New (Old) Music from Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke - "Sylvester" (aka "Big Pet Pig")

Yeah, I posted this song ten months ago. I don't care. It still rocks (in a very, er, folky and gently humorous way). Plus, now you can see what the mysterious Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke look like. Well, I guess they're not that mysterious. But it's not like I'd seen a picture before... Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke - "Sylvester (Big Pet Pig)"

Video: "I Had a Little Dog" - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke

It's been a while since I've posted something from Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke, but it's been a while since they've posted something, too, so fair's fair, right? Anyhoo, they've taken their first step into the video world with an animated video for the best Johnny Cash children's song that Johnny Cash, uh, never actually wrote or sung. "I Had a Little Dog" is one of those songs where the chorus continually builds upon the last iteration (e.g., "Twelve Days of Christmas"), backed by a train-like rhythmic backbeat. The video itself is pretty minimalist, but I think the kids will really like it. According to Wilde, their record is "nearing completion." Add it to the list of eargerly-anticipated 2008 releases...

Listen To This: "Hop Hop" by Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke

No, not hip-hop, though I'd love to hear what Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke would come up with in that genre, too (I'm thinkin' De La Soul). Instead, we have '50s guitar mixed with some Brian Wilson-esque vocal layering. Lots of fun, just like every other song they've let us listen to. (Track #6 on the player linked above.) It includes -- twice -- the non-sequitur line, "A potbellied pig in every backyard." A pot-bellied pig is not the first animal that came to my mind given the song's title, but maybe it's a eulogy in honor of Max, George Clooney's pig. (That obit, by the way, is one of the funnier things I've read in quite some time.)

Listen To This: You Might Be Tired of Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke...

... but I'm not. The latest song from Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke tells the gently bouncy story of Sylvester the Pig. It's a fun enough song, but it's the shouted questions and comments in counterpoint that make me want to listen to the 2-minute tale over and over. Track #5, "Big Pet Pig". By the way, it sounds like they're posting a new song every week or so, so I'll see you here next week.

Listen To This: Beneath the Planet of Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke

I know. I've been writing about Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke a lot recently. You might be wondering if the whole thing hasn't been played out at this point. I'm sorry, nope. Go listen to the newest addition, track #4, "John the Rabbit," and tell me that it doesn't put a smile on your face, especially the new verses. Very loping, very winning.