes they’re just weird and you begin to wonder why this song was written, or what it’s saying. It’s not her best vocal performances, but they’re good, maybe just not up to par with her usual. The first few songs are kind of fun, but eventually the album becomes a struggle to get through, with some pretty forgettable songs at the end. It’s a 44-minute LP, but she easily could have cut half the songs and made a much more solid EP out of the content on this album. 4/10

Weezer - Christmas With Weezer

Weezer dropped a gem of a Christmas EP back in 2008 full of songs that you’re not hearing a lot on the radio—church hymns. Weezer put their own rock spin on all six of these songs, and they did it really well. The EP comes out to about 13 minutes long, which makes it a great quick listen. Rivers’ voice is highlighted in most of these songs, and it’s great to hear such a solid Christmas project from Weezer when their LPs are very hit or miss. Every song on this record is enjoyable, and it’s a fun listen, although it leans more towards religious Christmas songs, so maybe not for everyone. 8/10

As ever, I’m always looking for more music to check out, so email me at sjgst03@basd.k12.pa.us with recommendations!