Christmas

The Weeklings

Jem Records

The new album from this long-running New Jersey band features holiday songs -- some originals, some covers. Most include musical quotes from The Beatles, and sometimes others, like both Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and JS Bach in the song “Joy.” “Dreidel,” a Chanukah song, celebrates with bicycle bells and the sounds of toys.

It’s not the band showing off either. It is fun, playful, as in “Helter Skelter” being quoted in the single “Must Be Santa,” a song originally recorded by Mitch Miller in 1960 and a more recent klezmer version by Dylan. The Weeklings add their own modern twist.

The new, original songs the band wrote for Christmas shine too, like “Festivus,” which is. “Another Year,” with its nod to New Year's Day, takes stock of the past year.

It may be a bit early for holiday music, as it’s only Black Friday as I write this, but with an album like this, you could have Christmas in July and it would still count. You could have Christmas all year with this album, and it would sounds as festive in 90 degree weather as it would in December.

Andrea Weiss