Every Tuesday Single Minded highlights new tracks hitting stores (or the Web) this week. On Fridays, come back for rarities, remixes, mash-ups and more.

R.E.M., “Merry Christmas Everybody” [Slade Cover]
Michael Stipe and Co. prepare for their guitar-heavy next record by slowing down a Slade song to one-quarter the original speed. Still, though: works surprisingly well.

Sounds Familyre, A Familyre Christmas Vol. I [Holiday Mixtape]
A lovely, folksy holiday mix — good and warm like a Christmas fire.

Bloc Party, “Say it Right” [Nelly Furtado Cover]
Because we figured we owed you at least one track that had nothing to do with Christmas, here’s Bloc Party turning that one good Nelly Furtado song into something off an early Cure record. Hey, we didn’t lie: it has nothing to do with Christmas.

Various Artists, Santastic III in 3D [Holiday Mixtape]
Oddball Holiday mix reinvents yuletide music by pushing the boundaries of reason and sanity. How far does it push them, you ask? There’s a dub track about Hanukkah performed on a Casio keyboard. So, you know, kinda far.

Wham & the Police, “Every Christmas You Fake” [Mashup]
S-M has some issues with the Police that he’d best not air publicly. Suffice it to say, a mash-up that reveals melodic similarities between Sting and George Michael, well … Merry Christmas to me.