Just a great pop song from the band Hanson, a song that in its celebration of individuality and the need to be, well, you, could easily be a kindie song. A video that features a bunch of kids (11 of the trio's 12 kids) -- this could easily be a kindie video. The song isn't quite as good as the twenty-years-old "MMMBop," but what song is? The fact that this new song is in the same ballpark speaks volumes about the earworm-y nature of the track.
Hanson - "I Was Born" [YouTube]
Billy Kelly drinking from a juice-box
Billy Kelly drinking from a juice-box
Kids music is filled with funny people, probably because the ability to make kids laugh is vital to survival in dealing with kids all day long. (Also probably because the ability to make yourself laugh is also vital to survival in dealing with kids all day long.) But in a world of funny people, only one person has earned the title Funniest Person in Kids Music, and that would be Billy Kelly.
Thank You for Joining the Happy Club cover
From the very first track of his very first album for kids ("This Is the First Song" off of 2009's Thank You for Joining the Happy Club), Kelly has amused listeners with his deadpan humor and occasionally meta-fictional takedowns of songwriting tropes. Over time his humor has swerved a bit from earnest to dark (something which he readily admits), and his albums have contained varying amounts of humorous and non-humorous material.
Is it possible to chart his albums on a matrix with those two axes? Yes. Will I do that for you here? No. Instead, I will use words in lieu of graphs, even though I love myself some graphs. (I honestly do.)
Is This Some Sort of Joke? cover
Is This Some Sort of Joke?, his second and most comedy-heavy musical album, required serious attention to process all the levels of humor being laid on the listener's plate. It was also in parts his darkest album (comparatively speaking -- it's still kids music) as it featured not one but two songs about the potential end of the planet and the human race.
The Family Garden cover
Kelly's third album The Family Garden was his most earnest, a correction, or possibly overcorrection, to the joke-filled and dark approach on Joke?. It's not devoid of humor, but with songs celebrating gardens, American flags, and pen pals ("We Could Be Pen Pals," which featured Molly Ledford), it was definitely a detour from what Kelly's fans -- at least this one -- had grown accustomed to based on his previous two albums. The album does, however, underscore Kelly's basically optimistic nature, a nature that, while present on the first two albums (he sang a song with the Monkees' Davy Jones about the joy of getting a new haircut, after all, on Joke?), could be buried under the jokes and cleverness.
Again! cover
For my tastes, I think the two albums that followed -- 2013's Again! and his Grammy-nominated effort with Molly Ledford from the band Lunch Money, the 2015 album Trees -- were probably the high points thus far of his output. With Again!, Kelly melds the silly ("Ode to Butter") with the sweet ("There's Nothing Like My Town"), with nothing too mend-bending, except for "Don't Tell Me That I Don't Know What I Know (When You Know That You Don't Know What I Know That I Know)," which I'm still trying to work through the logic of.
Trees album cover
And the universally-loved Trees finds Kelly's silly songs like "The National Tree of England" and "(It's Just a) Dumb Ol' Stick" nestled in amongst Ledford's earnest and tender rockers. Ledford, in fact, basically inserted herself into the album after Kelly had been talking about recording such an album for years. And it's amusing to hear Ledford's drier wit make Kelly laugh, like on the gentle putdown Ledford uses on "Coniferous Trees," a joke that it takes Kelly 4 or 5 seconds to hear ("I just got that," he chuckles while trying to continue to sing his verse.)
Welp album cover
From there, Kelly's 2016 Welp (oh, that title -- that's a dad word, for sure) covers the same tonal ground that Again! covered, perhaps a little more comedic, and with slightly less of a poppy sound. The narrators on tracks like "If I Could Have Your Attention," "My First Protest Song," and "You Remember Steve," which lead off the album, sound like clueless buffoons, which isn't necessarily an approach your hear on a lot of kids music -- you hear buffoons, sure, but they're rarely the ones singing the music. But of course he does have earnest tracks, like "Might It Be Love?" (though I'll admit to probably preferring an earlier, robot-attacking, self-sabotaged attempt at the track).
