Listen To This: The Not-Its

I know, I know, Bill already mentioned this this morning, but it's just one more proof that Bill and I are actually the same person, because I was planning on giving the Not-Its a shout-out today, too. The Seattle band features Sarah Shannon (ex-Velocity Girl) and others playing power-pop and (on "We Are the Not-Its") some melodic punk about kid-friendly stuff like bathing. (Come to think of it, not so sure how kid-friendly baths are, but never mind.) It'll be a little while at least before the full album comes out, but this'll whet your appetite for now.

Listen To This: Me 3

I'm still in the process of, well, processing the debut album from Me 3, a new band from San Franciscan musician Jason Kleinberg. So a review will come later, but because I think it's going to generate a lot of talk, I figured I'd start the ball rolling. His website used to say something like, "for fans of Dan Zanes," which I think captured the spirit of their music a little bit, but it sounds nothing like DZ. Think slower, Mr. David perhaps, or the oddity of Duplex. You can listen to three tracks -- "Apple," "Tulip," and "I Don't Know" -- at their Myspace page. (Some more tracks/clips are at their main website.) And trust me, you're gonna hear more about the band...

Marketplace of Ideas... and, er, CDs

As many of you know, for more than a year now my reviews here are also used at the Land of Nod's Music Store, which has a fine selection of music for the kiddoes (in addition to, you know, furniture). But I'm not monopolistic, so it's in that celebration of the marketplace that I'll point out that the kids music retailer The Pokey Pup (whose owner Bryan Townsend is a longtime -- two-year -- Fids and Kamily judge) is hosting a Summer Contest series of giveaways. Stuff from They Might Be Giants, Gustafer Yellowgold, Recess Monkey, Jellydots, and more. No purchase necessary -- go check it out. And, lest I forget the Land of Nod, you Father Goose fans will want to check out his recently-released Land of Nod Nodcast Podcast. It's definitely got a much more laid-back vibe than the others in the series, but I think his fans will dig it.

Disney = "Funky Old Songs": Los Lobos To Release New Kids Album

Well, it's not quite an album of songs from Mexico and Latin America along with some originals, but it'll be cool nonetheless, I should think -- Los Lobos is releasing a family-friendly album of Disney classics for a November release. Let's let Steve Berlin describe it (to Billboard):
"The conceptual framework is, we interpreted classic Disney songs like 'Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,' 'When You Wish Upon A Star' and 'I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song). There are no Elton John-era Disney tracks. But it came out really good, and we're all happy with it."
Frankly, "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" gets covered enough, we probably don't need yet another version. That song is many things, but it is not a "funky old song," which is how Berlin describes the record. The mention of Los Lobos' contribution to Stay Awake, the collection of reinterpretations of Disney classics from artists such as Tom Waits, Sinead O'Connor, and Sun Ra, makes me think that, 20 years after the release of that album, it's time for a sequel. Sure, Disney's got their DisneyMania line, but most of those artists weren't, er, born when Stay Awake was released.

Will The Album Packaging Be Cute Again, Too?

For those of you who liked the soft, soothing sounds of Renee and Jeremy's debut CD, It's a Big World! (I'll include myself in that group), good news -- the duo announced in their newsletter earlier this week that they're currently writing songs for the follow-up and plan to enter the studio in August to record it. (Does that mean they won't be using Renee's nursery like they did with the debut? Pity, though as I think about it, the nursery, empty as the pregnant Renee recorded the debut, probably has, you know, an actual child. How would you like it if somebody decided to record an album in your bedroom?) Anyway, just because it's so beautiful, the title track's video is after the jump.