You want to know why I keep posting these videos from They Might Be Giants' Podcast for Kids? It's because they're all awesome.
And if you're afraid that somehow they're just posting the only good videos from Here Come the 123s... they're not.
They Might Be Giants - "The Seven Days of the Week (I Never Go To Work)"
New Frances England CD -- Family Tree -- Out This Spring
That's right, Frances England has announced an album title -- Family Tree -- and a release date -- spring 2008 -- for her 2nd CD. OK, "spring 2008" isn't really a release date (release season, perhaps?), but I know Frances has been working on the album for a while now, and to see her publicly commit to a title and release timeframe makes me happy.
I think artists in this genre tend to be more willing to have deadlines slip if only because many of them, unsurprisingly, have young kids. I'll be interested to hear what subjects England, whose own family tree is larger than when she released Fascinating Creatures, tackles now...
New Music, Album from ScribbleMonster
I've said before (though maybe not to any of you) that if you miss hearing the power-pop that saturated the airwaves in the early '90s, then kids' music might just be your best option. There are few better at that particular subgenre than the Jim Dague and the rest of his compatriots in ScribbleMonster.
They've got a new album, Songs With No Character, coming out this spring, and they've just added a couple songs from the album available for downloading and listening on their Myspace page. Both tracks have been floating around for awhile now. "Spare the Rock Spoil the Child" was, as you might expect, originally crafted for the Spare the Rock radio show and rocks mightily. "The Song of LIFE" has been around in a live version since spring 2007, but now is up in full studio glory. It's actually a (comparatively) mellow track, and really as geared toward the parents as the kids, but it's sweet in its own way. It's reminiscent of one of the great masters of power-pop, Fountains of Wayne, in their more country-ish moments (think "Valley Winter Song," for example).
And, hey, even if you're not sure about those songs, go to the Myspace page and listen to "I Wish I Lived in Michigan," "The Fur Trade," and "Chocolate Milk" along with 'em. It's 10 or so minutes of great music.
Video: "Apartment 4" - They Might Be Giants
What better way to end 2007 with a great video from one of 2008's most anticipated CDs -- They Might Be Giants' Here Come the 123s.
"Apartment 4" hit the band's "Podcast for Kids" at iTunes a couple weeks ago and now it's hit YouTube. As nice as "High Five" was, this track is way awesome. Drums, goofy animated characters, and the drawing out of the word "apartment" into 4 syllables.
"Follow the sound," indeed. You won't be disappointed.
And Happy New Year's, y'all...
OK, I So Called That
A couple months ago, in a review of Nettwerk's fine For The Kids Three! compilation, I said in regards to an awesome Barenaked Ladies track (and I quote), "Why has this band not recorded a kids' CD?"
"The Canadian quintet is in a Toronto studio finishing up [a] children's set with producer Michael Phillip, who worked with the band on its 1992 debut 'Gordon' and 1996's 'Born on a Pirate Ship'" (via Billboard). Songs on the spring 2008 release include "Popcorn," "Here Comes the Geese," "Humongous Tree" and "Polywog in a Bog." That, my friends, could be ten (metric) tons of fun.
CD Titles for Ralph's World and Eric Herman Albums Announced
At one point more than a year Eric Herman interviewed Ralph Covert (listen here). It is solely on the basis on this connection that I'm combining these two bits of news.
First, Covert has announced that the title of his upcoming Disney Sound Ralph's World CD will be called The Rhyming Circus. Hmmm... wonder what rhymes with "elephant"...
And speaking of elephants, this is a little old, but Herman's announced that the name of his 2008 release (due out in the fall) will be What A Ride. If waiting, oh, 10 months or so is a bit too much for you, feel free to check out his latest video, for "Dance Like an Animal." Rudimentary, perhaps, but can your five-year-old animate a video like Eric's did? (Or, more to the point perhaps, can you?)