But on his most recent album, Kelly decides to go all in with the comedy and go where no kids' musician has gone before -- the standup comedy club. The album titled My First Comedy Album is a misnomer, because most of his albums have been comedic at their core, but it is his first attempt at recording a show in a comedy club. (With a two juice-box minimum? Unclear.)
Billy Kelly is hardly the only artist to provide a healthy dose of humor on their albums for the single-digit set. Recess Monkey, for example, have been on the jokier end of the musical spectrum, and wrote an entire song ("Knocktopus") revolving around the first jokes most preschoolers learn -- knock-knock jokes. Josh and the Jamtones did an entire album called Bear Hunt that was essentially a long set of riffs loosely connected by songs that eventually became a movie, as if one of those two-guys-talking-in-front-of-a-microphone podcasts became an animated production. The latest Michael and the Rockness Monsters album Funny Faces features a handful of silly songs that harken back to the era of novelty songs. Cory Cullinan and Richard Perlmutter use comedy to carve an entrance for kids into classical music. And Eric Herman did an entire sketch and music comedy album titled The Incredibly Spaced-Out Adventures of Jupiter Jackson.
One thing you might notice scanning down that list is that it's made up entirely of males. And my perception is that guys tend to be given more leeway to do silly things in kids music, which means that female artists like Joanie Leeds, Sirius-XM's/Wow in the World's Mindy Thomas, or the much-missed-in-kindie Ashley Albert of The Jimmies who traffic in broader humor like their male counterparts above are more the exception. (And women such as Molly Ledford who use humor sometimes more subtly are often overlooked.) It's a little disappointing, to be sure.
Both lists above also highlight the fact that comedy crafted specifically for kids is pretty hard to find. Find someone to animate your jokes and craft a 6-, 11-, or 22-minute story around them, and you too can get your own development deal. But sketch comedy for kids, especially audio-only sketch comedy for kids, is reaaally hard to find. As best I can tell, the only folks doing that full-time are The Listies, who are based in Australia, so even though they tour a lot, it's probably too much to expect that they just criss-cross the United States week after week. (Note: I very much recommend listening to The Listies. Maybe they'll change their minds about the States.)
Into this void, then, jumps Billy Kelly, father of two, purveyor of dad jokes, whose puns earn groans from the audience (when was the last time you heard that on a comedy album?). And Kelly certainly does take a few opportunities to speak directly to the kids who are sitting in his mixed age audience, noting that he got them into the [comedy] club and noting that kids do, in fact, catch a break. Like, a lot.
But for the most part, Kelly trains his eye on more absurdist topics, like deciding to forego bird-watching for bird watcher-watching.
He eschews the often dense wordplay and allusion-filled approach of his music for a more laid-back take, like Steven Wright with a higher-pitched voice. (No complaints about airplane food or relationship woes, thankfully.) Kelly plays with the conventions of standup, humor which might work a little better with the adults who know when he's slightly subverting the form. And some bits like "Auditordium" start out sounding like they're just mistakes until you realize that they're well-plotted jokes.
Only once does he break down and turn to music as a frame for his comedy, and that's on the cut called "Dictionary." It's actually a recycled bit from Welp. The music isn't necessary at all for the basic structure of the jokes, though the structure of the song -- whereby the spoken jokes essentially fill the role of verses, and the wordless do-do-do-dooooos the chorus -- probably helps the listener process the jokes themselves, which require a little thinking.
The whole album requires a little thinking, actually. While there are definitely some simpler jokes on the album, this is not something that will amuse your kindergartener. Rather, it requires a level of attention and smarts that may even be out of the range of your second-grader. Unlike the Listies, Kelly offers no fart jokes. This is neither good nor bad, just noting that fart jokes are the fastest method known to science for getting a second-grader, especially a boy, to laugh. In some ways, My First... is most reminiscent of Is This Some Sort of Joke?, his most comedic album up 'til now and the one that needed the highest level of listener attention, though the humor is lighter in tone on this new album.
