Video: "The Boy Who Cried El Chupacabra" - The Hipwaders

Always nice to have new music from Bay Area-adjacent trio The Hipwaders.  Their latest effort is a 2-track effort -- think of it as a single with a B side, except it's not on vinyl.  The A side is a surf rock effort (if the surf was from the Sea of Cortez) titled "The Boy Who Cried El Chupacabra," a retelling of the "boy who cried wolf" story that is, somehow, perfect for the kids' Halloween season.  The B side is a cover of Pointed Man Band's "All That Krampus Wants" for those families who want to get a jump on the later holiday season.  (You can grab the single on iTunes or CD Baby.)

In any case, the band's roped in Will Guy to do the animations, and every time the "camera" pans out to show Tito and the band dressed up in mariachi outfits singing in high harmony, it makes me smile.

The Hipwaders - "The Boy Who Cried El Chupacabra" [YouTube]

Video: "Bird and Rhino" - The Pop Ups

Let's wrap up this (unofficial) Day of The Pop Ups -- sort of a pop-up Pop Ups site -- here at Zooglobble on a visual note.  We've had a review of Great Pretenders Club, the first kids music album to be released exclusively on Amazon Music.  And we've interviewed Jason Rabinowitz how the album came about and what we can expect in the future.

One of those things we can expect is a video for each of the album's 11 tracks.  The first video, for the track "Bird and Rhino," is already here.  It's purposefully slightly lo-fi animation nicely captures the track's occasional zaniness.  If you're going to stomp that fire out with a funnily voiced Rhino, that's not exactly something that cries out for verisimilitude.

You can watch the video directly on Amazon's website, but seeing as Amazon Music also has its own (embeddable) YouTube channel, let's go with that.

The Pop Ups - "Bird and Rhino" [YouTube]

Video: "Moles, Hounds, Bears, Bees and Hares" - They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants - Why? album cover

They Might Be Giants - Why? album cover

Every couple weeks or so, They Might Be Giants release another video that might be on their upcoming kids' album Why?.  Three weeks ago saw the release of the emoji-filled video for "Definition of Good" (confirmed to be on the album) and last night saw the release of "Moles, Hounds, Bears, Bees and Hares."

The song and video isn't quite the polar opposite of the bouncy "Definition," but its whimsical animation (which I believe is by Alison Cowles and her father, long-time TMBG collaborator David Cowles from Sandpiper Animation) is a perfect visual companion to the subdued stroll through select components of the animal kingdom.

"Some call them bunnies / Who cares?" - ha!

They Might Be Giants - "Moles, Hounds, Bears, Bees and Hares" [YouTube]

Video: "Breakfast Club" - Tim Kubart (feat. Carly Ciarrocchi) (World Premiere!)

There are many things Tim Kubart is good at, but right near the top of that list is his ability around a kids music video.  From "Superhero" to "2nd Grade Show", Kubart's videos are engaging and produced with panache.

He's got a brand-new album out this week, the filled-with-hits Home, and one of those hits gets the honor of lead single and video.  The song "Breakfast Club" features an earworm of a melody, handclaps, and a slick guest rap from Kubart's Sprout co-star Carly Ciarrocchi -- it's a winner of a track all by itself.

But the video itself is no slouch, either.  It's not plot-based like those two videos mentioned above, but what it lacks in visual narrative drive, it gains in natural good humor.  As has been the case in his other videos -- and generously, given his visibility on TV -- Kubart plays a supporting role in the video.  The stars are the friends that sing around the breakfast table, and in this case, Kubart notes they're literally his friends and friends of friends.  He was the preschool teacher of some of the kids (though not of actor Kal Penn, who appears in the video with his nephew and family).  As a viewer, it's nice to see the range of kids and families who appear -- some who feel like they're ready for their closeup, and others who just seem bemused by the idea of filming.  (Also: can you spot the cameo appearances by stars of Kubart's previous videos?)

Kubart's got a few gigs lined up in October to celebrate the album's release -- several shows in and around Austin during the Austin City Limits Festival, plus Boston, Philadelphia, NYC, even Dayton, Ohio -- for more details, go here.

But, if you can't see him play live, his videos are always worth your family's time.  I'm pleased as punch to present the world premiere to "Breakfast Club."

Tim Kubart (feat. Carly Ciarrocchi) - "Breakfast Club" [YouTube]

Video: "(It's Just a) Dumb Ol' Stick" - Molly Ledford & Billy Kelly

Who knew that a dumb old stick could inspire a delightful little song?  Or that trees could inspire an entire album of delightful little songs?  Molly Ledford & Billy Kelly, that's who!  Now, those two artists, who've spent an entire kindie career writing songs that recognize the beauty and humor in everyday objects, have turned their attention to the sticks.  In this video for "(It's Just a) Dumb Ol' Stick," sticks of all shapes, bumps, and sizes get their day in the video sun.  Or maybe it's a scrapbooking spotlight -- anyway, it's a fun video for a fun song.

Molly Ledford & Billy Kelly - "(It's Just a) Dump Ol' Stick" [YouTube]

Monday Morning Smile: "Furry Happy Monsters" (Sesame Street)

I know, I've posted before about R.E.M. performing a reworked version of "Shiny Happy People" on Sesame Street.  I don't care -- this is such a joyful and funny piece, nearly perfect in every detail, that I still think about semi-regularly.

R.E.M. - "Shiny Happy People (Furry Happy Monsters)" (from Sesame Street) [YouTube]