Details come trickling out about They Might Be Giants' forthcoming kids music album Here Comes Science (which, as I've said before, is not the most scintillating of titles to my ears, but hey, they're the creative folks).
This time, the source is Bill and Ella from Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child. Ella (with help from her friend Sam) interviewed John and John Friday and, among other things, found out a lot about Nikola Tesla while telling John and John even more about Benjamin Franklin. All about the Benjamins, indeed. (And Sam's question about "Dr. Worm" produces quite a nugget, too.) In all, well worth the 12 minutes.
Bill also noted that their adult show Friday night included a new song from the upcoming Here Comes Science CD -- "The Sun Is A Miasma of Incandescent Plasma," a response song to their own cover of "Why Does the Sun Shine?"
In rooting around YouTube, it appears they've been playing this song for a little while now, but here's TMBG doing the song in Northampton...
They Might Be Giants - "Why Does the Sun Really Shine? (The Sun Is a Miasma of Incadescent Plasma)"
Songs With Wheels (Car Songs, Truck Songs, Bike Songs, You Get The Idea)
I participated today in Little Boy Blue's classroom. It was the tail-end of two weeks of transportation-themed activities, where the preschool brings in tons of different vehicles for the kids to explore. Today was a Jeep. Yesterday, sadly (for me), was the ice cream truck.
So, anyway, I gave you a list of train songs last week. Here, then, are more songs about getting around, this time focusing on cars, trucks, bikes, and a whole bunch of other ways of getting around by wheel.
(And, as always, your favorites that I've missed are welcome in the comments.)
New Album From Dog On Fleas On Its Way...
While we're talking about new albums on their way, heads up for a new release from the fine folks in New York's Dog On Fleas. Dean Jones from the band mentioned to me that the band has "shrunk and changed flavors," indicating that a couple long time members (Debbie Lan and David Levine) have moved on and the sound has changed a little bit.
But the new album, scheduled for a mid-November-ish release, is filled as always with lots of different instruments and lots of different friends, including Frances England, Uncle Rock, and Lorette Velvette.
Here's the tracklist along with the lovely cover art which, as always, is by Cindy Hoose.
The Peter Yarrow Songbook: Why Didn't I Think Of That?
It's about time.
I mean, why more artists don't hop on board the songbook bandwagon is surprising to me. Dan Zanes, Ralph Covert, and Laurie Berkner have dipped their toes in that water, but Peter Yarrow is diving in headfirst. In a couple weeks, he'll be releasing two books, Favorite Folk Songs and Sleepytime Songs, that each feature lyrics, guitar notations, and notes on 12 classic folk songs. In addition, they'll each include a CD of the book's songs featuring Peter, Bethany and Rufus, a trio featuring Yarrow, his daughter Bethany Yarrow, and cellist Rufus Cappadocia. He's not stopping there -- Songs to Sing Together will be released next year and Nursery Rhymes is currently on tap for 2010.
The beauty of these books (besides the, well, beauty of the illustrations) is that they're a great mix of tunes familiar and less so. So families looking to sing together -- and why shouldn't they? -- will have a few songs they can easily master along with some songs they can learn.
I'm not always a fan of CDs embedded in picture books -- where do we keep 'em, for one thing -- but I think for this purpose, it's great. While families could get many of these things in just a regular CD with liner notes, I think by putting it in book format, it encourages the singing rather than the listening. It's a concept a lot of other artists could consider.
Anyway, here are the track listings for the two CDs.
YAKMAFAA #253: Keller Williams
A couple years ago, I coined the acronym YAKMA -- "Yet Another Kids Music Article" -- to signify the wave of articles in the media (mainstream and otherwise) about the Kids New Wave. That wave (of articles not kids music) has receded somewhat, but I think it's time to coin a partially new phrase.
YAKMAFAA -- "Yet Another Kids Music Album From (An) Adult Artist"
Because the number of artists who normally make music for adults deciding to try their hands at the genre really is getting nuts.
So next up is Keller Williams, known for his laid-back vibe and awesome multi-instrumentalist and tape-looping skills. According to this article, Williams is now looking at the kids' music world...
Williams has a 4-year-old daughter and 6-month-old son, and one of his upcoming projects is an album for children. “My whole demeanor and performance style and writing style is very tongue in cheek in the positive vein, and I think it's very suitable for the kids' music industry,” he said. The songs, already written, speak to children in a “real way — maybe too real,” said Williams. “There will be a warning on the record that will clearly state: ‘Warning, not suitable for uptight parents over 45.'”I think, then, that qualifies me as interested.
Bob Dylan Does Kids'....
... literature. Not kids music.
Not new news, but Bob Dylan has got a kids' book coming out tomorrow titled Forever Young. It really seems to be illustrator Paul Rogers' bag, since the text seems to consist of nothing but the lyrics to Dylan's classic song.
Anyway, since trailers for kids books are all the rage now, here's the trailer for the book so you can decide if the illustrations are plunking down your hard-earned dollars for.
Oh, and just because I'm snarky...
