“Daylight’s fading away / And even though it’s almost here / Christmas is further away this year.” So sings Milwaukee musician Brett J.B. on the tear-jerking “Further Away,” a strong new entrant in the ever-popular “melancholy Christmas song” genre. (For a slightly more upbeat local holiday tune, see last year’s “Give It All Away.”) The song is the opening track to A Very Melty Christmas, a Christmas/holiday/winter-themed compilation from Milwaukee/Cleveland/Taipei artist collective Meltwater Pulse.

A Very Melty Christmas isn’t just a collection of sad wintertime ditties: Dr. Bassie contributes the sunny reggae jams “12 Day Of Rastafari” and “Speakers’ Corner” (the former with The Cultivator); D WiZ The M.C. adds some slush-kicking hip-hop with “Gifted”; and Murphy Kaye chips in “Holiday Song” and “Holiday In 6/8.” Okay, the two Murphy Kaye tracks probably qualify as “sad wintertime ditties,” but gosh, they’re excellent. (Also, dig that vintage view of Wisconsin Avenue!)

“Be prepared to be whelmed by this nostalgia-ridden, third-eye-opening look into the different ways we experience the holidays,” reads a Very Melty press release. Here’s to a whelming holiday season, Milwaukee.

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Matt Wild weighs between 140 and 145 pounds. He lives on Milwaukee's east side.