There are a ton of jokes on the 45-minute-long My First Comedy Album and with it Billy Kelly safely retains his title of Funniest Person in Kids Music, unlikely to give it up until he chooses to retire as GOAT. I hope that there's a second album of standup or pure comedy from him (current odds of him naming it My Second Comedy Album: 50/50?). But I like what happens when he works with artists like Ledford who pushed back on "Coniferous Trees" or with other musicians generally. So I also hope he continues working with others to produce funny stuff as well, because I think that feedback makes the humor sharper. Dad jokes work even better if there's an occasional mom or group of dads to offer up some eye rolls... or make an even worse dad joke. And if other dads and moms want record their own albums of comedy just for the kids and their adults, I think it's time it becomes an actual field.
Billy Kelly on stage
Let's face it, the era of silly novelty songs is pretty much over -- really, the presence of the occasional "What Does the Fox Say?" is a case of the exception proving the rule. The only outlet at this point is Dr. Demento who continues to produce a weekly online radio show featuring, no doubt, plenty of songs that are silly but not necessarily solely comedic in intent.
So I sort of think that Michael and the Rockness Monsters' "Mr. Pickle" (off Funny Faces) would be an excellent addition to an upcoming Dr. Demento playlist. The song features the nasally ramblings of the titular character and his musings on his way to leading the pickle parade. And that's about it. No homilies about changing the world, or feeling good about yourself, or standing up to bullies. Just a song about a talking pickle. And now, a video that gives visual life to those silly lyrics. Bless 'em, we need a few more songs like that. And maybe Dr. Demento back on the radio.
Michael and the Rockness Monsters - "Mr. Pickle" [YouTube]
I realize that we're about two-thirds through May, but we're still going to attempt to regularly update my list of the best or most noteworthy kids podcast episodes.
Now, if you want to get the background on how I'm using the RadioPublic iOS app to publish these lists, feel free to go back and read my list of the best of kids podcasts from March 2017. But otherwise, just know that you can listen to these specific episodes from the RadioPublic app or right here by using the widget below.
There were way more episodes I considered or listened to than the (admittedly arbitrary) ten-episode limit I'm imposing on myself. (Yeah, I know, it's listed as eleven -- I've got no idea why that extra Brains On! episode is sticking around at the end. Think of it as an encore.)
I've got a feeling that this will quickly become a sampler as much as the "best," strictly speaking, but I won't steer you wrong, I promise. With that, let's begin with the list from April 2017! (Use this link to listen from the RadioPublic website.)
(In no particular order)
But Why: How Do Butterflies Fly? [Tons of questions about flight.]
Brains On: How Do Pianos Work? [I featured a piano-focused episode last month, so I can't skip this entirely different episode out this time!]
The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian: BeeBop's Family Tree [I'm sorry, I like Finn, but BeeBop is my favorite character. Probably your kid's, too.]
The Show About Science: Marching for Science and Extraterrestrials with Luoth Chou [It's not entirely fair that Nate is as good an interviewer, possibly smarter science-wise, and cuter than me.]
The Past and the Curious: Magic? Mesmer, Fox Sisters, Robert-Houdin, I'll See You in My Dreams [Glad that this history podcast (with some music thrown in) is now available here on RP. It's like magic!]
Ear Snacks: Extra: Tree Family (Happy Earth Day!) [A brief and occasionally silly discursion on trees.]
Stories Podcast: Soft: The First Dog (Part 1 of 3) [The first of a three-part series, a well-told story about the first friendship between human and dog.]
The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel: Cargo [The first episode of Season 2 for this Peabody Award-winning show. Of course this makes the list.]
What If World: What if Legos were alive? [What if Legos were alive? Here is a different approach from what the LEGO Batman movie says.]
