Review: Tabby Road - Recess Monkey

Over the course of four albums, the Seattle trio Recess Monkey have gone from nice little side project to full-fledged rock stars to the Seattle-area kid-set. Take three guys with elementary education experience, mix in a healthy dose of songwriting chops, and add a bit of humor, and it's not too surprising they've built up such a devoted fanbase. Their latest CD Tabby Road, officially released this week, gives no indication that their star will wane anytime soon. As you might expect from the album title, the band are big fans of the Beatles. (Longtime fans will not be surprised, given that Aminal House featured a Sgt. Pepper's homage cover, and the 2-CD set Wonderstuff was nicknamed the "Yellow Album" for its all-yellow cover.) There's definitely a '60s-era vibe throughout the CD, especially on tracks like "Robin (Sugar Goblin)" and "Kitty Sister" -- the former is probably an unrecorded Beatles track the band found and decided to pass off as its own, the latter also recalls the Beatles in a melody with some harmonizing and a gymnastic vocal line that's completely infectious. Unlike Wonderstuff, which moved into the '80s even with its influences, Tabby Road stays much more in '60s-inspired sounds, hewing more closely to a pure pop sound. A totally engrossing pure pop sound, to be sure, but there's less power-poppy crunch here. Topically, the band continues its fascination with pets (including the tender "KC in the Clouds," about a pet that's passed away), friendship ("S-L-Double-E-P-Over"), and kids' rites of passage ("Birthday Bite"). They also mimic the second side of Abbey Road with a whole "Monster Medley" that's, well, insanely catchy (check out the album's "Boogie Monster" with its "whoop-whoop" singalong -- you and your kids will find it impossible to put your hands in the air or move side to side) and totally not scary. The medley doesn't blend quite as well as the Beatles' version, but I did like the repetition of the bridge line from the medley's start in "Under My Bed" in "Monster Truck," the last song (before the quiet "Wolfman," which isn't quite as short as "Her Majesty," but oh well). If you're wondering what's changed from the prior albums, well, it's probably the tightest of the band's albums and, because it wasn't recorded as part of the "camp weeks" that the two prior versions grew out of, with slightly fewer kids' voices (though they still show up). Those of you who thought Wonderstuff was all a bit too much at 80 minutes long or who thought Aminal House was just a bit too all over the place will appreciate the 40-minute brevity. I missed some of the goofiness that marked those earlier albums (more Mayor Monkey, please!), but what's sacrificed here is replaced by a focus that serves the band well. Every track is solid. (And, yes, there's a John Vanderslice reference. I will be disappointed if the next album doesn't feature John Vanderslice himself as the John Vanderslice reference.) Kids ages 3 through 8 will most appreciate the songs here -- you can listen to four full tracks (including "Boogie Monster") at the band's Myspace page or sample all tracks at the album's CDBaby page. Over the course of four albums, Recess Monkey has slowly staked its claim to being the best kids music band in the business. Tabby Road is jam-packed with first-rate songwriting, matched by strong musicianship and kid-focused subject matter. These guys are great, and so's the album. If you're not familiar with the band yet, you should be and you may as well start here. Highly recommended. [Ed. note: Just to get the potential-conflict-of-interest statements out there, I'll note here that I'm presenting them in concert next month here in Phoenix (which means that my take is, uh, $0). I wouldn't present 'em if I didn't think they were really good. But just so you know.]

Making Music With Your Kids... and Others...

I spend lots of time talking about people who are making kids music for a living (at least part of the time), but I spend quite a bit of time making music with my kids. Longtime kids music friend and Fids and Kamily Award co-coordinator Amy Davis is spending some time these days writing for Atlanta's Savvy Source outpost, and she was nice enough to ask me to write about making music with the preschool set. The result is my thoughts on preschool music programs such as Music Together and others. If you're so inclined, do check it out...

You Knew It Would Happen: Feist, "1 2 3 4," and Sesame Street

Yeah, I know some people are tired of Feist by now, but I still adore "1 2 3 4," and so do the fine folks at Sesame Street. They've helped rework Feist's hit song into the 3-year-old counting song it will inevitably be remembered as. You must watch this. Now. (Or wait 'til it premieres on the 39th season premiere August 11.) Feist - "1 2 3 4 (Sesame Street Version)"

They even used the original for inspiration. (Though there were no penguins in the original and Feist isn't nearly as spangly here.) Hat tip: Videogum. After the jump, the original video, plus my favorite reworked Sesame Street song ever.

