Review: FLYING! - Recess Monkey

1. There once was a band from Seattle For whom writing reviews was a battle So consistently good That even though I should Provide insight, my same-ness would prattle. 2. So instead of writing a review The way that I normally do I took a new tack Went down a new track To talk about this distinguished crew. 3. The band, of course, is Recess Monkey A trio, a band made up of three Guys named Jack, Drew and Daron On this album they're tearin' Through more songs both peppy and funny. 4. They've released their album called FLYING! Effortless, like they're not even trying This album's their seventh It's still free of bad synth And features laughter and (appropriate) crying. 5. In time these three fine young fellows Have matured, though they've not yet quite mellowed They write short, sharp pop ditties For elementary kiddies With lyrics that quite easily flow [Ed.: Better than this, to be sure.] 6. At this point the band writes succinctly And perhaps a little distinctly There's almost no fluff Or extraneous stuff The melodies simply just hit me. 7. Tor Hyams produced this new disk And sonically the sound is quite brisk. Played piano, too Acting as the glue That kept the band sounding their best. 8. Beyond that, there are other guest stars Like Chris Wiser from Sugar Free Allstars [Ed.: "stars"? "Allstars"? that's stretching it.] Dean Jones, Chris Ballew, Justin Lansing and Tom Baisden, too A duet with Molly Ledford, and Johnny Bregar. 9. Most all of their lyrics are great Heroes big and small predominate. A kid's life is his "Day Job," "Toolbox"'s tender but odd, And "Flapjacks" spells out what's on your plate. 10. My favorite songs this time around Are "Toolbox," with lots of quaint tool sounds. "Super Stuffies" is epic "Your Favorite Book" ranks to me second "Bunk Bed" is a Phil Spector track re-found. [Ed.: "Re-found?" Really? Sigh.] 12. The ages of kids who'll think it's most great Would be between that of four and of eight. To listen to songs You won't be steered wrong By going here, don't hesitate. 13. As always I would be remiss, If the artwork I did not address. Jarrett Krosoczka's Comics make the most of The theme the album does possess. 14. So I hope that you're not too offended By how rhyming this review I've amended But Recess Monkey is fab and you prob'ly should grab FLYING!, highly recommended.

Book/CD Review: Two Albums from Mr. and Mrs. Muffins

Some artists are busy recording music for already-written books, while plenty of other artists write their own books to go along with their music. The Seattle duo Mr. and Mrs. Muffins are charting a third, less-traveled course in the family music world -- writing books that serve as the basis for new music. Late last year they released a couple book/CD collections -- The Adventures of Ms. Rabbit and Mr. Carrot and The Striped Ladybird. "Book" is probably a bit strong of a word for those families still strongly in the physical object camp, as the only book available is a PDF document. But the books look pretty nice on an iPad while following along to the mp3s. Musically, both albums are a throwback to a good fifty years or so in the past, with Ladybird offering up some bossa nova and other laid-back Brazilian sounds and chamber pop (even a little Beach Boys), while Ms. Rabbit provides more of a Parisian vibe (dig the accordion). Each album features musical interudes interspersed with narration of the story. The stories themselves are gently moralistic fables, teaching lessons (Ms. Rabbit: making friends is a good thing; Ladybird: it's OK to be different). The concept of the interaction between the book and the music doesn't work perfectly as there isn't enough visually in the book between the narrative to hold the attention of the reader for most of the musical interludes. But the art direction is pretty, especially for Ms. Rabbit. The stories are most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. You can stream both albums below, or, go here to stream just the music from both disks (a "best of" which, thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, will be pressed on vinyl). If you're choosing, I'd go with The Adventures of Ms. Rabbit and Mr. Carrot for the art direction and The Striped Ladybird for the music. Recommended for fans of dreamy stories and sounds for a rainy day -- I hope this is just the beginning... Disclosure: None! I bought these e-books myself.

Itty-Bitty Review: Dandelion - Steve Weeks

Freed from his devotion to the alphabet (see: A-H, I-Q, and R-Z), Colorado's Steve Weeks is back with Dandelion, an album lacking an obvious organizational hook. But what hasn't changed with this new album is Weeks' affinity for tall tales rooted in decency. Songs like the rock-folk "Bartelby Finkleton Will Not Take a Bath," the gentle "My Dog Ate My House," and "The Blizzard of '78" are a blend of Shel Silverstein and Keller Williams. (There is a reason Weeks also a song titled "I Might Be Lying" on this album.) While these songs will sound familiar to fans of Weeks' earlier work, he branches out a bit -- "Birdsong" is a list of well over a hundred different birds over a driving beat, while "Why" features kids asking a bunch of legitimate questions over Weeks' nifty acoustic guitar playing. And the title track is Weeks' finest song yet, a subtly metaphorical look at the usefulness of a dandelion, reminiscent of and as good as Justin Roberts' best work. The album is most appropriate for kids ages 5 through 9. You can hear samples from the album here. Dandelion is a good album for a sunny day, and for a history-making snowy day, too. There are tall tales here, but some truths, too. Recommended.

