South Park - Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics

Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics is the holiday album your grandmother never asked for, and South Park would not have it any other way. This 1999 favourite comes pressed on 150-gram vinyl.

It was made alongside the show's Christmas special of the same name, with the residents of South Park working through carols, standards and gleefully wrong originals. Trey Parker and Matt Stone voice most of the town, Marc Shaiman co-writes several of the new songs, and the cast is rounded out by Isaac Hayes as Chef and the late Mary Kay Bergman, credited for her final roles.

The opener, "Mr. Hankey, The Christmas Poo", sets the tone with a chirpy tribute to the town's least hygienic mascot. "Christmas Time in Hell" is a full-blown Broadway number led by Satan himself, while "The Lonely Jew on Christmas" gives Kyle a mournful ballad about feeling left out of the season. Chef brings Hayes's velvet baritone to "What the Hell Child Is This?", which is as gloriously silly as it sounds.

The secret is that the music is played completely straight. Choirs swell, orchestral arrangements sparkle and the melodies are genuinely catchy, which makes every punchline land twice as hard.

Keep it well away from the office party playlist and close to anyone who thinks December needs a little more mischief.