Song for Mother's Day: "Mother's Day 1976 (The Worst Smell in the World)" - Baron Von Rumblebuss

Mother's Day cover

It's been awhile since I've put together a list of songs for moms -- the list was long 7 years ago, and I have no doubt that there are dozens if not more I could add.  In lieu of quantity, this year I'm going for quality.  The song is "Mother's Day 1976 (The Worst Smell in the World)," and it's a last-minute entry from North Carolina poptimists Baron Von Rumblebuss.  The Baron himself, Tray Batson, notes that he "aimed for a 70’s pop vibe in the vein of ELO, with a dash of Pure Prairie League, maybe," wrapped around a sweet story about boy making a last-minute Mother's Day gift.  There's a bit of bathroom humor, but I think the song absolutely nails the tone.  Give it a spin below.

Baron Von Rumblebuss - "Mother Day 1976 (The Worst Smell in the World)" [Reverbnation]

Incoming: Born in the Deep Woods - Red Yarn

I don't normally like posting incomplete songs -- why let people know about something that ends just when it's getting good? -- but I'm going to make an exception for the video below.  It's for the title track from Red Yarn's forthcoming album Born in the Deep Woods, and it's everything a teaser trailer should be -- it's atmospheric and whets the appetite with a story that leaves the viewer wondering what'll happen next.

Born in the Deep Woods cover

Directed by Big World Audio Theatre creator and frequent Red Yarn video collaborator Laki Karavias, the video's set in the Oregon cabin where the album cover was filmed.  Sure, Red Yarn is the star, and Bob Rabbit sets the plot in motion, but for my taste, the "oooooh!" star of the video is the lovely full-size book Bob Rabbit brings to Red Yarn's doorstep.  Created by Ryan Bruce, who did the illustrations for the album, it is simply lovely...

Red Yarn - "Born in the Deep Woods" [YouTube]

Born in the Deep Woods is officially released March 10, and Red (AKA Andy Furgeson) will be playing a couple album release shows in Portland that weekend, then heading down to Austin for SXSW.  If you can, catch him in concert...

Oh, and if you want to listen to the whole song, plus maybe another track hint hint (and preorder the album), then here you go!

Listen To This: "Trees Are the Hair of the Earth" - Mr. Steve, the Music Man

I have been a longtime fan of Steve Lee, the Nashville-by-way-of-Arkansas musician -- his 2006 album What Did You Today, Stephen Scott Lee? was an out-of-left-field day-in-the-life slice of occasional pop perfection whose shiny brilliance blinded me and completely overwhelmed whatever resistance I usually have to songs that have messages.

It's been a looooong time for the follow-up, but Steve Lee, who in the kids music world now bills himself as Mr. Steve, the Music Man, is ready.  This Friday sees the official release of Earth Party!, the brand-new album from Lee, and I, for one, am very happy about that.  I reviewed Earth Party earlier this year, and here's a selection of adjectives I used about the album that encourages greater consideration of environmental needs: "earth-friendly," "rousing," and "joyful."  It's brief, but it shows every bit of the brilliance the 2006 album did.

So, I'm very happy to premiere "Trees Are the Hair of the Earth," a track that, as I noted in that review, "packs wordplay, a plea against deforestation, and a plaintive melody into less than 4 minutes of pop goodness."  Lee is joined by Street Corner Symphony, Gabe Dixon, Jason Eskridge, and Alyssa Bonagura.  Stream it below, and if you can't wait 'til the official release date, you can pick it up on iTunes here.  Enjoy!

Review: Great Pretenders Club - The Pop Ups

The Pop Ups - Great Pretenders Club album cover

It's a brave new world in kids music.  I thought that the genre would have a few more years where CDs would be the primary mode of transmitting music (and funding musicians' careers), but if I had a dollar for every kids musician I've heard in the past year or so describing the collapse of their CD sales, I'd have enough money to go down to my favorite local record shop (literally) down the street and buy a couple albums.

As a keen observer of the music industry -- and someone for whom the CD is still my most preferred listening medium -- I, too, am nervous by what appears to be a shift to streaming services, which could lead to viewing music as a commodity.  What happens to commodities?  They're viewed as raw materials, often easily substituted for and by other items, with price being the main victim.  In this scenario, if you're a producer of said "raw materials," that doesn't end well if you take your time with your craft.

