We are overdue for a good Hanukkah song compilation. Thanks to Grammy-winning music supervisor Randall Poster one is arriving by special delivery today via Verve Forecast. Hannukah+ features a mix of original holiday-themed songs along with new interpretations of old favorites performed by the likes of HAIM, The Flaming Lips, Adam Green, Buzzy Lee, Yo La Tengo, Jack Black and more. Listen to four songs off the album below, Jack Black’s spirited a cappella rendition of “Oh Hanukkah,” Yo La Tengo’s 60s-sounding “Eight Candles,” Loudon Wainwright III’s fun and folksy “Eight Nights a Week” and HAIM’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s “If It Be Your Will.”

Hanukkah+ is the brainchild of Randall Poster. He might not be a household name, but Poster has had a hand in the music found in many of today’s most beloved films. Working with such directors as Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Todd Haynes and Richard Linklater, Poster has selected and negotiated the rights to songs for Rushmore, Velvet Goldmine, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Squid and the Whale, The Hangover, Spring Breakers, School of Rock, The Wolf of Wall Street, Boyhood, and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, just to name a few. So, he knows a thing or two about music, all kinds of music.

In putting together the compilation, Poster said in a statement, “With the collision of these artists and songs, I tried to create a spiritual reflection of one of the three big Jewish holidays. How do you make something where each song is part of a whole? I built it piece by piece, artist by artist.”

As for highlights from the album, besides the four songs below, Adam Green serves up a catchy holiday-themed baroque pop ditty, “Dreidels of Fire,” Holy Ghost!’s Alex Frankel gives the Jewish fest an electro twist with “Hanukkah In ’96” and the Watkins Family Hour covers Woody Guthrie’s “Hanukkah Dance”. Also, Craig Wedren gets serious with his new song, “Sanctuary.” You can stream the album on your preferred streaming service here, or find most of the songs here on YouTube.

Yo La Tengo & Sun Ra Arkestra, Hanukkah 2017, Night 8

In New York City indie rock and comedy circles, the festival of lights is associated with Ira Kaplan’s New Jersey trio, Yo La Tengo. For a better part of 18 years, the band has been organizing a guest-filled run of shows that coincide with the holiday. This year, these shows take place December 22-29 at the Bowery Ballroom. Yo La Tengo’s annual celebration is said to be the inspiration behind the compilation.

Hanukkah+ is available digitally and on CD now. It’s out on vinyl on December 13. You can purchase all formats here.

Hanukkah+ Track List
01 Jack Black – ‘Oh Hanukkah’
02 Adam Green – ‘Dreidels Of Fire’
03 Yo La Tengo – ‘Eight Candles’
04 HAIM – ‘If It Be Your Will’
05 The Flaming Lips – ‘Sing It Now, Sing It Somehow’
06 Alex Frankel – ‘Hanukkah In ’96’
07 Buzzy Lee – ‘Give You Everything’
08 Tommy Guerrero – ‘Dedication’
09 Loudon Wainwright III – ‘Eight Nights A Week’
10 Watkins Family Hour – ‘Hanukkah Dance’
11 Craig Wedren – ‘Sanctuary’
12 Jack Black – ‘Chad Gadya (Passover Bonus)’