Pitchfork

It wouldn't be the ho-ho-holidays without some frosty, red-nosed, little seasonal releases, and here's one that should get your Yule log sizzling. On December 11, East Sussex vinyl imprint Izumi Records will toss It's Not Like Christmas down chimneys far and wide, featuring classic covers and wassailing originals by a bunch of UK up'n'comers, a few assorted Swedes, and one bona fide Xmas supergroup. If you haven't a chimney, score it now through iTunes.

The Joseph and Mary Chain, no joke, is the name the Futureheads, Field Music, and the Golden Virgins-- all from Sunderland-- and Newcastle singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams have adopted to serve up a rousing collaborative rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas". The festive tune appears alongside jingles from El Perro Del Mar, Envelopes, NME favs Duels, emo-gazers Amusement Parks on Fire (featuring Duke Spirit frontlady Leila Moss), the Electric Soft Parade, Izumi's own Swimming, Duke Special, the Late Greats, and several more.

In the spirit of the season, all album sale profits go directly to Shelter, a UK organization whose mission is to "help people find and keep a home" and to "campaign for decent housing for all."

Stream four jams from It's Not Like Christmas' very own MySpace page, and preorder the album now by clicking here.

It's Not Like Christmas:

01 Duels - "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
02 Iain Archer - "Little Drummer Boy (Black Forest Version)"
03 David Ford - "Have Yourself a Bitter Little Christmas"
04 The Late Greats - "Sleigh Ride"
05 Ingo Star Cruiser [ft. Gaby Froden] - "Just Like Christmas"
06 Amusement Parks on Fire [ft. Leila Moss] - "The Day It Snowed"
07 Duke Special and David Ford - "Of Whoredom and Falconry"
08 Emmy the Great [ft. Lightspeed Champion] - "Christmas in Prison"
09 747s - "Blue Christmas"
10 Amazing Pilots - "White Christmas"
11 Swimming - "In Dulci Jubilo"
12 The Joseph and Mary Chain - "The Twelve Days of Christmas"
13 Minuteman - "Last Christmas"
14 Envelopes - "Pink Christmas"
15 El Perro Del Mar - "Oh! What a Christmas"
16 The Electric Soft Parade - "The Friday Before Christmas"
17 Matt Harding - "Purple Snowflakes"
18 Sketches for Albinos - "Let It Snow"