Many months ago, I had a feature I called "Song of the Day," where I'd ramble on about a song I'd heard recently that I was digging a lot. Now I have no time for such things as that, but I'm going to make an all-video exception today for one of my favorite songs off of They Might Be Giants' excellent Here Come the ABCs CD, "Alphabet of Nations."
What spurred this is the appearance on YouTube of TMBG's performance of the song on last week's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I've always loved the second verse they add to their live shows, and along with Linnell's physical stylizing, it makes up for the fact that somebody pointed their camcorder at the TV screen and pushed "record."
There are a bunch of other live versions on YouTube, with similarly dubious recording qualities, but rather than link to them all, I'll just send you to the original...
Video: "Night Mantra" - Renee and Jeremy
This is about as lo-fi a video as you can get, but it fits the song. "Night Mantra" is one of the stellar cuts on Renee and Jeremy's debut It's A Big World. You get the feeling listening to the album version that it was probably recorded just like it was shown here. Well, maybe there was a little less lounging.
This makes me a geek, but I love that green color on the wall behind them.
In other R&J news, they note on their website that they "are starting to write for the follow-up to It's A Big World which will come out sometime in 2008."
Video: "The Mesopotamians" - They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants' latest CD, the very entertaining The Else, isn't always kid-friendly -- it's not quite as goofy overall as their earlier work, almost as if they're cleaving a little bit between their kids' stuff and adult stuff. The album closer, "The Mesopotamians," is a bubbly tale of some ancients hitting the road as a band. Think of it as the Geico cavemen meet Gorillaz. Think of it as an early world history lesson (who was Hammurabi again?)
Or, if you don't want to just think about it, head on over to Stereogum, where they've got the new video here. The animation is pretty sweet. It's mostly OK for older kids -- there is some not-too-bad stylized violence and one PG-rated curse word.
Video: "I Had a Little Dog" - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke
It's been a while since I've posted something from Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke, but it's been a while since they've posted something, too, so fair's fair, right?
Anyhoo, they've taken their first step into the video world with an animated video for the best Johnny Cash children's song that Johnny Cash, uh, never actually wrote or sung. "I Had a Little Dog" is one of those songs where the chorus continually builds upon the last iteration (e.g., "Twelve Days of Christmas"), backed by a train-like rhythmic backbeat. The video itself is pretty minimalist, but I think the kids will really like it.
According to Wilde, their record is "nearing completion." Add it to the list of eargerly-anticipated 2008 releases...
A Silly Holiday Used As An Excuse To Show A Video
Today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. I have nothing to say about the holiday, really. It is, however, an excuse to show the KidVid Tournament 2007 Champion, Captain Bogg & Salty's "Pieces of 8ight."
Regardless of whether you've never seen it or seen it a hundred times, it's worth your four minutes.
Arrrrrrr, mateys.
KidVid: "Spanimals" - The Jimmies
Man (or this man) at least cannot live on live music (and bottled water) alone. He must also have amusing videos featuring frisbie-throwing human-sized dogs and deers grilling at the barbecue.
Oh, yeah, a Carmen Miranda-style headpiece never hurts.
Here you go, the latest video from New York's The Jimmies -- "Spanimals."
