Various Artists

A Santa Cause: It's a Punk Rock Christmas

Immortal Records

With the holidays upon us, it is of course time for a slew of holiday albums to be unleashed. Some will be stellar and some will suck. But if you are looking for a comp of Christmas tunes that boasts both originals and covers from some of the hottest punk and emo acts, then look no further than A Santa Cause. Not only does the line-up on the CD read like a who’s who of punk young and old, but a portion of the proceeds from sales goes to the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Revamped versions of Christmas classics come courtesy of Acceptance (“So This Is Christmas), In Memory (“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year), Matchbook Romance (“I’ll Be Home for Christmas) and Stand Still, with the altered “I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus.” The originals on A Santa Cause are clever, rockin’ and guaranteed to bring merry cheer. The best track on the album comes from Chicago’s Fallout Boy with the acoustic “Yule Shoot Your Eye Out.” Honorable mention goes to Something Corporate’s piano-rock tune “Forget December,” The Matches’ “December Is for Cynics,” and Punchline’s “Icicles.” New Found Glory and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones also kick in a pair of killer songs. But hands down, the best line on the entire album comes from, of course, Blink 182's “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas”: “And even though the jail didn’t have a tree / Christmas came a night early / Cause a guy named Bubba unwrapped my package.” There’s nothing like a little punk rock, emo and hardcore to get you in the holiday spirit, so pick up A Santa Cause, help out a good cause, and snag a copy of one of the best punk comps of the year.

Leah Weinberg