Usually, we receive music before it's out in the public, but every now and then things just arrive a little later. Like this collection of Christmas songs by Bad Religion from October last year which only found its way into my mailbox last week. "Hang on, Bad Religion? Christmas songs?!" I hear you exclaim. Yeah, that's right, the American punk rock icons have adorned the world with their take on a wee collection of songs dedicated to the festive season.

The question that remains is "why?" When I first dropped the CD into the player, I was expecting something else. I was expecting craziness. Wildness. Fury. Anger. Yes, I was expecting these classic tunes to be torn apart!

Nothing is torn apart here, really. If anything, this delivery is something I hadn't seen coming: it's kinda nice. And that, for me, is completely off. There's nothing, and I mean nothing, new about rock bands making their versions of Christmas songs, and in that sense, I don't see Bad Religion adding anything exciting.

'Christmas Songs' is a harmless piece of entertainment, something you take out from archive around December time, have laugh over whilst enjoying a pint or two with your mates, and that's basically it. Treasure if you like, it's not so much my thing.