Five Christmas tracks to hear this week (Dec 14-20)

Not all Christmas songs have sleighbells. The seasonal offering from Aussie electropop band Confidence Man is a techno banger featuring singer Janet Planet saying “I’ve been nice and I’ve been naughty” in a dry monotone. It also has what looks like the world’s cheapest video, on YouTube now.

Gabrielle Aplin has teamed up with another singer-songwriter, Hannah Grace, to release a joint Christmas EP. It’s called December, after the wistful piano ballad that’s the lone new song among classics such as Blue Christmas and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

“How I hate this time of year,” sing sisterly trio The Staves on their new Christmas song, Home Alone, Too, a melancholy one for the Ebeneezer in your life. They’re also playing three different gigs across London this weekend.

Ruthless rockers Queens of the Stone Age don’t seem like the obvious band to have a crack at Silent Night, but singer Josh Homme does a decent job on a retro rock and roll version in collaboration with CW Stoneking.

Blossoms are indeed having a Wonderful Christmastime – the Stockport band just played their biggest London show at Brixton Academy, so they’ve covered Paul McCartney’s festive favourite to celebrate.