“It’s the holiday season. So hoop-de-do and dickory dock.” You know the rest, Santa is coming so have your stocking ready. Were you good? Is anybody good anymore?

Mute Math has really grown up on their latest single, “Love Light A Way.” The gorgeous vocals remind me of Keane and I could see this group, or Paul Meany (Mutemath transitioned to a solo project back in 2018) that is, exploding in 2022.

It’s always good to hear a live version of “Better Man,” and having PJ pop up on my radar means there must be a live album on the way? Well, how about 186 live albums? To be specific, you now have access, for a fee, to 5,404 live tracks, or their 186 bootlegs recorded over the last twenty years. It’s hard to believe they’ve held out that long, but then again, when you see them playing live, you know they are still having fun.

Do not confuse Goth Babe with Babe Rainbow like I just did. Both release great vials of pop music, albeit different strains. “Smash The Machine” seems vastly different than “Her Vacation” but both offer up slices of pop with a spoken word aspect.

I’ve always been a fan of Best Coast‘s Bethany Cosentino, and her catchy brand of punk-pop. “Leading,” is the latest single from her band which will appear on the deluxe version of Always Tomorrow, due out on January 7th. I’m a fan, though sometimes I feel like this genre is just too easy for her, she’s capable of so much more.

“Tomorrow” is the latest release from Waxahatchee, who wrote and recorded music for the animated Apple TV show called El Deafo, which will premiere on January 7. It’s a happy, inspiring song specifically written to help kids get over things they feel not so good at.

Speaking of Waxahatchee (aka Katie Crutchfield), her partner Kevin Morby is also releasing new music in 2022. “I Hear You Calling,” is from his sixth album due out next October, and word on the street is that this new record will feature a lot of Miss Wax-A-Katie.

Broken Social Scene is releasing “A career-spanning collection of B-sides, rarities, and outtakes pulled from 20 years of 7-inches, compilations, soundtracks, unreleased music, and hard-to-find releases,” called Old Dead Young. Very exciting to hear this band of gypsies rocking again!

Arlie is an artist I don’t know much about, but I like this single, “Crashing Down.” There’s a bit of Fountains of Wayne to it, and a 90’s power-pop feel to boot.

I’ve been listening to a ton of Christmas music this week, so Cory Wong’s “Disco de Lune” is your Jazz Cut Of The Week. It’s spirited and funky with a hint of jazz. So there you have it, enjoy your holiday.