Review: My Name Is Chicken Joe (Book/CD Set) - Trout Fishing in America

With about 30 years of recording behind them, Trout Fishing in America have a back catalog that is plenty large enough with which to start doing some interesting things. To wit, My Name Is Chicken Joe, the first book collaboration the duo of Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet have done with The Secret Mountain publishing company. The collection is out this week and it essentially is a "best of" collection of some of Trout's wordier, folkier tracks. The "star," so to speak, of the 11-track collection is "Chicken Joe," which gets its lyrics (about animals with non-sensical names like the cat named "Chicken Joe") illustrated over a couple dozen pages. The illustrations by Stephane Jorisch remind me of gonzo illustrator Ralph Steadman with about 90% less gonzo. (There is no other way to describe them than "cute.") Lyrics to the other ten tracks each get a couple pages of illustration as well. But we're mostly about the music here. The 11 tracks -- all previously-released -- include a number of excellent Trout Fishing tracks, not just the title track, but also "My Best Day," "It's A Puzzle," and "Fill It Up." For the most part, the selections tend toward the folkier (notwithstanding the rocking "I Can Dance" and the klezmer-touched "Boiled Okra and Spinach"). It's a fine collection, but it by no means is a complete Trout Fishing "Best Of." The collection lacks Trout classics such as "18 Wheels on a Big Rig," "Three Little Ducks," and "The Window," but those are songs that depend upon interaction between Grimwood and Idlet and not so much on the lyrics. Written down on paper, those latter songs wouldn't be so interesting -- it's Trout's classic live stage banter that makes those songs favorites to many listeners. The songs here are songs on which the lyrics themselves take center stage. The songs will be of most interest to kids ages 5 through 9. (The book, maybe a little younger.) You can hear clips of the 33-minute album wherever books/CDs are sold online (or watch this video of the title track). If you're interested, you can also buy the CD just by itself, but with the book barely costing more than the CD, I say go for the book. (I should note that book itself is of high quality -- typically the books in these book/CD arrangements have a pretty cheap feel to them, but not this one.) Longtime Trout Fishing in America fans will likely appreciate the book My Name Is Chicken Joe because it marries some delightful illustrations to a sweet Trout song, though may be disappointed by the lack of even a single new track. I'd recommend it more to newcomers to the band, who may appreciate the book more for that "best of" quality. Here's hoping, though, it leads to a couple more books (and, by extension, a couple more greatest hits volumes).

Itty-Bitty Review: Goodie Bag - The Hipwaders

Rather than record a full-length follow-up to their fine 2007 collection Educated Kid, the Bay Area band The Hipwaders decided to save a little money and record just an EP, Goodie Bag, released last week. The band packs in quite a bit of music into the 16-minute EP and while there's nothing as completely amazing as the title track to their Educated Kid disk, there's a lot here to enjoy. From the crunchy power-pop snippet "Birthday Ruckus" to the jazzy punk "Field Trip" to the XTC-punk of "Things You Want," the band covers a lot of musical territory and chords you don't hear so much of in the genre. They're not recording "Jazz Odyssey" by any means, but songwriter and guitarist Tito Uquillas likes to write songs celebrating the imagination or creativity -- "My New Camera" or "What's That Noise?," for example -- and the trio's music never fits a cookie-cutter pop mold. Fellow Bay Area musician Gunnar Madsen also makes an appearance on the title track, the goofiest track here. The album will appeal most to kids ages 4 through 9. You can hear clips at the album's CDBaby page or hear full clips plus lead Hipwader Tito's thoughts on the EP here. As far as goodie bags go, this particular one would be an excellent stuffer at your kids' next party. A tiny but recommended collection of songs.