Review: One Size Fits All...! - Adam and the Couch Potatoes

Kids' music is, as a general rule, a pretty positive genre. But Nashville's Adam and the Couch Potatoes have got to be, without a doubt, at the top of the list for positivity. Which could be bad -- too much of a good thing and all that -- but somehow the band's debut CD One Size Fits All...! manages to keep the positive vibe going without driving the listener over the edge. How exactly does it do that? Well, I think what drives a lot of parents nuts regarding "happy happy joy joy" music is the sense that the musicians are just putting on an act, that they don't believe what they're singing (at least not completely). On One Size Fits All...!, however, there's an energy and exuberance here that seems totally real and honest. Maybe the band doesn't quite follow the mantra of the power-pop leadoff track, "Never Gonna Be Bored!" (yes, there's an exclamation point there, just as with the end of the title of every single track) and ends up bored occasionally, but the spirit shines. "The Happy Song" is a driving song that pulls off the lyric "I'm just happy to live" without it sounding sappy. "That's Cool" would have fit great in "Free To Be You and Me" (well, topically if not exactly sonically). The songs themselves are played with verve and are crammed with vocal asides. Indeed, if there's any downside to the 44-minute disk, it's that it's, well, an album on which every single track title ends with an exclamation point. Even the slower tracks (the goofy wordplay of "Driving," for example) seem jam-packed with so much excitement, that it's hard for the listener to catch their breath. "Scenes from a Shoe Shop" is as if Billy Joel decided to rework "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" into a kids' track, and it's that full of scenery. It's not until the end of the album, which shifts from the poppy sounds of the preceding tracks to a slower, more country sound, that the band relaxes. Those are three excellent songs -- "Great People," "Only One Time," and "Bedtime Ben," which probably would have served the album better scattered amongst the faster tracks. Kids ages 3 through 7 will most appreciate the tracks here, which you can sample at the album's CDBaby page or hear some complete tracks from at the band's Myspace page. Perhaps One Size Fits All...! is best taken in measured doses, but it doesn't mean it tastes like medicine. It's fun, bouncy, and I can't wait to hear what this young band comes up with next. Recommended.

Ella Jenkins Now Immortalized With Nirvana, Public Enemy, and Sonic Youth

We know Ella Jenkins is a living legend, and now comes one more proof of that -- her 1966 recording of "You Sing a Song, I'll Sing a Song" is now immortalized in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry, a list of "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" recordings preserved for all time. Other kids' artists are in there, though not for kid-specific songs -- Leadbelly's "Goodnight, Irene," Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," and Pete Seeger's "We Shall Overcome" all made the list in past years, and Elizabeth Cotten's 1959 recording of "Freight Train" was included this year along with Jenkins. On the list you'll also find some recordings that, if you're like me, you've probably never heard of, like "Tubby the Tuba" by Paul Tripp and George Kleinsinger, an incredibly popular kids music recording from 1946. But you're more likely to have heard the three most recent recordings on the list -- Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation, Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet, and Nirvana's Nevermind. That's fine company indeed.

Recess Monkey On Tour, In Phoenix, Presented by...

Zooglobble! That's right, the great Seattle trio Recess Monkey is making their way around this great country of ours this summer promoting their upcoming album Tabby Road. (Despite $4/gallon gas, they will not be riding the tricycle as in the picture above to get around the country.) Chicago, Northampton, DC, Austin, and, hey, what's this, PHOENIX! Yep, on Sunday, August 3rd, 3 pm, you can see Recess Monkey at downtown Phoenix's Modified Arts, $6 for adults, $3 for kids, and infants free. And despite the fact that the phrase "presented by Zooglobble" makes me giggle, it's true. We're thinking of something special for the kids (in addition to seeing the band). So come join us next month -- it will be a blast. (And I'm working on some other shows -- this may be the first Zooglobble-only presentation, but it won't be the last.) Band photo by Kevin Fry.