Listen To This: Smile - Mike Park

I got an e-mail the other day from Mike Park, who, with some understatement, introduced himself as a "longtime musician in the punk world." This would be somewhat akin to saying Tom Brady is a "longtime player in the football world." Even I, not very tuned into the punk scene, recognized one of the bands he once played in (Skankin' Pickle) and a few of the bands he releases records for on his Asian Man Records label, bands like the Alkaline Trio and Smoking Popes. So I was pretty interested in hearing his new project, a kids' album called Smile. And you can hear it, too, over at Punk News. It's a short, sharp blast of punk married to preschool-friendly topics and lyrics. If you only have time to check out a track or two, I'd suggest perhaps "1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... Drums" or "Everybody Loves to Jump." And welcome to the kids' punk world, Mike.

Listen To This: "Cousins" - Dean Jones, Grenadilla, Recess Monkey

Five things to love about this video for "Cousins," a song recorded a couple weeks ago in New York by Dean Jones, Grenadilla, and Recess Monkey. 1. Dean Jones 2. Grenadilla 3. Recess Monkey 4. The fact that these three groups got together to write and record a song. 5. The discussion of "homophone." Dean Jones, Grenadilla, Recess Monkey - "Cousins" [YouTube]

New Dan Zanes Album: Contradance (Music from the Pilobolus Dance Performance)

I spilled the beans about this last week, but it turns out that the new Dan Zanes album I stumbled onto shouldn't have been on Spotify just yet. It's so easy to flip that digital switch these days. But now it's officially here. It's called Contradance: Music from the Pilobolus Dance Performance, and it's, well, exactly that. Zanes had worked with the dance group Pilobolus to create a new show. It premiered last year. And now you can listen to (and buy) the eight tracks of the EP at Zanes' store. The album leans toward his American Songbag work, but if your family is a fan of Zanes' work in general, Contradance will be right up your alley. (Give extended samples a spin using the player on the right-hand side of the page here. Or use Spotify to listen to the whole darn thing.)

Monday Morning Smile: "She Walks in So Many Ways" - The Jayhawks

Regular readers know that I'm all over the map when it comes to these Monday Morning Smile posts -- they are, probably more often than not, unrelated to kids music. So I don't have much of a reason for embedding this stream of "She Walks in So Many Ways" other than I love the Jayhawks and I'm geeked that the band lineup from what most people consider the band's artistic high point of the early-to-mid-90s is back. Their new album, Mockingbird Time is out on September 20 from Rounder Records. This track sounds a lot like something that was on their last album, Rainy Day Music, but with the harmonies between Gary Louris and Mark Olson that helped give the band its distinctive sound. Sometimes you just want to listen to your own music, you know?

Newborn: The Thinkers

After I heard Oh Zoooty!, the debut from The Thinkers, a couple times, I e-mailed the band, of which I knew very little, and said, "I hope you won't take this wrong way, but who the hell are you guys?" Because what they've created is one of those utterly imaginative works that ten minutes in, you'll either have turned it off or -- more likely -- be totally smitten. So who they are is this: Bo (Bo Moore) and Moy (Matt Saporito), or as they replied in my e-mail, "two best buddies in our mid 20s from Boston & New York." They've actually been working on their album for more than a year now, but are only recently unleashing it upon the world. Listen to the album, I implore you, here. My favorites -- for the moment -- include "Chocolate Milk & Ice Cream Cake," "Froggy Hop," and "Mushy Berry Pie." It's a pretty unique sound, sometimes sea chanty, sometimes British Invasion, but if you miss the sounds of The Quiet Two or the Telephone Company (OK, they're still around), you won't want to miss this. They'll also be making their way across the country this summer, starting in Boston in about a couple weeks, making their way to Sacramento by the beginning of August. Check out their tour schedule and if you see some gaps near where you live (like I have in Arizona in mid-July), I think you know what to do...

Share: Hey Pepito! EP - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke

Have you had your coffee yet? Your kids had their chocolate milk? No? Well, don't worry about it. Just stream the first song on this new EP from Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke, you'll all be ready to conquer the world. (Or at least power your bike up the hill.) Titled Hey, Pepito!, the 6-song EP features four new songs, including the aforementioned title track, the only-slightly-less hyper "Don Mario's Song," "Talking Big Pet Pig," which is, well, the story of the "Big Pet Pig" as told by Bob Dylan, and a very sweet "Summer Lullaby." (It also features "It's So Good" and "Mary the Fairy.") The EP is officially released July 1, but you can stream it below.