Review: Pink! - Rocknoceros

I've been listening a lot to Pink, the third album from the DC-area band Rocknoceros, set to be released this week, and it's probably probably appropriate that I've been doing so while giving the upcoming Recess Monkey album a few spins. I've said before that the two bands share similarities in my mind -- besides the obvious fact that they're both trios, they also share a sense of humor, earnestness that isn't cloying, and rabid fanbases in their hometowns. Like Recess Monkey, Rocknoceros also writes some excellent songs, and that continues to be true on this latest release. The album starts with the exuberant title track, perhaps the most hyper song in the band's oeuvre. You're plunged right into the album, kids are shouting the chorus, and you're wondering if maybe the band should cut back to a couple espresso shots a day. But rest assured that sanity returns -- "The Train Song" could've been written 60 years ago in its gentle swing and explanation of the different parts of the train. The fabulous "Playground" is a missing Byrds kids song, and "Big Wheel" is a crunchy Southern rocker with the irresistible refrain "How far can a Big Wheel ride?" Some songs, like "Lucky Lindy" downright take their time getting to where they want to go. (I can do without "Virginia," the song, if not the state, but given how big the band's fanbase is, I'm just waiting for "DC" or "Maryland" on the next album.) Like the previous two Rocknoceros albums, Pink! is geared at primarily a preschool, early-elementary crowd. There is no small amount of advice-giving as on "Put Your Hat On," "Nappin' Time," and (for the parents) "Don't Give Up" but it's put over with such tunefulness that it will stand up to repeated parental listens. The band sounds remarkably full-bodied for being just a trio, and the album sounds great sonically. You can hear that sonic quality throughout the whole album, but especially on the final track "Always Tell Your Grandma," which is every bit as reserved as "Pink" is exuberant. The a capella harmonizing on the 2-minute track of advice-telling (tell you grandma you love her -- tell your parents you love 'em) ends up sounding almost like a hymn. That sounds ponderous and awful, but it's one of my favorite tracks of the year thus far. The album is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 8. You can hear samples from the 39-minute album at its CDBaby page (as well as a few live cuts at Rocknoceros' main page). While there isn't an absolute classic song like "Big Head" or "Pluto" and the band's humor is a little more muted on this offering, Pink! is definitely the band's most consistent and fullest-sounding album yet. It's only a matter of time before the band starts conquering other states besides Virginia -- there are many other states who could use a new state song. Definitely recommended.

DVD/CD Review: Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever

It's a sign, I think, of how popular Gustafer Yellowgold has become that I don't feel the need to spend much time explaining the character or the whole concept in this review. A lot of readers will probably be familiar with Gustafer and his fellow characters and the "moving picture book" style of animation developed by the songwriter and illustrator behind Gustafer, Morgan Taylor. It's actually that familiarity that Taylor uses to his advantage in Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever, his third collection of Gustafer tunes and animated videos. Instead of focusing mostly on Gustafer, some of the songs/videos here focus on other characters, almost to the exclusion of Gustafer. "Sugar Boat" (which features Wilco's John Stirratt and Pat Sansone and a soaring chorus) revolves around Gustafer's biggest fan, Wincey the ferret. Sisson the blue worm is the focus of "Quite Easily Lost," animated to a gentle pop duet between Taylor and Lisa Loeb. It's no longer necessary to have Gustafer be the protagonist all the time. Indeed, the funniest track on the collection, "Panther Stamps Pants" features the pterodactyl Forrest Applecrombie and some excellent whistling. There's also more backstory to Gustafer than we've had before, which provides some of the more moving moments on the disk. "Butter Pond Lake" should've been a hit on AM radio 35 years ago, telling the story of summer family vacations back on the sun. "Sunpod" obliquely tells the story of Gustafer leaving his home on the sun to live on earth, and while it's not depressing, you can't tell a story like that using humor. (And, hey, the tinge of sadness that runs through some of the Gustafer songs is one of the things that sets it apart.) The story of his arrival is carried on in a later video for "Underwater Stars," and it's that unity in the disk (shown also in "Constellation Pies," which is essentially an instrumental recap of the songs that have come before) that make it the most solid disk yet. If there's a downside, it's that I didn't like the songs overall quite as much as I did on Have You Never Been Yellow?. The songs are good, they just had slightly less "oomph" for me overall compared to its predecessor. The disk is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 8. You can watch videos at the Gustafer website or on YouTube. The package includes both a DVD and a music-only CD, so you can whistle along to "Panther Stamps Pants" at work or in the car. The DVD also includes a mockumentary "Looking For... Gustafer Yellowgold" which will completely mystify your kids but bring a chuckle or two to the adults. Three albums in, I think Morgan Taylor is just now scratching the surface of what he can do with Gustafer Yellowgold. Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever is another collection of strong indie-pop songwriting from an increasingly confident storyteller and illustrator. Can't wait for the fourth set. Definitely recommended.

