Various Artists: Just Say Noel

Way too many Christmas albums are little more than glorified label samplers: The logic is that fans and collectors will want to hear previously unreleased songs by Beck and Sonic Youth, so they'll buy an album that exposes them to lesser-known bands like Remy Zero and Wild Colonials. These projects don't usually work on a creative level—who wants to hear some bland, no-name band play "Silent Night"—but Geffen Records' Just Say Noel actually succeeds, largely because the album is skewed toward originals rather than well-worn holiday classics. From Beck's seven-minute "The Little Drum Machine Boy," to Sonic Youth's hilariously shrill cover of Martin Mull's "Santa Doesn't Cop Out On Dope," to the late Ted Hawkins' revelatory "Amazing Grace," there's no shortage of events—as well as a nice mixture of irony and reverence. It's designed to put a stylish spin on the holidays, and damned if it does.