Luckily -- maybe -- kids entertainment is one of the battlefields upon which the new streaming entertainment wars are being fought.  Netflix, Amazon, and other SVOD (streaming video on demand) players both major and niche are touting their own independent series and collection of entertainment.  Video isn't the only battlefield -- players like Rhapsody are developing their own special kids' area, it can't be long until Spotify joins in, and folks like batteryPOP are developing a video-channel hybrid focusing on kid-friendly music and entertainment.

You might be wondering, what in the world does this have to do with Great Pretenders Club, the fourth album from the Brooklyn duo The Pop Ups?

Everything.

You see, Great Pretenders Club is the very first kids' album from Amazon Music (a second kids' album, from Lisa Loeb, will be released in October) and as such it's a trailblazing release.  It's available exclusively from Amazon Music, downloadable as well as in physical format (print-on-demand CD-R).  More intriguingly, it's being marketed primarily as being exclusively available for streaming on their Amazon Prime service.  In other words, selling the album seems to be a minor point -- what's more important is that you can stream it on Amazon... and not on Spotify, Rhapsody, Bandcamp, and so on.  Amazon has entered the kids audio entertainment fray, and they're using kindie to do it.

So often trailblazing releases are notable more for their context than their content, but in the case of Great Pretenders Club, the album's music is every bit as notable as the way it's been introduced to the world.  This is, simply put, one of the year's best albums.  From the minimalist bleeps and and zaps of album opener "Pretend We Forgot" to the trip-hop sound of title track at the very end (featuring HAERTS), Jacob Stein and Jason Rabinowitz give us eleven tracks of '80s drenched pre-K solid gold celebrating imagination and playfulness.  "We Live in an Orchestra" notices and turns into a song the sounds of everyday objects and adds a nifty guitar line and stringed accompaniment.  "On Air" wonders what it would be like to have one's own radio show (with a foam baseball bat), throwing in Duran Duran and Toto references.  "Googly Eyes" has for me a bit of Joe Jackson feel, while the groove of "Indoor Picnic" features in one part a descending melodic part that must be an homage to Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels."  (I also can't believe that the part in "Make a Rainbow" that apes the Fifth Dimension's "Let the Sunshine In" wasn't intentional.)  I particularly dug the crunchy guitars of "Treasure Hunter," about playing hide-and-seek with different objects.  While there isn't a song that is as sublime as "Box of Crayons" or "All These Shapes," there isn't anything remotely close to a weak or even so-so track.

The 38-minute album will be most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7.  You can preview or purchase (and stream if you're an Amazon Prime member) the album here.

A few years from now, the fact that Great Pretenders Club was introduced to the world, Beyonce-style fully-completed, as the first kids music Amazon Music release will have been forgotten.  While Amazon has the market power to significantly change the trajectory of kids music and kindie's relationship to kids music, its ability to do will also determine whether this particular album itself will be forgotten.  Great Pretenders Club is a great album, so don't screw this up, Amazon.  Highly recommended.

Listen To This: Justin Roberts "Recess" Sampler

Yay, Justin Roberts' new album Recess  is out this week, and to further whet your appetite if you haven't already snagged your copy, Roberts has put a sampler featuring the first three tracks online.

Sadly, as the page notes, no pop-up robot included. 

Justin Roberts - Recess  sampler [Soundcloud]

The first three tracks from Justin Roberts Recess. Available now on Compact Disc. Includes a Pop Up Robot and special secret website access. Also available on iTunes. No Pop Up included.

Video: "40 Things To Do in a Blackout" - The Pop Ups

I don't think write, record, and film a video for a benefit song was one of the 40 things the Pop Ups mention in their new song, "40 Things To Do in a Blackout," but singing along definitely was.  The new track was inspired by (if that's an appropriate phrase) Hurricane Sandy, and all proceeds benefit Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.  (Purchase the track via Bandcamp, Amazon, and -- soon -- iTunes.)  The song takes a while to get a head of steam, but once it does, it's a ton of fun and worth a buck.  The video is just that much more fun.  After all, everything's better with puppets (another suggestion from the band, of course).

The Pop Ups - "40 Things To Do in a Blackout" [YouTube]