Halloween 2017 Music for Kids

Prepping to trick or treat tonight? Gathering up the candy to hand out and trying not to dig in early? Kids and parents having last-minute costume emergencies? Here are a handful of (like, literally, five) new Halloween tunes from kindie artists to spin in the background, plus a couple videos to air before or after screening It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (If you need more, like, waaaaay more, be sure to check out my long list of kids songs for Halloween from 2016 -- no Spotify link, but plenty of suggestions.)

Halloween 2017 Kids Music Playlist [Spotify link, URL]

"Ghost in My House" - Jumpin' Jamie

"Scary Scary Halloween Party" - Rabbit!

"Snowstorm on Halloween" - Turkey Andersen

"Zombie Parade" - Smilin' Rylan

"My Mommy Is a Mummy" - Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats

I included this Turkey Andersen tune on the list even though it's about a year old because there's a Brand New Video!

Turkey Andersen - Snowstorm on Halloween [YouTube]

For the power-pop-loving Halloween fan (or ghoul) in your house, I'd recommend this new track from Jumpin' Jamie.

Jumpin' Jamie - "Ghost In My House" [YouTube]

Radio Playlist: New Music March 2016

As compared to February's playlist, this month's new music playlist is definitely full. (If you want to catch my list from February -- briefer but just as high quality -- you can see that playlist here.)

As always, it's limited in that if an artist hasn't chosen to post a song on Spotify, I can't put it on the list, nor can I feature songs from as-yet-unreleased albums. But I'm always keeping stuff in reserve for the next Spotify playlist.

Check out the list here.

**** New Music March 2016 (March 2016 Kindie Playlist) ****

"I Like To Be Surprised" - Turkey Andersen

"Esperanca (feat. Tita Lima)" - Sandra Sandia

"Lousie Loves Art Song" - Emily Arrow

"I Wear Pink" - Hullabaloo

"I've Been Workin' on the Railroad" - Beleza

"The Melody of Misfit Souls & the Open-Hearted" - Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips

"The Silly Dance" - Holly

"Life is Like a Noodle" - Lard Dog & the Band of Shy

"Drum Factory: I'm My Own Grandpa" - Cory Hills

"This Old Man" - The Wunkabunks

"Seven" - Dan Crow

"Somebody Come and Play" - Rory

"Bird on a Wire" - The Not-Its!

"Barefoot Floors" - Jane Roman Pitt

Sneak Peek: Turkey Andersen 2 - Turkey Andersen

Today I'm trying out something new, and that's giving you, dear readers, an opportunity to listen to an entire album before it's even released.

That's right, we're living in the future.

The album you'll get to hear is from the mysterious Turkey Andersen. You might remember him from his debut self-titled album, of which I wrote that its "combination of TMBG quirkiness and songwriting with Jonathan Richman-esque earnestness and vocals is pretty much instantly appealing." I also declared it one of 2015's top debuts.

So I was glad to hear new music from him, and so soon after the last one. Turkey Andersen 2 is one of those comparatively rare sequels like The Godfather 2 or Toy Story 2 that is every bit as winning as the original. From the yearning jangle-pop of "I Like To Be Surprised" to the '60s pop-rock of "I'm Not Scared" to the dreamy "Rhonda Bubbles," the 7 tracks combine the absurd and whimsical into packages that should earn big fans with small (in stature) audiences.

Anyway, Turkey Andersen 2 is set for release on February 19, but for the next week, I've got the the United States exclusive stream of the album. At 20 minutes in length, it's the perfect playtime break, so if your family likes what they hear, you can preorder via the widget below.

<a href="http://turkeyandersen.bandcamp.com/album/turkey-andersen-2">Turkey Andersen 2 by Turkey Andersen</a>

Best Kids Music of 2015: Top 5 Debuts

Continuing on with my look back at 2015 (or Oct. 1, 2014 though Sept. 30, 2015, or thereabouts), let's turn our attention to debuts.

As always, I struggle with this list because what is a "debut" in kids music? Meaning, if someone's been recording music for adults for a decade or more and then releases an album for kids, is that a "debut"? I've leaned towards "no," especially if there's no indication that they plan to return to the kids music world. (See: The Amazing Keystone Big Band, Suz Slezak, or Hilary Grist, though I would love to be proven wrong.) Same goes for artists who've recorded kids music but in other pairings. (Waves hello to Renee Stahl, who recorded as Renee and Friends as a break from Renee & Jeremy.)

Luckily, the list of five albums below are still fine introductions to kids music from artists I've got a pretty good feeling might come back for round 2 -- at the very least they went to the trouble of creating a new band, right? So here are my top 10 favorite debuts, listed alphabetically.

Turkey Andersen - Turkey Andersen

[Review] - "Its combination of TMBG quirkiness and songwriting with Jonathan Richman-esque earnestness and vocals is pretty much instantly appealing. If this debut is proof-of-concept, then I think it's proven that Turkey Andersen needs some investors."

Big Block Singsong - Big Block Singsong Greatest Hits Vol. 1

[Review] - "Turns out that the delightful series of 2-minute music videos date back to 2009, when Canadian illustrator Warren Brown and composer Adam Goddard (now Goddard/Brown) first unleashed Big Box Singsong, as it was then known, onto the world... Now there are 59 videos, 49 of which are the Season 1 pile which provide the 24 songs drawn for the album and DVD. I, for one, welcome our new big block overlords."

