Video: "I'm Thinking of an Animal" - Billy Kelly

Billy Kelly and public television.  Now that's what I'm talkin' about, man!  He's a triple threat -- he sings, he draws, and he's willing to kiss a stuffed-animal giraffe on video.

For this last component, we have public television station WXXI in Rochester, New York to thank for being crazy enough to agree to Kelly's proposal for a series of 1-minute videos based on his song "I'm Thinking of an Animal."  The song, from his 2011 disk The Family Garden, gets chopped up here into four segments -- I'm highlighting my favorite, but you can see all four at the link above.  Can I just say that I love, love, love Kelly Knox's Bucknell University Dancing Dancers?

Billy Kelly - "I'm Thinking of an Animal (that's really tall)" [YouTube]

Video: "Animal Alphabet" - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke

Yaaay!  A new video and a new song from Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke.  OK, the song's been around for a little while (if not generally available), but the video?  Definitely new.  Yes, the "animals representing the alphabet" thing has been done before, but even Sandra Boynton didn't make a song out of hers.  (And Wilde's illustrations are every bit as cute.)

Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke - "Animal Alphabet" [YouTube]

Video: "Hiddi Hiddi" - Elska

This is video (and music) as landscape and soundscape.  It's not much more than Elska saying "Hi!"  Which, apparently is what "Hiddi Hiddi" (from the album Middle of Nowhere, out Sept. 4) means on the Island of Elska.  Kinda hypnotic.  I dig.

Elska - "Hiddi Hiddi" [YouTube]

Video: "Ice Cream Man" - Randy Kaplan

I'm sorry, Mr. Randy Kaplan -- despite your claim in your song "Ice Cream Man," from your new album Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie, I am the official ice cream king.

Even if you do have a cape.  And a crown.  And, er, an ice cream truck.

OK, I concede my title to you, sir.  Where's my ice cream?

Randy Kaplan - "Ice Cream Man" [Vimeo]

Video: "Shoo Lie Loo" - Elizabeth Mitchell

Elizabeth Mitchell takes her time doing things, usually.  The fact that she's releasing not one, but two, albums this year (Little Seed last month, Blue Skies in October) is the exception that proves the rule.  More typical is this video for "Shoo Lie Loo," a song off her previous album, Sunny Day... released in 2010.  Don't get me wrong -- I really like the video, which captures the simple, sharing nature of the song (a favorite of mine from the album).  But I'm impatient -- I wish I'd seen it 18 months ago.

Elizabeth Mitchell - "Shoo Lie Loo" [Vimeo]

Video: "Inner Child Rock" - Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips

I'm posting this video from Los Angeles' Mista Cookie Jar and the Chocolate Chips for two reasons:

1) The song -- "Inner Child Rock" from their fine album Ultramagnetic Universal Love Revolution -- is one of the more ear-wormy pieces I've heard in kindie music in some time.  I'm sure there are some folks for whom it is ear-wormy in a bad way, but for me, I think it's great.  They could've done a video in MS Paint and I'd've probably featured it.

2) But they didn't do a video in MS Paint.  The video, loosely themed as it is, totally reflects the hypercolorful, multi-cultural vibe Mista Cookie Jar and his music have.  You could spend four minutes with this and completely understand the MCJ universe.  And probably dance a bit.

Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips - "Inner Child Rock" [YouTube]