The Yule Logs

Seven seasons and three albums in, Chico’s The Yule Logs continue their rocket-powered sleigh ride to Nor Cal (North Pole? World?) domination. You Ruined Christmas is a 10-song sock-hop romp that continues The Logs’ magic formula of mixing the trad and the rad, the naughty and the nice, the nog and the Manischewitz. And as usual, it’s all good fun, whether these four chaps are wishing us a merry Christmas or taking the piss out of Santa Claus for not paying attention to their Christmas list. They’ve even created some new traditions of their own, including neoclassic “WrestleMania Christmas,” which throws Iron Sheik and Bam Bam Bigelow and some Brian Wilson songcraft into the same four minutes. “Bad Boy Christmas” pines for two front teeth that were casualties of methamphetamine. Thing is, these Chico superheroes are clever buggers—able to leap over youngsters’ heads with a single innuendo-filled line while simultaneously winning them over with a bag of pop hooks, guitar jangles, harmonies and hand claps. And us adults? We get the pleasure of singing along to the endearingly sincere “WrestleMania Christmas” with a straight face. Get it at www.yulelogsmusic.com.