Big World Audio Theatre - The Peculiar Tales of the S.S. Bungalow

[Review] - "Voice actor Kevin Barbare narrates the story, which is filled with enough dramatic plot turns, gentle good humor, atmospheric sound effects, and occasional Princess Bride-style meta-commentary to keep the target audience hooked and any adults tuned in amused. The chamber pop-folk, featuring the occasional stringed instrument, horns, and pedal steel, runs the gamut from peppy to slow as befitting the story's twists and turns."

Sonia De Los Santos - Mi Viaje: De Nuevo Leon to the New York Island

[Review] - "Mi Viaje is an engaging album, and De Los Santos has succeeded in her goal of having listeners understand her journey from Mexico to New York City. A Spanish-language kids music album might seem like a niche record, but as De Los Santos and others in this third wave of Spanish-language kids music of the past couple years have shown, it can speak to a fairly broad audience."

Rock 'n' Rainbow - Let's Boogie

[Review] - "Let's Boogie is energetic and a different spin on a lot of early childhood music education music. For families looking for a slightly glitter-infused take on music for their kindergarteners, this could fill that niche well." [Note: Mike Whitla's done some other kids music stuff, but this is of such a different character that I'm letting it in as a debut.]

Best Kids Music of 2015: Top 30 Songs

Developing a list of my 30 favorite songs from the past year is probably the most foolish ranking I attempt here every year. The number of albums to consider is large, but it is finite. Multiply that number of albums by 10 or 12, however, to consider the number of songs, and we're talking thousands of songs to consider. And, as I noted last year, a list ranking favorite songs is "ephemeral, subject to the whims of a particular moment. More than that, it probably tends toward the poppy, upbeat, and lively." I feel confident, though, these 30 songs, listed alphabetically, are among the best that kids music offered us in the past year. ("Year," as always, defined as Oct. 1, 2014 through Sept. 30, 2015, though with particular songs no doubt that range should be considered more guideline than firm window.)

Anyway, I've combined these into a handy Spotify playlist found at the bottom of this list (click here if you're already in Spotify). Enjoy!

"If a Sandwich Was a Sandwich” - Turkey Andersen

"Grapes" - Andrew & Polly

"Use a Contraction" - The Bazillions

“Owl” - Big Block Singsong

"Sad Baby” - Caspar Babypants

“La Golondrina” - Sonia De Los Santos

"Cuantos Tacos (The Taco Song)” - Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band

“Loving Cup” - Cat Doorman

"Kitty Wampus" - Duke Otherwise

"Action, Friends, Action" - Funky Mama

"Tomorrow Is a Chance to Start Over" - Hilary Grist

"Cakenstein" - Gustafer Yellowgold

“It’s Gotta Rain (If You Want a Rainbow)” - The Harmonica Pocket

“If I Were a Bird” - Charlie Hope

"Sloop John B. (feat. Jesse Wagner)" - Josh and the Jamtones

"Breakfast Club (feat. Carly Ciaricchio)" - Tim Kubart

“To the Woods” - Molly Ledford & Billy Kelly

"Hello, Goodbye, Shalom" - Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights

"The Start of Things” - Alison Faith Levy

"Refreshments On Neptune” - Todd McHatton

"The Way We Gets Down” - Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips

“Together” - Moona Luna (feat. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo)

"Give Some, Get Some” - Papa Crow

“Indoor Picnic” - The Pop Ups

"Turkey in the Straw" - Red Yarn

"You Were Meant To Be" - Renee and Friends (feat. Glen Phillips)

"I Like to Ride My Bike” - Rock 'n' Rainbow

"Minnesota" - Rocknoceros

“All I Want” - Vered

"Get Happy" - The Verve Pipe

Itty-Bitty Review: Turkey Andersen - Turkey Andersen

The debut EP is the proof-of-concept of the recorded music industry. It's not intended to be perfect, it's just supposed to be an introduction, something that says, this could work - this does work.

Such is the case with the debut self-titled EP from Turkey Andersen. Who is Turkey Andersen? Well, I don't think he and Northampton, Massachusetts musician Henning Ohlenbusch have ever been seen together at the same time. More importantly, though, in the course of 8 songs and 16 minutes, these songs put smiles on faces and quirky, poppy earworms in brains. "If a Sandwich Was a Sandwich" is the most brilliant 30-second song ever ("If a sandwich was a pillow then the bread would be the pillow case," the song starts out, and maintains that level of rational absurdity for another 25 seconds). The centerpiece of the album is "Time Travel Clothes," all about the trouble you can get into if you wear the wrong clothes while traveling through time. (We've all been there, right?) I also find "Hot and Stuffy" very funny and also educational about how to get a room to the right temperature.

You can stream the album here. It'll be most amusing to kids ages 3 through 7. Its combination of TMBG quirkiness and songwriting with Jonathan Richman-esque earnestness and vocals is pretty much instantly appealing. If this debut is proof-of-concept, then I think it's proven that Turkey Andersen needs some investors. More, please. Definitely recommended.

Note: I received a (digital) copy of the album for possible review.