Itty-Bitty Review: Agreeably Loud!! - Baron von Rumblebuss

It's taken a little while, but the second kids album from North Carolina's Tray Batson, AKA Baron von Rumblebuss, Agreeably Loud, was released this spring and... wait? IS THAT A LOLCAT ON THE ALBUM COVER? OK, I suppose I could probably simply write that, yes, this is the album that has the wildly popular "Did You See (Where the Cat Threw Up, Cuz the Cat Threw Up Again)?," the best song about cat vomit ever recorded. (Yes, wildly popular -- not many kids' songs get fan videos.) It's three minutes of jangle-pop perfection with a hint (OK, a lot) of juvenile attitude. But you probably want a little more in a review, so I'll comply... While it's the best song on the album, if you like that formula, there are some other tracks that might be up your 6-year-old's alley, particularly the power-poppy "(It Wuzza) Boo Boo." I can do without the skits, but that's just me, your kids may appreciate the dorky humor. As for the album as a whole, there probably isn't a more power-poppy kids album out right now -- fans of Matthew Sweet or Big Star who want to share those types of sounds with their kids will find songs like "Skywriter" or "Ooh La La (Play Me That Song)" very much up their alley. The album's going to resonate most with kids ages 4 through 8. You can hear a number of songs from the new album at BVR's Reverbnation page. On Agreeably Loud!!, Baron von Rumblebuss is not just agreeable and loud (if you want him to be), but also catchy and funny. That's plenty for a single album. Recommended.

Itty-Bitty Review: The Little House Songs - Caroline Herring

It's not often ignorance can make for a better review, but it just might in this case. Selected ignorance, in any case. I was actually familiar with Caroline Herring's recording of The Little House Songs, an album (or musical, really) based on the 1942 book The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. I also followed the Atlanta-based Herring as she financed the album via a successful Kickstarter campaign. But the book itself? Sorry, it's one of those Caldecott Medal winners I missed. (I had to check Wikipedia for the publication date.) So while I can't say whether the album adequately reimagines an obviously well-loved book, I can say whether it evokes a well-loved book, and on that score, it succeeds. In brief -- and I say this solely based on listening to the album (though I've now since seen the summary) -- a house is built in the country, an expanding city encroaches upon it, it falls into disrepair, a new owner falls in love with it and moves it into the country once again. Obviously there are themes of wistfulness and the passage of time, and Herring does a great job of conveying those themes musically, such as on the wistful "The City Grew Up Around Her" and "Shabby." But it's not entirely downbeat -- "Building of the Road" is an uptempo folk-rocker propulsively carried along by rhythm guitar and Herring's voice until it just slows down, while I loved the violin's mimicking of wheels on happy "House on Wheels." It's mostly folk, with some songs tending a little more country, all tastefully arranged. Kids ages 3 through 7 will most appreciate the 25-minute album. You can listen to all of "House on Wheels" here and other clips here and here. The Little House Songs is a simple little album, made with care, much as the book that inspired it was. (It's also made me want to read the book, which is always a good sign of the quality of an interpretation in a different medium.) Herring reportedly is interested in doing more of these albums based on children's books. Based on this first attempt, I am hoping she is true to her word. Recommended. Disclosure: I received a copy of the album in my registration bag at Kindiefest.

Review: Outside My Door - Lori Henriques

This review sort of felt like a Krzysztof Kieślowski movie in miniature, with randomness and chance affecting my life (albeit in a small way). I recently received a CD from Portland-based artist Lori Henriques which, while the packaging looked lovely on the outside, had a 2008 copyright date on it. Given my stack of CDs, a 3-year-old CD would not normally be placed at the front of the line. But in a random e-mail, I happened to mention that fact to Henriques, who pointed out that the copyright just applied to the songs themselves, not to the recording, which was, in fact, new. So: yay for chance! Because it meant I listened to this a lot sooner than I would have otherwise, which means I can tell you about it much sooner than I would have otherwise. Outside My Door: Songs for Children of All Ages is unlike any kids' CD I've heard in a long time. It's a throwback to 1970s piano jazz, nothing but Henriques' voice and nimble piano work. It's inspired by Sesame Street, though the lyrics especially are a bit advanced for the preschoolers who are that show's target audience. (Henriques also cites Dave Frishberg as an influence -- he wrote some songs for Schoolhouse Rock!.) It's a Broadway (or perhaps off-Broadway) musical waiting to be made, or perhaps the subject of the first kids' music-themed episode of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, or a Randy Newman album consisting of pleasant narrators. On a slightly more kid-music-related tip, the songs are a little reminiscent of David Tobocman and lyrically it reminds me a bit of Molly Ledford's lyrics for Lunch Money, with words like "ennui" (in "Something You Learn"), "plapable" ("It's Hard To Wait for Your Birthday"), and "Odysseus" ("Mean People"). Heck, it features the phrase "T.O.," which Henriques helpfully provides a Wikipedia reference for. All this eruditeness -- the fact that I'm using "eruditeness" in a review of the disk -- might make it seem very hoity-toity, but it's not. (And not just because she rhymes "goat turd" with "awkward.") The 29 minute album isn't going to cause a lot of dancing; in fact, it's got more melancholy in it than at least 95% of all kids' albums. But kids, if they sit down and really listen, will hear words that do indeed speak to them -- the difficulty of waiting for your birthday ("It's Hard To Wait for Your Birthday") or a secret desire to be a twin ("If I Had a Twin"). The 29-minute album is appropriate for kids ages 4 through 10. You can hear the whole thing here. Also of note: gorgeous packaging courtesy of Henriques' brother Joel Henriques, proprietor of my new favorite website Made By Joel. Another chance discovery. So there you have it -- an album that I said was unlike any kids' CD I'd heard for a long time is compared to maybe a half-dozen other artists. But Outside My Door is something quite remarkable -- an album of "piano jazz for kids" that isn't limited by any of the words in that phrase. A refreshing sound, and an absolute pleasure to listen to. Highly recommended.