Unlike the last time I posted a clip that set the words of a commencement speech to some interesting visuals, this clip is a fully vetted and authorized one. It's a small portion of George Saunders' commencement speech at Syracuse University in May 2013. The fact that it's essentially an advertisement for a book version of that speech makes it no less beautiful and thought-provoking in the way all good commencement speeches should be.
Weekly Summary (4/21/14 - 4/27/14)
OK, a little more productive this week. Me, anyway, on the site. Don't know about you, or your kids. Of course, a productive week on the site might make it a less productive (albeit it more enjoyable) week for your family.
Blog: Video: "Prefix or Suffix?" - The Bazillions, World Premiere Video: "Daylight" - The Dream Jam Band, Video: "A Fact Is a Gift That You Give Your Brain" - Steve 'n' SteveN, Radio Playlist: New Music April 2014, Listen To This: Vol. 4 (La Educación) - minimúsica (Various Artists)
Videos: "Go Fire Truck, Go" - Suzi Shelton
Listen to Music: None this week
Free Music: "Who Grew My Soup?" - Story Laurie
Kids Music Reviews: None this week
iOS Apps: Drawnimal - Lucas Zanotto
Upcoming Releases: Constantly updating...
Podcasts
Kindie Week in Review: Ep. 58: This Podcast Is a Gift That You Give Your Brain
My Other Other Gig: None this week
Bake Sale: None this week
Listen To This: Vol. 4 (La Educación) - minimúsica (Various Artists)
I've been a long-time admirer of the fine folks at minimúsica, the young-person's offshoot of Spanish/Catalan label Sonos. They've previously released 3 albums of first-rate, mostly Spanish-language indie-pop for the kiddos about food, transportation, and animals, and now, after a successful crowd-funding campaign, they've released their fourth album, La Educación.
Even if you're not proficient in Spanish (or Catalan -- L'Educació), I think you can understand the theme of this latest venture -- it's all about education.
Because Spanish is not my second language, I can't vouch for the educational nature of most of the songs, but even the English-speaking among you will recognize the energy of the opening track, Joan Colomo's "A, e, i, o, u" and its follow-up, Christina Rosenvinge's take on "Do, Re, Mi." There are 3 other tracks in English, though they're not my favorites. Stream the album below, and if the songs move you, 5 Euros is less than $7 for a download.
Radio Playlist: New Music April 2014
The April new music playlist is a little thin, but there's still another week left with at least a couple albums that'll be featured on the next music playlist. (You can see the March playlist here). As always, it's limited in that if an artist hasn't chosen to post a song on Spotify, I can't put it on the list, nor can I feature songs from as-yet-unreleased albums. But I'm always keeping stuff in reserve for the next Spotify playlist.
Check out the list here or go right here if you're in Spotify.
**** New Music April 2014 (April 2014 Kindie Playlist) ****
Sugar Free Allstars – My Daddy's Record Collection
The Little Rockers Band – Old Mick Jagger
Banana Baron – Queen of Sheba
Bears and Lions – Airplanes
¡Uno, Dos, Tres con Andrés! – O Papa
Zee Avi – Ben
The Laurie Berkner Band – Fireflies
Video: "A Fact Is a Gift That You Give Your Brain" - Steve 'n' SteveN
I have failed you, readers.
Despite the fact that I've been on the hunt for Steve 'n' SteveN for several years, I somehow missed the release of this video (made by the folks at Delo Creative) THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO.
Sigh. I can't even.
Just watch. Please.
(And, yes, I'll have more about the latest news from the band shortly.)
Steve 'n' SteveN - "A Fact Is a Gift That You Give Your Brain" [YouTube] [Note: The Vimeo link that I originally posted has ghosted the world, possibly as a result of a newly-uploaded YouTube version. So here's the YouTube version!]
World Premiere Video: "Daylight" - The Dream Jam Band
Rather than some complicated introduction, let me state simply that I think this brand new song and video is lovely. It's for "Daylight," the leadoff track from The Dream Jam Band's brand-new album The World of Nickhoo. The adult watching might hear some echoes of the Beatles in the gentle, wake-up melody, and see some echoes of movies like The Red Balloon, Gravity, and Star Wars in the visuals from Planet Sunday, but you don't need any of those references to enjoy the simple journey of a raccoon through the world.
The album itself is released digitally today and physically in mid-May. You can learn about the whole album at the World of Nickhoo site. For now, I'm just pleased to world-premiere this video.
The Dream Jam Band - "Daylight" [YouTube]
