Best Kids Music of 2014: Top 30 Videos

Continuing our look at the year's best in kids music, we finish up with videos.  Now, unlike albums and songs, for which I've traditionally tried to adhere to the Fids and Kamily year (which is Oct. 1, 2013 through Sept. 30, 2014 this year), my best-of video selections have tended to run on more of a March through Feburary video fiscal year.  I did that to kick off the very first KidVid Tournament, and I've sort of stuck with that ever since.  (So nobody release an awesome video in the next 48 hours, OK?)

Here's my list of my favorite 30 kids music videos of "2014."  Some are big-budget productions, some are small-budget productions, and some are virtually-no-budget productions.  There are puppets, stop-action, hand-animation, computer animation, live action, and sometimes, more than one of those things.

Before I present the 30 videos, I should note that I wanted to limit an artist to no more than one video on the list.  Which meant that artists like The Bazillions, Danny Weinkauf, and Caspar Babypants don't get their full due as artists that have fully committed to the art of the kids music video, each releasing several music videos that could have appeared on this list (if I wasn't limiting them to one video, they might have had a dozen or so between them).

Of particular note, Chris Ballew has done some amazing work, not only contracting out with a variety of animators for his Caspar Babypants videos but also producing videos on his own beautiful in their creativity and simplicity.  For that reason, I'm giving him a Special Award for Awesomest Kids Music Video Guy of 2014.  Now, if you don't mind, I've got to go find an MTV VMA statue on eBay so I modify it and give it to Ballew.

So while I'm doing that, here's the list in alphabetical order by artist.  A YouTube playlist can be found at the very end if you'd like to while away an hour or two...

Dynamite - Alphabet Rockers (YouTube)

No Homework - The Bazillions (YouTube)

Bottle Caps - Laurie Berkner (YouTube)

Tiny Little Car - Johnny Bregar (YouTube)

The Creatures Under My Bed - Caspar Babypants (YouTube)

Grand March from Aida - Dog On Fleas (YouTube)

I'm a Little Fish - Laura Doherty (YouTube)

Hair - fleaBITE (YouTube)

I Can't Feel My Face - Gustafer Yellowgold (YouTube)

How Great Can This Day Be - Lori Henriques (YouTube)

November First (Jump, Run, Shake) - Eric Herman (YouTube)

Just Not Me - The Hipwaders (YouTube)

Did You Ever See a Lassie? - Charlie Hope (YouTube)

Snow Day - Josh and the Jamtones (YouTube)

Crew Cut - Randy Kaplan (YouTube)

Gingerbread Man - Lunch Money  (YouTube)

I Love You More - Todd McHatton (YouTube)

Girls Wanna Dance - Milkshake (YouTube)

Call Me Mista Cookie Jar - Mista Cookie Jar (YouTube)

Haircut - The Not-Its (YouTube)

Walking With Spring - The Okee Dokee Brothers (YouTube)

All These Shapes - The Pop Ups (YouTube)

Love Bug - Raffi (YouTube)

Brick By Brick - Recess Monkey (YouTube)

Rattlesnake - Red Yarn (YouTube)

Los Colores - Andres Salguero (YouTube)

Pillow Fort Pillow Fight - Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (YouTube)

Ice Cream (Healthy Eating) - Danny Weinkauf (YouTube)

Sea Turtle - The Whizpops (YouTube)

Armando Armadillo - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke (YouTube)

Weekly Summary (11/24/14 - 12/7/14)

I'd intended to post more here over the past couple weeks, but Thanksgiving + flu = not much posting.

And while I don't have something on the site (yet), congratulations to Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, The Pop Ups, and The Okee Dokee Brothers for their Grammy nominations for Best Children's Album.  They, along with the audiobook recording of "I Am Malala," will be competing for the Grammy on February 8.

Blog: Video: "Hair" - fleaBITE

Videos:  "The Number Song" - Play Date

Listen to Music:  None this week

Free Music:  "Favorite Cousin" - The Pop Ups

Kids Music Reviews:  None this week

iOS Apps:  None this week

Upcoming Releases: Constantly updating...

Podcasts

Kindie Week in Review:   None this week

My Other Other Gig:  None this week

Bake Sale:  None this week

Video: "Hair" - fleaBITE

My choices for picking a new video from New Zealand band fleaBITE were this one for "Hair," about hair growth taken to extreme lengths, or this other one, "Don't Sit Under the Poo Tree," about, well, some sage advice. (Watch that video if you want to learn more.)

But, yes, I decided to go with the abnormally healthy follicles.  The song is from the band's 2011 debut album In Your Ear (the band's got a new album out, their third, called The Jungle Is Jumping this month). It's lyrics worthy of Shel Silverstein meeting the visuals worthy of Dr. Seuss. As combos go, that's a pretty good one.

fleaBITE - "Hair" [YouTube]

Reminder: Sign Up for the Newsletter!

I hope I'm not too pushy when it comes to encouraging you to sign up for the Zooglobble newsletter.  But I'm prepping the next edition of Z7, and once again I think it's going to be a great way for you to get seven exclusive free downloads from seven artists' new and upcoming albums, albums worth exploring further.  (Hence the prominence of the "7."  I never said I was subtle.)

Last month I featured the following awesome tracks:

Tumble Down Library - "Bartholomew"

Boxtop Jenkins - "Wag More"

Jennifer Gasoi - "Happy!"

Justin Roberts - "A Wild One"

Helen Austin - "Five Little Things"

SteveSongs - "Song Without a Rhyme"

fleaBITE - "Dogs' Day Out"

I'm busy assembling the January edition now, and it's just as cool, featuring artists new and old.  So if you haven't yet signed up for the newsletter, I encourage you to do so.  Like, soon.

join our mailing list
* indicates required

Video: "Hair" - fleaBITE

This video from New Zealand band fleaBITE should amuse the kids and adults, particularly if they're listening to the lyrics.  There might even be an inappropriate chortle or two, which would not be the first inappropriate chortle generated by the fine and mischievious folks behind the band (who also were responsible for Fatcat & Fishface).  A very Seussian samba.

fleaBITE - "Hair" [YouTube]

Listen to This: In Your Ear - fleaBITE

Not too much kids music from New Zealand crosses my desk.

OK, no kids music from New Zealand has ever crossed my desk, at least virtually.

So let's hear it for the digital revolution, which has made it possible for a Yankee like me to listen to a song about the hairiest person in the world, followed by a semi-classical piece featuring only the word "Meep," followed by a Mantovani-esque tribute to a cat that doesn't reciprocate its owner's love in a particularly gentle manner.  Yay for digital!

As a result, those of us stateside can easily give In Your Ear, the 2011 debut album from New Zealand's fleaBITE, a spin.  The concept is that it's a band of fleas, but aside from a couple songs, the concept is not as developed as it was with the Wee Hairy Beasties.  But it's delightfully absurd (and sometimes, on songs like "Time Goes By" and "Far Away," beautiful).  If it sounds like the silliness of New Zealan's Fatcat & Fishface, that's because F&F's producer started this project as well.  Give the album a listen, and decide how eager you'll be to hear their forthcoming album Circus of Fleas to be released this spring (that's this fall for those of us in the Northern hemisphere).