Before British label el records went belly up, they were considered one of the hippest dispensers of candy-coated twee-pop and lounge music from the '70s and '80s. A holiday compilation album pulled from el's catalog of aural confectionary makes perfect sense as so much of the holiday season nowadays revolves around sweets and booze. Shibuya-kei stars Cornelius and Kahimi Karie once eagerly lapped up el's syrupy libations; isn't it time you had a serving yourself? At least you won't get a bellyache from these Yuletide novelties.
Each treat on "el Christmas: The World in Winter," released on Cherry Red Records, comes wrapped in different packaging, but retro Brit-pop -- like that contributed by Valerie Masters, Tomorrows World, and the Arcadians -- flavors most of the batch. The hooch flows, however, once we reach Mr. Martini's "Christmas in Capri," where he raises his glass to the moon and declares: "The only ice is in my daiquiri." The Would Be Goods order another in "Christmas in Haiti." Under a mango tree, they plunk on early-model Casio keyboards, pout over rum cocktails and gripe about the tropics' lack of Christmas pudding.
The eggnog is surely laced by the time Fantastic Everlasting Gobstopper arrives. Their song, "Schoolgirl Psychedelia," has a surly South London youth describing Christmas trees bending toward her to reveal "Elves of many sizes/Dressed in forest green/Dancing on the branches/Looking very mean."