An interesting article reprinted in the Arizona Republic this week about playing kids' music in nightclubs. The article talks about how some nightclubs are booking shows for artists playing children's music. Seems like not every club could pull this off, depending on the operating interior decorating motif, but there's no reason why parents can't give their kids a wide range of cultural activities by taking them to a nightclub (in a safe environment) just as they might take them to the symphony or the ballet. The article namechecks other artists -- They Might Be Giants, Ralph Covert, and Laurie Berkner -- as well as mentions other, less well-known artists.
Another approach to kids' music is to have "regular" musicians come in and play shows. This is the approach that the Washington, DC cable show Pancake Mountain has taken, bringing in non-kiddie artists such as the Arcade Fire ("Wake Up" is a pretty cool song, I admit) and Vic Chesnutt. Without watching the video clips, I'm not sure how the approach actually works, but it's further proof that people are taking more seriously the idea of kids as music listeners.
Review: Ralph's World - Ralph's World
Ralph Covert is a classic example of a musician who along the way to a career as a musician making music for adults stumbled into becoming a kids' musician and found he had a gift for that type of music. These conversions are not so surprising; coming home at 3 AM after playing clubs (then sleeping 'til noon) is perhaps not the best way for an artist to be a part of their kids' lives. So now he records as Ralph's World.
On Ralph's World's first kids' CD Ralph's World, the band showcases a broad range of musical styles, though it’s considerably tamer that one might expect from a band that includes a former member of the Smashing Pumpkins. Up-tempo, down-tempo, western swing, disco, whatever. There are lots of songs about animals (“Freddy Bear the Teddy Bear”, “Animal Friends”, “Tickle a Tiger”). And Covert isn't afraid to write songs that put his heart on his sleeve ("All My Colors," "Bedtime Girl").
But there are just enough sly adult references to keep the parents happy; “Take a Little Nap (The Disco Song)” reworks a classic disco tune. Covert’s daughter and friends make appearances singing backup (don’t worry, it’s kept in check). The album is targeted at kids aged 2 to 6. Recommended.
Review: House Party - Dan Zanes
There are those kids' albums that sound like they're specifically geared toward, well, kids. The best of these get into the kids' worlds, their hopes and fears. The worst talk down to kids, way too stickly sweet.
And then there's Dan Zanes. His albums are the best example of what I'd call "family music." Instead of gearing his music primarily toward kids, Zanes finds (or, on occasion, writes) songs the whole family can enjoy. Zanes' 2003 album, House Party, exemplifies this approach. The title track is all about making music at home with family friends. My daughter asks to listen to it all the time, along with the uptempo "Down In The Valley." "House Party" is followed up by the traditional bluegrass tune, "Wabash Cannonball." There's nothing about "Cannonball" that makes it geared towards kids, except the fact that it's just a great little song, part of the American song canon.
"Cannonball" is only one a few traditional songs Zanes uses to good effect on the CD. My favorite is a lovely duet with Debbie Harry on "Waltzing Matilda," on which Harry's voice is so lovely you can't believe you're listening to the same person who led (and still leads) the rock band Blondie. As fun as that and other songs are on the CD, my very favorite is a Zanes original that ends the CD, "A Place For Us." A simple song about friendship and belonging, with composer Philip Glass on pump organ, I find it almost heartbreakingly beautiful, which lets me indulge its 6-minute runtime. (It's way too long for kids, of course, but I think it's great.)
Like all of Zanes' CDs, this one comes packaged in an illustrated book-like cases with liner notes. But you'll probably be too busy dancing with your kids to read it. (Unless, of course, you're driving. Then you're not dancing. I hope.)
DVD Review: Here Come The ABCs - They Might Be Giants
In my younger days, I went to clubs to hear Rawk Bands. And in my much younger days, I watched Sesame Street.
It is no knock on this new DVD -- it's high praise, in fact -- that I could see clips from the DVD played at clubs and on Sesame Street.
My review from last week on the CD version of this album was interpreted in the comments section by a snarky friend as being a negative review. As a long-time They Might Be Giants fan, I prefer to think of my less-than-5-star CD review as a reflection of them just failing to meet the high standards I've set for them. And part of that was a result of some songs that sound like they were designed for the DVD that were less than compelling without visuals.
