Music | 2012 Holiday Gift Guide

Christmas time is here The gentle, jazzy piano licks in Vince Guaraldi�s A Charlie Brown Christmas ($11.99) soundtrack are as essential to the season as reruns of the annual TV special. The bossa-nova lilt in classics like �Christmas Is Coming� conjures images of Schroeder pounding away at the keys while fending off Lucy. A newly remastered CD includes three bonus tracks, including winter standby �Greensleeves.� A green vinyl edition ($16.99) is also offered, as is a digital version from iTunes ($9.99). Available at Laurie�s Planet of Sound, 4639 N Lincoln Ave (773-271-3569).

Poster op Jay Ryan�s not the only one drawing up inventive poster art. Take a look at the prints by Dan Grzeca ($20 and up). Working out of his Ground-Up Press, the local artist offers dozens of creatively boundless color designs for gigs by the Black Keys, Jeff Tweedy and Andrew Bird, plus indies lower on the food chain like White Denim (pictured). Available at groundup.bigcartel.com.

iFads Brian Eno�s hardly the first musician to tap into the iPad�s sonic possibilities, but Scape ($5.99), his new app codesigned with Peter Chilvers, may be the most fun, pulling from a broad palette of ambient sounds. Shapes and colors take on the properties of glistening tones and washy textures. Make your own Music for Airports on a CTA ride to O�Hare. Available at itunes.apple.com.

Beck by the book There�s one catch to Beck�s new album�you can�t play it. Well, you can if you read music. The pop savant�s Song Reader ($34), a collabo with McSweeney�s, contains sheet music for 20 new songs. With a handsome hardcover case, the set includes custom artwork for tunes by the likes of Marcel Dzama and others. Available at Quimby�s, 1854 W North Ave (773-342-0910).

Minus plus Hometown faves Featherproof and Drag City put their heads together to give us The Minus Times Collected ($16.95), collecting 30 issues of the offbeat lit mag published over 20 years. Appropriately peculiar artwork complements typewritten fiction and interviews that aren�t limited to music, including contributions from the Silver Jews� David Berman, Cat Power�s Chan Marshall and Pavement�s Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. Available at Quimby�s, 1854 W North Ave (773-342-0910).

Minus plus Hometown faves Featherproof and Drag City put their heads together to give us The Minus Times Collected ($16.95), collecting 30 issues of the offbeat lit mag published over 20 years. Appropriately peculiar artwork complements typewritten fiction and interviews that aren�t limited to music, including contributions from the Silver Jews� David Berman, Cat Power�s Chan Marshall and Pavement�s Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. Available at Quimby�s, 1854 W North Ave (773-342-0910).