Review: The Welcome Table: Songs of Inspiration, Mystery, and Good Times - Dan Zanes and Friends

However you feel about Dan Zanes' music, it's hard to say that he hasn't managed to follow his muse in his career as family troubadour. Interspersed with excellent albums designed for the whole family, he recorded excellent albums covering songs from Carl Sandburg's American Songbag and sea tunes. And then he recorded an entire album in Spanish. Really, the fact that Zanes' latest album is a bunch of gospel and gospel-inspired tunes with the slightly ponderous title The Welcome Table: Songs of Inspiration, Mystery, and Good Times should come as no surprise to any long-term listener of Zanes' music. The biggest risk Zanes takes in recording this album is alienating a portion of his audience who will be disinterested in the Christian worldview. Or, rather, that's how it might appear to someone who hasn't heard the album. Because if there's one constant thread running through all of Zanes' albums it's a sense of tolerance and equality, and this album is no different. Yes, it's an album that mentions big-G God several repeatedly. And just as Nueva York! may not have been as easy for a listener to "get" if they didn't speak Spanish, if a listener doesn't speak the particular language of the gospel songs, they may find this album more difficult to grasp. (I personally had that problem with Nueva but don't really with this album.) But it's also an album that includes a Jewish song, readings of biblical passages in foreign languages, and several songs that don't mention a higher power at all. It is, in short, a Dan Zanes gospel album in every sense of the phrase. There are, as best I can tell, 5 previously-released songs here including the title track with the Blind Boys of Alabama, leaving 10 new songs for your listening pleasure. Lots of traditional gospel tunes reworked in Zanes' Americana/folk/rock style, with particular highlights being "Jesus on the Mainline," "Up Above My Head," and "Home In That Rock." I also really liked the Spanish hymn "Himno Guadalupano." They're all lots of fun -- mostly "good times" with only a little bit of "mystery" thrown in. But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my favorite track here, the album closer "We've Been Down This Road Before," a song about working together through tough times that Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger would be proud to have written. Once again, a Dan Zanes album makes a mockery of my insistence of putting age ranges on album reviews, but I think kids ages 5 and up will more easily grasp the social justice (or spiritual) messages here. You can listen to the songs at Zanes' page here. I should also note that the album is a benefit for the New Sanctuary Movement, an organization which "protects immigration workers and families from unjust deportation." Zanes' passion in his music has always been community -- our "common welfare as human beings," as Zanes puts it in his liner notes. The Welcome Table is another solid album in his musical argument in favor of community and equality. Even if you're not sure the album is for you, if you're a Dan Zanes fan, you're going to find it worth your time. Definitely recommended.

Review: More! More! More! - Bunny Clogs

It seems like kids music is the new "side project" for an increasing number of musicians. What better way to deflate expectations and clear out a little creative room than by deciding to create music for the elementary school set? I don't mean that negatively at all -- in fact, it's that "anything goes" approach that helps to make the genre vibrant. It's in that spirit that I'm calling Bunny Clogs, the kids music project from the Honeydogs' Adam Levy, a "side project" in the best sense. Now, Levy already has a side project -- the I-never-thought-I'd-be-typing-this-name-in-this-blog band "Hookers $ Blow" -- but Bunny Clogs' first album More! More! More! has been 5 years in the making, recorded with Levy's two daughters and a host of guests (and featuring some pretty cool album art from his son). So it reflects a fair amount of thought and craft. At its best, the album recalls the family-friendly community-celebrating vibe of Dan Zanes, such as on the midtempo "Midtown Greenway," which extols riding a bike through town and features Semisonic's John Munson on bass. "Song For Powderhorn" celebrates another part of Minneapolis (and benefits the local V.O.I.C.E. Music Saves Lives program doing work in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood). There are a lot of songs about food, with very little in the way of lessons (though there are some snuck in there). Sometimes the album is plain silly -- "Velveeta Girl and Squatsy" is a bunch of (danceable) nonsense while "3 Dogs and a Pancake" is a bunch of (not-entirely-danceable) nonsense. And sometimes the album marries the old (Woody Guthrie's "Car Car") into a new, strutting hand-clappable classic -- "Are We There Yet?," the best song on the album. Not every track is perfect -- I can't say that I ever need to hear the drum machine-aided "Butter" more than once a year at the most -- but Levy's use of a whole bunch of different styles and instrumentation (check out the middle eastern touches on "Pharaoh Pharouk's Phyrst Phood Phyramid") makes even less compelling songs more fun to listen than most kids songs. The album is most appropriate for kids ages 4 through 10. You can hear tracks at Bunny Clogs' Myspace page, or also pick it up at eMusic or Lala. More! More! More! is clearly a labor of love for Adam Levy. It wasn't recorded to cash in on the kids music scene, it was created for the fun of it. Families who listen to the album with the same sense of joy that went into making it will get a kick out of this. Definitely recommended.