When I'm Not Listening to Kids' Music

I was rereading the "My Approach to Kids' Music" post and besides the amusing out-of-date comments regarding our kids' music collection -- nearly two dozen kids' records, can you believe it, folks? -- I also noticed the listing of my "adult" music preferences:
"I particularly enjoy the following artists, among others: Wilco, the Jayhawks, Spoon, REM, They Might Be Giants, Matthew Sweet, U2, Lyle Lovett, Kelly Willis, Patty Griffin, Miles Davis and most classical chamber music."
I'm one of those people who, when visiting someone else's house for the first time, is particularly drawn to CD collections, hoping to glean some piece of critical information that might help me understand the person just a little more. It's as if I was the "guess-your-age" guy at the carnival, except instead of asking questions about the person's marital status, I'm asking, so, uh, "which albums do you have on which Sting is a musician?" In looking at that list from two years ago (and, frankly, with the exception of Spoon, it's really almost 5 years old), I'm thinking I need to update the list slightly, splitting it into two components -- artists I have 4 or more CDs of and bands with less than 4 CDs that I really adore, which basically gives you the list of bands that have been part of my life for a long time (even if they're not really any more), and newer bands I'm looking forward to hearing for many years to come. Artists with 4+ CDs in my collection, in rough order of # of CDs: They Might Be Giants, Ludwig van Beethoven (yeah, I know he's not a band in the traditional sense), R.E.M., Matthew Sweet, U2, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Talking Heads, Bruce Springsteen, Spoon, Fountains of Wayne, The Dixie Chicks, Lyle Lovett, Kelly Willis, W.A. Mozart With the exception of R.E.M., I really haven't "abandoned" any of these artists. (I'll still listen to R.E.M., but only the old stuff. Yes, in this regard I'm the snob like everyone else.) Artists with less than 4 CDs that I quite adore: The New Pornographers, The Shins, The Futureheads, Golden Smog (OK, I'm ignoring the On Golden Smog EP), My Morning Jacket (OK, I'm ignoring their earlier stuff), Kathleen Edwards I'm sure I'm omitting artists with, like, one CD that's just fabulous (see Patty Griffin, whose 1000 Kisses is incredible and whose other albums are mostly "eh" to me). If I had to make this list a year from now I'm sure it'd be different. But now you know where I stand. (And you can guess how old I am.)

Review: All Together Now: Beatles Stuff For Kids of All Ages - Various Artists

AllTogetherNow.gifAlthough it has signed very 21st century artists such as Gustafer Yellowgold and Robbert Bobbert (Robert Schneider), Little Monster Records, the new kids' music imprint from V2/Artemis Records has chosen to look back 40 years for its first release, All Together Now: Beatles Stuff For Kids of All Ages. If this first release is any indication, Little Monster releases will be designed to encourage parent-youth interaction. The release comes packaged with a storybook illustrated with kids' drawings, poems that are meant complement the lyrics, and Beatles facts which are probably familiar to the adults but won't be, of course, for the young'uns. And what exactly will you be sharing with those young'uns, musically? Thirty minutes of covers of well-chosen if familiar Beatles songs. Producer/guitarist Kevin Salem has assembled a talented backup band for the versions, which are sung by New York Doll Steve Conte along with some guest stars, including Marshall Crenshaw, Jason Lytle (ex-Grandaddy), and the Bangles (with Matthew Sweet joining Susanna Hoffs once more on a fun "Good Day Sunshine"). The songs also feature a chorus of kids who, refreshingly, are neither Broadway-trained nor pitch-corrected. They sound like, well, your elementary school or church choir, in a good way (see the simple "Love Me Do"). If you're going to put kids on record, this is the way to do it. As well-done as the whole package is, there's really nothing new here. The versions hew very closely to the originals. I realize that the idea behind the CD -- introducing the Beatles to another generation -- doesn't lend itself to massive reinterpretations of classic recordings, but there's little reason why your copies of the original Beatles CDs won't do just fine. Given the ages of kids singing (they sound like they might be in 2nd or 3rd grade, generally), I'm going to peg the age range here at ages 4 through 9, though obviously Beatles music is OK for just about any age. Three of the tracks are available here. For the moment, the CD is available only at Barnes & Noble, though that will end at some point next year. All Together Now is a nicely-assembled collection of Beatles tunes, attractively packaged and with nice thought put into it. As good as it is, I don't see it as being of great interest to people who already have some Beatles tunes in their collection. But I can't wait to see and hear what the team behind this album has up their sleeves when they turn their attention to some original songs.