So, then, the questions is, "how are the visuals?" And the answer is, fantabulous. Really. The video for "Pictures of Pandas Painting," while not a favorite song of mine, has a hypnotic, psychedelic feel. The art in "C is for Conifers" is nothing less than, well, art. "Q U" is a quirky live-action bit with Q and U (I love the shot of them walking through Central Park, with the crowd completely ignoring them). The puppetry in songs like "Who Put the Alphabet (In Alphabetical Order)" is lots of fun and a little surreal (e.g., the guitar windmills of a nearly-punk-rockin' pink poodle). And with visuals, songs such as "Letter Shapes" are much more enjoyable. (One note: if you're interested in the DVD because you want to see the actual band, you'll be mostly disappointed as the "thumb puppet" Johns get almost as much screen time as the "real" Johns -- i.e., not much.)
Taken in one 50-minute sitting, it's almost too much, but these visuals would fit in perfectly as interstitials (between-segment shorts) in Sesame Street. They would also make perfect oblique sense played on TVs in a rock club between sets.
One other minor complaint -- the DVD menu doesn't have scenes by chapters. If you're trying to limit a child's viewing time, trying to get to a particular song (and then play it from there for, say, 15 minutes) takes more work than it should.
But these are minor complaints. Excellent DVD.
Review: Here Come the ABCs - They Might Be Giants
As a follow-up to their popular and critically-acclaimed children's CD No!, Here Come the ABCs is a bit of a let-down only in comparison to such a strong disc. Part of this is probably due to the deliberate narrowing of subject matter of the new disc. How many different ways can you sing songs about the alphabet, a subject whose signature song was written by Mozart? But the relatively abstract nature of the lyrics allow TMBG to run amuck across the musical spectrum: jaunty ("E Eats Everything"), prog-rockish ("Pictures of Pandas Painting"), sometimes within the same song (the ballad/British Invasion/"Leader-of-the-Pack"-ish "D & W").
Since this CD was created with a companion DVD in mind, some of the songs ("Can You Find It?," "Letter/Not A Letter," "Letter Shapes") seem deficient without any accompanying visuals (I'll address whether or not that's actually the case in an upcoming review of the DVD). And unlike No!, which used a few songs from TMBG's "adult" career, the songs on ABCs are definitely more targeted at kids (thereby increasing the likelihood of odd stares from co-workers should you take the CD to work).
But that's not to say there aren't some standout tracks. "Alphabet Lost and Found" is a electronica-lite song about well, lost and found letters. "I C U" has some great wordplay (or, rather, letter-play). "C Is For Conifers" is a fine entry in the long TMBG tradition of educational songs and covers ("Mammal," "Meet John Ensor," "The Sun Is A Mass (Of Incandescent Gas)"). And "Q U" is just cute (or "qute," I guess).
Can I envision sneaking this off to work like I did with No!? Probably not -- it's not as strong an album in total. But if you (or your children) liked No!, there's no reason to believe you (or they) won't find Here Come the ABCs enjoyable as well.
News: Children's Grammy Noms Announced
The Grammy nominations were announced yesterday and the nods for the two children's categories are:
Best Musical Album For Children (For albums consisting of predominantly music or song vs. spoken word.)
> Beethoven's Wig 2: More Sing Along Symphonies - Beethoven's Wig [Rounder Kids]
> cELLAbration! A Tribute To Ella Jenkins - Various Artists, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, producers [Smithsonian Folkways Recordings]
> House Party - Dan Zanes And Friends [Festival Five Records]
> Merry Fishes To All - Trout Fishing In America [Trout Records]
> Sharing Cultures With Ella Jenkins - Ella Jenkins [Smithsonian Folkways Recordings]
Best Spoken Word Album For Children (For albums consisting of predominantly spoken word vs. music or song.)
> The Best Halloween Ever - Elaine Stritch [Harper Children's Audio]
> Carnival Of The Animals - John Lithgow [Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers]
> The Emperor's New Clothes - Peter Schickele [Newport Classic]
> Green Eggs And Ham And Other Servings Of Dr. Seuss - Various Artists John McElroy, producer[Listening Library]
> The Story Of Classical Music - Marin Alsop [Naxos Audio Books]
> The Train They Call The City Of New Orleans - Tom Chapin [Live Oak Media]
The Grammys will be televised Feb. 13, 2005, although I would be surprised to see either of these categories awarded during the broadcast.
