For those who like their holiday music to be eclectic and perhaps a little dark and a little strange, here’s a great record for you.

Sun Cru Records’ This Winter compilation brings together a vast array of great artists who excel at crafting truly original and diverse sounds, and tasks them to conjure the various different sides and personas of the season. The vibes range from a Dickensian icy grit, in songs like Wes Tirey’s roughened ballad, “All Praise! (Animal Kingdom),” to some joyful December magic, like on Beast & Bird’s deconstructed and melted down version of”Not Fade Away,” of which bobs along like a Wet Tuna sing-a-long. However you might feel about the holidays, there’s certainly a sound and a mood here for you.

Elsewhere on the album you are treated to Emily Troedson’s movingly powerful choral rendition of “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” Little H Collective’s hauntingly frosty soundscape, “Evenfall,” and The Peel’s backwoods string band “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ jam. There’s so much variety packed into this album, and it’s all gracefully far away from the typical canon of overplayed holiday songs, so it’s perfect for even the people who generally loathe Christmas music.

From the season’s colorful loudness to its cold stillness, this album beautifully captures the very essence of December. Be sure to grab your copy on CD or digital today.

-KH