Jethro Tull wear the holiday spirit well — think Aqualung after the Christmas ghosts have had their way with him. The originals simmer with eccentric, eclectic, folky energy, rocking ditties threaded through with Celtic stylings, jazzy undercurrents, Ian Anderson's distinctive flute and wry humor. The spry "Last Man at the Party" celebrates the excesses of the season, while the wistful "First Snow in Brooklyn" is a winter's tale about cooled romance. Though the Tull tunes lilt with carol-esque abandon, the reworked traditional songs are the tracks that really sparkle. On "Greensleeved" the band spices up the seasonal classic with a dash of bossa nova flair; "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "We Five Kings" swing sassily with jazzy syncopation; and "Holly Herald" is a sprightly take on "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." Few things are more festive than accomplished musicians having a dickens of a good time, and that's what this album is all about.

“Time to Pretend”

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”