Listen To This: "City Don't Sleep" - Frances England

Frances England - City Don't Sleep single cover

Yay for new music from Frances England!  It's called "City Don't Sleep," and it's a sneak peek (aurally, anyway) at her forthcoming fifth family music album Explorer of the World.  You'll probably notice immediately the unique percussion and sounds of the city.  The latter comes from England's approach for many of the songs on the new album -- rather than starting with chord progressions, she used field recordings she'd made over the past couple years as the foundation for many of these songs, and those sounds are woven through the songs.

Between this recording and the fact that the album is co-produced by Dean Jones and Dave Winer from Justin Roberts' Not Ready for Naptime Players, Explorer of the World is definitely right near the top of my most-anticipated 2016 kindie albums.  The single officially is out September 29th, but you can grab a copy now on iTunes and CD Baby (with Amazon coming shortly).  Or stream it below!

Frances England - "City Don't Sleep" [Soundcloud]

Listen To This: "Little Chicken" - Rudy Trubitt

Rudy Trubitt answers the question: what if Chicken Weebus decided to open up for Supertramp during their late '70s heyday?

I mean, I'm pretty sure that nobody's ever asked that question, but "Little Chicken" answers it anyway.  (And it's good to hear new music from the San Francisco-based Trubitt.)

Rudy Trubitt - "Little Chicken" [Soundcloud] [CD Baby]

Listen To This: "Sunshine Family" - Mista Cookie Jar (feat. Aaron Nigel Smith)

"Sunshine Family" single cover

It's another super kindie duet from SoCal's Mista Cookie Jar and the Chocolate Chips.  This time, for "Sunshine Family," MCJ brings in Portland's Aaron Nigel Smith for a summery jam with reggae, dub, and a bit of hip-hop in the mix.

Co-written by Mista Cookie Jar (aka C.J. Pizarro) and Smith, you can think of it as a big (BIG) I-5 duet from the the West Coast artists.  (And no offense to the East Coast, but the West Coast OWNS summer.)

Mista Cookie Jar and the Chocolate Chips (feat. Aaron Nigel Smith) - "Sunshine Family" [Bandcamp]

Listen To This: "Ninja Pajamas" - Play Date (featuring P.O.S)

We All Shine album cover

I gave Play Date's forthcoming follow-up to their debut Imagination -- the album We All Shine -- a spin today, and one of my favorite tracks on the album wass "Ninja Pajamas."  It's a bit of a left turn for the poppy punk husband-and-wife duo of Greg Attonito and Shanti Wintergate as it's a mellow hip-hop track.  But the mellow nature helps it stand out, as does the appearance of Minneapolis rapper-producer P.O.S.  It just makes me happy to hear him on such a light track about, well, ninja pajamas.

We All Shine is out on Fun Fun Records July 24.

Play Date - "Ninja Pajamas" (feat. P.O.S)

Listen To This: "Hold On to Your Dreams" - Mista Cookie Jar and the Chocolate Chips (World Premiere)

Hold On To Your Dreams

Let's hear it for those artists who figure out what they want to do, outline a plan to achieve those goals, and then actually follow through.  (I say that as someone who has both succeeded and failed in doing so.)

Mista Cookie Jar has been releasing a single per month since fall 2014, and his latest single, "Hold On to Your Dreams," is his seventh in a row.  That's pretty impressive for music releases.  This new track has a different sound than a lot of the uptempo, electronic, soul stuff he's more known for, but CJ suggests that maybe it's his "Appalachian/country roots? --  [his] parents are Filipino but [he] grew up in Alabama/West Virginia before [he] became an LA dude LOL."  The song is a hoedown duet with Miss Tembra Campbell that CJ's been working on for years at backyard bonfires and late night jam sessions, so unsurprisingly its message of hard work and dedication feels lived-in, earning the use of the pots, pans, and pickle jars as accompaniment.

I'm pleased to provide the world-premiere of the stream -- listen below, and click through if you'd like to buy.

Mista Cookie Jar and the Chocolate Chips - "Hold On to Your Dreams" [Bandcamp]

Listen To This: "Spring Day" - Karen K and the Jitterbugs

Karen K and the Jitterbugs' "Spring Day"

As a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, I am careful not to talk about how wonderful the weather is on social media because I don't want to seem like I'm taunting my friends in more northern climes in the winter months.  (Really!  I actually prefer the weather in northern climes!)

I say all that as a way of introducing "Spring Day," a brand new song from Karen K and the Jitterbugs.  From its opening guitar riff aping Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" to the abundance of "la la las," it's a pure pop confection celebrating the arrival (please!) of spring days.  But as I look at weather forecasts of highs in the mid-90s this weekend, forgive me if I'm already dreaming of songs celebrating fall.  Stream the song below and pay what you'd like for the track.

Karen K and the Jitterbugs - "Spring Day" [Bandcamp]