It should be noted that any time we document Milwaukee contributions to the seasonal song canon, it’s with the previously-unexpressed sentiment that the efforts are good…for holiday music. On the whole, Christmas compositions and most other material with an overwhelmingly wintry motif are usually kind of cheesy and have a shelf life that lasts between Black Friday and New Year’s Day. Every now and then, though, there are holiday songs that manage to overcome the preconceived corniness and the constraints of seasonal specificity to earn the distinction of being good songs—period.

On Christmas Eve, Milwaukee-Appleton punk trio Tenement gave listeners the gift of Yule, a six-song Christmas EP composed of odds and ends singer-guitarist Amos Pitsch recorded in his home studio back in 2013. The digital release includes ivory-tickling instrumental renditions of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and “White Christmas,” along with heartwarming original winter hymns. The soft-strummed “The Boot And The Hoof” isn’t a far departure from a deconstructed Tenement song, and if the touching “The Great And Ancient Season” can’t get you in the yuletide spirit, nothing will.

Christmas may be over, but Yule could be just the thing to keep your holiday spirits high as you’re exchanging gifts and making your way back from your hometown. Stream it below or buy it ($3) HERE.

About The Author

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Co-Founder and Editor

Before co-founding Milwaukee Record, Tyler Maas wrote for virtually every Milwaukee publication (except Wassup! Magazine). He lives in Bay View and enjoys both stuff and things.