THE KILLERS & JIMMY KIMMEL

Joel the Lump of Coal

Island

"If this is how Santa treats kids, I'm just glad that I'm not him." By any rationale, Joel the Lump of Coal is a pretty off-message festive missive from the North Pole. The elves in this song are all sadists, Santa Claus is vindictive and emotionally stunted, and the little kid who tops the annual Naughty List turns out to be wise beyond his years. Still, it reminds me a lot of Mott the Hoople's All the Young Dudes, and all proceeds do go to help fight Aids. So I'm putting it on the Nice List.

KODALINE

Honest

RCA Records

"Is it in you to be honest?" sneers Kodaline singer Tom Garrigan. For a band who've achieved big commercial success on the back of only lukewarm critical acclaim, it is a question that rather throws down the gauntlet for any potential reviewer. You want honesty? You want the truth? This single, produced by Jacknife Lee, is overwrought and derivative. Not only that, if it were a couple's argument I was eavesdropping on, frankly, I'd think one party sounded like a bit of a self-righteous so-and-so. Kodaline's second album, Coming Up for Air, is out February 6th.

WILL BUTLER

Take My Side

Merge Records

The Arcade Fire singer has a solo album (Policy) due for release in the new year. If one had to guess what genre a Win Butler solo project would explore, lots of ideas suggest themselves: minimalist electronica, French-language prog-rock, Haitian voodoo music, etc. Actually, though, this is just straightforward garage rock. And there's nothing wrong with that.

CHARLIE XCX

Breaking Up

Asylum

Break-ups are always difficult. Except when you're Charlie XCX, in which case they're flippin' hilarious. On this second single from her Sucker album, she not only declares that "I Will Survive" but adds "You, On The Other Hand . . ."