Aidan Moffat and RM Hubbert have announced a Christmas album with a difference – well, it’ll be by Moffat and Hubbert, neither of whom are known for festive cheer (at least in their musical careers). A night in the pub with them would be an entirely different matter, we’re sure.

‘Ghost Stories For Christmas’, the duo’s “alternative view on the Season To Be Jolly”, is due out on December 7th on Rock Action, will contain 10 tracks, and be available o CD, vinyl or download.

The album is described thusly: “These are the ghosts of love, haunting happy homes and fairy-lit bars; these are the ghosts of memory, of haunted mirrors, pagan festivities, and unforgettable friends.”

The album follows the pair’s much-acclaimed collaborative debut,’Here Lies The Body’ and features eight new original compositions and two cover versions – we’re assuming that one is the Mud classic ‘Lonely This Christmas’, while the other that we know about for sure is their take on Yazoo’s ‘Only You’ – debuted at Dunfermline’s Carnegie Hall last week, where Hubby hinted at the festive release – which grew from a planned Xmas single which turned into an EP, and then eventually stretching to a full long-player.

All that said, among the songs listed is ‘Desire Path (Baby Please Come Home)’ – the bracketed part referring to Darlene Love’s Phil Spector-produced tune which Arab Strap (with Lauren Laverne) memorably covered.

(Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Yazoo’s song was covered by a cappella group The Flying Pickets and went to #1 in the charts in 1983, its Christmas Number One status making it a legitimate festive tune).

The album is available for pre-order now as a limited heavyweight white coloured LP with signed Christmas card and download card included, and ‘Only You’ is an ‘instant grat’ track for anyone ordering now.

Tracklisting:

Fireside
A Ghost Story for Christmas
Desire Path (Baby Please Come Home)
Such Shall You Be
Lonely This Christmas
Weihnachtsstimmung
The Fir Tree
Only You
Ode to Plastic Mistletoe
The Recurrence of Dickens