Talk to most people about bands like Weezer, Green Day, Foo Fighters, or any neo-power-pop band that emerged in the mid ’90s, and there’s always huge debate on when exactly they “sold out” or “went commercial” or “started to suck”, etc. etc.

I dunno, man. Some of them were always commercial, or even perhaps “always sucked”. I always dug Weezer though. I had the Blue album back around ’94/’95 but never really kept up with the band or the various quirky dramatic travails of Rivers Cuomo; I hadn’t discovered the brilliance of Pinkerton until way late in the game. But I’m a big, big fan of Power Pop of the ultra-melodic sort, and that is certainly one area where the band excels.

This of course is apropos of everything when talking about their rendition of O Come All Ye Faithful, from their 1998 EP Christmas with Weezer. There’s no embellishment, no blatant auteurism going on here. They take this beloved holiday standard, throw in some crunchy guitars and smooth harmonies, and just go at it with 100% earnestness. Almost any track off their EP could work here, but I think this one, in all its simplicity and melodic sweetness, just works best for me.