8 box sets, board games, and bleep-bloop boxes to buy the music lovers in your life this holiday

Are you the kind of freak who remembers Dishwalla and Bubba Sparxxx? Can you recite Silverchair lyrics off the top of your head? Can you, with a straight face, tell us what song is sweet like “chic-a-cherry cola”? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are both older than you ever thought you’d be and the perfect audience for MTV: The Throwback Music Party Game, which requires at least a passing familiarity with Riki Rachtman and Martha Quinn to play. To win, players must draw upon their knowledge of the mainstream hits of the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s as they pertain to eight different categories, including Teenage Angst, Best Of Unplugged, and Hip Hop Hits. Card prompts, charades, and, if you’re feeling brave, actual performances are required to prove to your children just how “with it” you used to be. In 30 years, after all, they’ll be doing the same with the TikTok hits they’re currently absorbing.Buy it at .

Does someone in your life need to be reminded of how good guitars can sound? Does this person need to have an amp explode in their face, the sheer power of rock hurling them into a pile of debris, ? If so, we recommend Distortion: 1989-2019, a sweeping new box set that’s all Bob Mould, all the time. Beginning with ’89’s seminal , the Hüsker Dü veteran’s output unfolds across 18 LPs comprised of his solo work, his alt-rock outfit Sugar, and his out-of-print electronic experiments with Loudbomb and Blowoff. Four live albums are also collected here, as are a handful of rarities and collaborations with the likes of Foo Fighters, The Golden Palominos, Throwing Muses, and Vic Chesnutt. Rounding out the collection is a 72-page booklet featuring contributions from Fred Armisen, Richard Thompson, Shirley Manson, and Bethany Cosentino, as well as liner notes from journalist Keith Cameron. All that’s missing are the scripts he wrote for WCW. (.). Buy it .

Described as a “celebration of cats, art, punk, and community,” Cat Magic Punks benefits organizations like , , and with shirts, beanies, masks, mugs, and totes suited for the anti-racist cat lover in your life. Dark, extremely metal designs evoke punk flyers of yore, pairing piercing feline gazes with slogans like C.L.A.W.S. (Cat Lovers Against White Supremacy) and ABOLISH (M)ICE. The designs come courtesy of Ryan Patterson—owner of and founder of punk bands like and —who dedicates the designs to his late kitties, Waylon and Willie.Buy it .

If you, like many artists, find yourself regularly thinking about the scene where he sees scrawled on a bathroom stall, might we suggest getting yourself a Moog? With a Moog, you, too, can make bleep-bloop music that lowers the heart rate and answer questions about what you’re doing in lockdown with, “Just playin’ with my Moog.” The Werkstatt-01 is perfect for the casual user, as it is cheap, patchable, portable, and adorable, requiring no prior electronics experience to put together—everything you need for assembly is arranged in the kit, including a CV Expander. Need a refresher on what sounds, exactly, a Moog makes? Allow to take you back to the instrument’s early days.Buy it .

Jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker’s pioneering brand of bebop blazed a trail that’s been paved and expanded by no shortage of modern jazz greats. Before his death at 35, Parker played alongside the storied likes of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and John Lewis, all of whom are featured on Craft Recordings’ collection of Parker’s work with Savoy Records between 1944 and 1948. The collection, which unfolds across four 10-inch LPs, contains 28 tracks that include “Now’s The Time,” “Parker’s Mood,” and Grammy Hall Of Fame track “Billie’s Bounce.” LP and CD versions of the box set are available, with each featuring a restoration of the original album artwork, new liner notes from Grammy-winning author Neil Tesser, and a booklet packed with vintage photographs.Buy it on or .

American Utopia, Spike Lee’s film adaptation of David Byrne’s Broadway hit, was one of the more stirring films of the year, serving, , as both “a balm and a requiem for live experiences.” In conjunction with the film’s release, Byrne teamed up with artist Maira Kalman for one hell of a coffee table book: An extension of American Utopia that combines the show’s text with more than 150 four-color paintings from Kalman, the likes of which were originally created for the Broadway run’s curtain. Nothing can replace the thrill of seeing the show live, but the book, like the film, allows Byrne’s creation to blossom and take shape inside a different medium. For an artist as chameleonic as Byrne, it feels appropriate.. Buy it on .

Suggesting a streaming speaker for a gift guide is nothing new, but what Oda actually provides is. While the speakers can be used traditionally—hook them up to your stereo, your Spotify, whatever—they also give listeners access to Oda’s quarterly schedule of one-time-only live events and performances from people like Bradford Cox, Jessica Pratt, Madlib, The Microphones, Pastor T.L. Barrett, Terry Riley, and more. Created in part to help support performing artists and musicians, Oda prides itself on creating not only a lovely looking and sounding product, but also one that pays what it says are “meaningful performance fees to participating artists and crew.” It’s a mission statement that’s especially important this year, when the live event industry has been decimated by COVID-19, making Oda a thoughtful gift for the socially conscious music fan who misses a good night on the town. Buy it .