Indie rockers Panther have promised to record a cover song every month for the next two years

The world of free, legal online music continues to grow, absorbing more and more artists and musical styles. As a sure sign of its growing popularity, it now encompasses Christmas music. Don’t panic, though — there’s still the usual bevy of hip hop mixtapes. Those things are like cockroaches and rock ’n’ roll. They’ll never die.

Various Artists — XO for the Holidays (www.xopublicity.com/xofortheholidays.html)

One of the unfortunate realities of December is that cheesy Christmas music becomes as unavoidable as contact with syphilis was amongst the literary elite in Reformation-era England. As long as you can’t avoid aggravating musical holiday cheer, you might as well have something tolerable to put on when sipping a rum and eggnog amid piles of new possessions.

Luckily, XO Publicity is around to save the day — and keep Toby Keith’s Classic Christmas gathering dust a little longer — with XO for the Holidays. The album is an all-around listenable collection of mainly original Christmas-themed ditties by several of the publicity firm’s indie clientele, including Service Group, Romeo Spike and Benjamin Bear. Make no mistake, it’s still Christmas music — which ranks just above -30 C weather and just below slipping and falling on ice on the list of annoying things about winter. Still, ’tis the season and you could do a lot worse.

Colin Munroe — Is the Unsung Hero (www.onsmash.com/unsunghero/)

The name Colin Munroe is one that readers would do well to remember. The Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer has the potential to get huge. Colin Munroe is the Unsung Hero shows just why he might be ruling the charts in a couple of years. The album is a multi-headed gem that finds Munroe jumping all over the place with ease. He bounces from cool electro, ’60s-leaning pop to club-friendly hip hop and even a banjo-driven cover of U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and somehow makes it all work together. He also aligns himself with some of the best emerging talents in hip hop, such as Wale, Black Milk and MIMS, who all lend their skills to Munroe’s impressive freebie.

Nipsey Hu$$le — Bullets Ain’t Got No Name Vol. 2 (www.zshare.net/download/50979308cc4d53a8/)

Speaking of emerging hip hop talents — and continuing to try to get as far away from Christmas music as possible — Nipsey Hu$$le’s Bullets Ain’t Got No Name Vol. 2 certainly marks him as an up-and-comer in the gangster rap game. The MC skillfully navigates the typical gangster subject matter with undeniable charisma and bluster. What really stands out about the album, though, is its rich production, which is more varied and challenging than what’s usually found on free mixtapes. On the surface, Bullets might seem like little more than yet another entry in the endless string of hip hop mixtapes, but it’s better than a lot of hip hop albums getting proper release these days.

Also worth downloading this month is an interesting project by Kill Rock Stars act Panther. Panther main man Charlie Salas-Humara has pledged to post a new cover on his blog (rhinestoneneckbrace.blogspot.com/) every month for the next two years. So far, the only entry is a laid-back cover of The Bee Gees’ pre-disco track “To Love Somebody,” but considering Panther’s eclectic indie-electronic-funk sound, checking in on the project now and then could be very rewarding.