Review: Here Comes the Band - Stephen Cohen

HereComesTheBand.jpgBased in Portland, Oregon Stephen Cohen has been making art of one sort or another for nearly 30 years. Creating music, musical instruments, and visual art, Cohen integrates these three into his performing career. This is exactly the kind of person that should be making kids' music. On his recently-released Here Comes The Band, Cohen gives reason to be optimistic for the future of music for families. A heady collection of multi-instrumental folk music, Cohen weaves together an album that flows seamlessly from start to finish. The opening title track serves as the prelude to the whole album, with a melody that pops up at least a couple more times later on in the album. It segues almost imperceptibly into "Give Me That Toy!," which, thankfully, doesn't tell the young listener to ask politely -- it's written from the child's perspective. And from there into the traditional children's rhyme "Mr. Knickerbocker," in which Cohen's distinctive voice (ever-so-slightly nasally and slightly-less-slightly raspy) repeats the phrase "bobbity, bobbity, bobbity-boo" until it gets lodged in your brain. Another favorite song of mine is "The Planetarium," which although is written from the point of the parent taking his son to the planetarium is written with the words of a child ("Then a baby cried and had to go outside / While we watched the lights / Stretch across the black dome sky.") To talk about the lyrics is to miss the album's chief allure, which is its music. As noted above, some of the musical transitions are seamless. Which isn't to say this is an entirely low-key album. "There Goes the Band" lists 13 people playing or singing on the track. "The Elephant Walk" sounds not a little bit like Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk." The lullabies at the end of the album are sweet as well. I can't review this album without noting the album packaging, which is one of the best I've seen this year. Lyrics, gorgeous illustrations by Christopher Shotola-Hardt, activities are in the liner notes, along with an explanation of what various people on the album (producer, engineer, visual artist) actually do. The album is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 9, though it may create fans of parents who are 39. You can hear samples of 5 songs at the album's CD Baby page and hear "Baseball, Baseball" here. Stephen Cohen's album is a little bit like what might happen if Mr. David and Randy Newman decided to record a kids' album live on Prairie Home Companion. Here Comes the Band establishes a mood and a world that will draw in you and your kids. It may not be the album your family listens to every day for a month, but it will be one you listen to occasionally for many years. Recommended.

The LA Times Uses Their Words To Describe the Sippy Cups

A tip of the hat to San Francisco's Sippy Cups, who got themselves a full-page article in the Los Angeles Times last week. It has a nice description of the spectacle of the Cups' stage show, which the band reports on its Myspace blog drew 750 people to LA's House of Blues. All that in spite of the fact that their new bassist intrigued the band because he said he owned a cow suit. Or perhaps because of the fact that their new bassist intrigued the band because he said he owned a cow suit. (For the unitiated, a review of the Electric Storyland CD here.)

That Bar's Getting Longer...

Time I expanded the sidebar links. You're probably familiar with many of these, but if not, explore a bit... Maybe you're familiar with the Fids and Kamily Awards? (OK, yeah, you probably are.) Anyway, there's a new link there. I've been tallying votes, and I'm really excited about the list. Kids Music Sites: I've added Eric Herman's fine Cool Tunes for Kids website, on which he wears a reviewers' hat and a musician's outfit, or some other mixed metaphor like that. Radio Shows: Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child will always be the #1 radio show around here, but in case you need a kids' music fix during the week, you can listen to Gooney Bird Kids or Loopy Moose Radio as well. I've also updated the Greasy Kid Stuff link to note their new playlist location. Stores: Amazon and CD Baby you know about. If you're looking for a more selective list, the Land of Nod has a decent selection of kids' music online (and has the occasional podcast from artists like Justin Roberts and Dan Zanes), while the Pokey Pup has a good selection. KidLit: You think it's hard listening to all sorts of new kids and family music from across the country? Imagine the amount of stuff that people who review literature for kids have to wade through. There are tons of sites out there, so start with Big A little a, A Fuse #8 Production, and Book Buds and start from there. (Oh, and did you know they've got an end-of-the-year award process, too? See the Cybils for more.) Other Stuff of General Parental Interest: I like the writing at Cynical Dad, Daddy Types, Family Man Online, and Neal Pollack's The Maelstrom. I just felt like I should goose their Google numbers ever so slightly.