The Squirrel Nut Zippers jump, swing and slum their way through approximations of '30s, '40s and '50s musical styles on "Christmas Caravan."
True hipsters and the cool at heart may find their fingers snapping and toes tapping to originals like the silly rockabilly-shaking "Indian Giver" and the twangy "I'm Coming Home for Christmas." Bad-little-girl vocals give a lift to underheard oldie "Winter Weather," and the group toasts the good old days on "Carolina Christmas," a spicy cider mix spiked with banjos, trumpet and saxophones.
The Zippers are always good, clean fun as far as they go. But how long will an inspired concept stand in for a real band?
