"Chanukah O Chanukah" - Mama Doni

Artist: Mama Doni

Song: "Chanukah O Chanukah"

Album: Mama Doni's Jewish Holiday Party DVD

Description: As a non-Jew, I don't have much of a cultural background to appreciate Chanukah songs -- I am definitely not the target audience for this DVD.  I do, however, very much like the bluegrass take on one of the few traditional Jewish songs I am, in fact, familiar with shared by Mama Doni and instrumentalist Eric Lindberg.

Source: YouTube

"Colour It" - Helen Austin

Artist: Helen Austin 

Song: "Colour It" 

Album: Colour It 

Description: If you're going title your album Colour It  and feature a song with that same name and make that your first video, when then you darn well better make that video, well, colourful.  This video, feature simple MS Paint-like animation, fits the bill.  Simple but cute for the wee ones, with a tender song to match.

Source: YouTube 

"Tails" - Red Yarn Puppet Band

Artist: Red Yarn Puppet Band 

Song: "Tails" 

Album: N/A

Description:  Though the spacy, almost otherworldly sound Red Yarn brings to the traditional folk song would have sounded just fine on his debut album The Deep Woods , this video actually predates (and doesn't appear on) the album.  For that reason alone, it's worth mentioning.  But also: puppets.  Six puppeteers strong.  I can't be the only getting Emmett Otter flashbacks...

Source: YouTube 

"Opposite Friends" - The Little Rockers Band

Artist: The Little Rockers Band 

Song: "Opposite Friends" 

AlbumReady for Rockin'

Description: A little bit old, but I re-watched the video recently and thought the use of the fake splitscreen and the constant (simple) costume and prop changes made what could have been a fairly standard thing into something a little more polished.  Plus I appreciated the Arizona shout-out. 

Wait.  That wasn't an Arizona shout-out? 

SourceYouTube

"Gaia She Knows" - The Hipwaders

Artist: The Hipwaders 

Song: "Gaia She Knows" 

Album: N/A

Description:  For the video for this slower Americana-tinged tune about a six-year-old girl wanting to encourage a more ecologically sound lifestyle, the band and animators Planet Sunday wisely shift gears from the blockier, funnier animation style they typically employ to softer line drawings, with a less finessed visual composition.  It matches the song very well and is, in spots, plain lovely.

Source: Vimeo 

"Brand New Friend" - The Jelly of the Month Club

Arist: The Jelly of the Month Club 

Song: "Brand New Friend" 

Album: Introducing, The Jelly of the Month Club 

Description:  If you had told me that there'd be a new kindie band featuring, among others, a couple folks from Sublime, the musical bits in my mind would not have sounded anything like this song, which is a jazzy bit of roots and an infectious "wawa-wawa-wawa" chorus in parts.  And the video features green screen technology and animated animals, which can sometimes be a warning sign, but here is just charming.

Source: YouTube 

"Brush Brush Brush" - Of Montreal (from Yo Gabba Gabba!)

Artist: Of Montreal

Song: "Brush Brush Brush" 

Album:  Yo Gabba Gabba: Music Is Awesome

Description: An oldie (relatively) but goodie.  The song is cute enough on its own, a zippy, danceable ode to dental hygiene, but really it's the dancing animation courtesy of Kangaroo Alliance that makes this Yo Gabba Gabba bit darn near irresistible.

Source : YouTube