Book Club for Kids: Counting by 7's by Holly Goldberg Sloan [Besides the episode generally, I like the fact that you can count to 42 by 7s.]
Summer is drawing nigh, and kids music continues to cross my doorstep (and iTunes and Spotify and Bandcamp playlists). Ten songs, less than 30 minutes, and if you don't like these -- well, I think you'll like a lot of these, but if the ratio is insufficient, feel free to check out the April list 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 right here in you're in Spotify).
**** New Music May 2017 (May 2017 Kindie Playlist) ****
"I'd Like to Live in Your Hat" - Froggins & Bug
"Shooting Star" - Shine and the Moonbeams
"Marco Polo" - Walter Martin
"Jack and Jill" - Matthew Valcourt
"Poppy" - The Salamanders
"Poopy Dogs" - Spring Bees
"Squirrel Fight" - Michael and the Rockness Monsters
"I Despise Flies" - Todd Downing
"Jump and Jive" - Dana
"Tipping Point" - Matt Heaton
"Plastic Duck" - Remington Super 60
I've missed a month since the last time I looked at ranking podcasts for kids. (For those of you interested, here is March's list of top-ranked kids and family podcasts.) If you're looking for a podcast for kids, you could of course look at my list of podcasts for kids (inching ever closer to reaching triple-digits), but if that's a bit overwhelming, try the podcasts listed below. Popularity isn't always synonymous with quality, but you could do much worse than dipping into the shows ranked below to start out.
The biggest news since the last time out is the release of NPR's first-ever podcast for kids, Wow in the World. You can learn much more about the show in my interview with the show's creators, Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz, but unsurprisingly, even after just one full episode released this week, it's camping out at the top of the charts.
Even setting aside Wow in the World's arrival, this would still be a big deal sort of list, because there are 16 shows on the ranked list below, meaning 16 shows that appeared in the top 100 of both the iTunes and Stitcher "kids and family" charts. That is a record by a wide margin. The total number of podcasts listed below is 32, which ties the record high. And there are 3 podcasts below which hit the overall iTunes Top 200, while in the Top 200 Kids & Family chart on iTunes, the total there (33) tied the record. So there is clearly some increasing awareness of family-friendly podcasts.
As always: this is a blunt instrument, combining pure rankings from two fairly opaque charts, and for a variety of reasons has only marginal value as a measure of quality. (Results compiled from Top 100 podcasts on iTunes and Stitcher "kids and family" charts on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. Podcasts that appear on both charts are listed with numbers; remaining podcasts only appeared on one list.) So: grain of salt noted.
Two other reminders:
1. If you're looking for a list that has most (or all) of these podcasts, check out my comprehensive list of podcasts for kids.
2. If you're interested in the future of podcasts for kids, you might be interested in Kids Listen, a grassroots organization of podcasters and folks like me interested in helping high-quality audio for children thrive. We're looking for other interested folks -- producers or otherwise -- to join in!
With that out of the way, let's get to the chart.
1. (tie) Brains On!
1. (tie) Stories Podcast
1. (tie) Wow in the World
4. Storynory
5. The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
6. Tumble
7. Story Pirates
8. The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian
9. Dream Big
10. Story Time
11. The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd
12. But Why
13. The Radio Adventures of Eleanor Amplified
14. Peace Out
15. Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child
16. Short and Curly
Others (listed alphabetically): 1001 Classic Short Stories and Tales, Activated Stories, Barefoot Books, Book Club for Kids, Children Stories and Joyful, Disney Story Central, Ear Snacks, Family Folk Tales, Little Stories for Tiny People, Molly and the Sugar Monster, Official Adventures in Odyssey, Podcast Kid, Saturday Morning Theatre, Sparkle Stories, The Story Home, That Story Show
Zooglobble
Zooglobble helps you find kindie music -- news, videos, mp3s, reviews -- for your whole family.
DIY for the kindie world.
