Itty-Bitty Review: Hello Night - Kesang Marstrand

Unlike any other lullaby album you'll hear this year, Hello Night is the creation of New York-based singer-songwriter Kesang Marstrand. It's buoyed by Marstrand's simple songs, spare accompaniment, and her delicate, beautiful voice. Especially her voice, which is clear and just about perfect for an album like this. Many of the songs -- all original -- on the album take inspiration from the natural world, from the opening tracks "Dandelion" and "Carry On Crickets" to songs like "Cocooned In My Blanket," in which the snuggled child thinks of becoming a butterfly. (I also particularly liked the placement of "All the Little Children," about all the adventures the not-yet-sleeping child could have with the singer, at the end of the album.) If you listen to the 37-minute album repeatedly in the light of day (an occupational hazard of reviewing music), you may tire of the relatively narrow range of song styling and guitar accompaniment. (One of the most welcome tracks is "Rest," which unlike the other songs, features Marstrand accompanying herself on kalimba instead of guitar.) But that's not a huge concern with lullaby albums, designed as they are to be listened to in the background (or subconsciously after falling asleep), for which radical changes in style are not to be wished for. The album is obviously most appropriate for kids age 0 through 4 and their weary caregivers. You can listen to samples here and here. Families who have found a spot in their record collection for the mellow music of Frances England and Renee & Jeremy should give Hello Night a spin. It's an album you could spend many nights with. Recommended.

How Long Does It Take To Go Cross-Country By Tricycle?

I've followed the Tricycle Music Fest at the public libraries of Charlotte and Mecklenburg Country, which brought some pretty big-name acts to that North Carolina neck of the woods -- They Might Be Giants, Gustafer Yellowgold, Father Goose, Lunch Money, Frances England, and so on. So it was with some sadness that I noted this past summer that the event was taking a hiatus. But never fear, Tricycle fans -- San Francisco is filling the gap. That's right, Tricycle Music Fest West is coming to San Francisco in October, Charlotte tricycle and all. No big national names, but for an area with so many great bands/musicians, you could put on a pretty good show with just local acts, and the Fest has. A big October 10 show and the main library will feature Charity and the JAMband, Frances England, and the Hipwaders, along with the Time-Outs, and the Devil-ettes and Pip-Squeak-A-Go-Go. Charity, Frances, and the Time-Outs will also be playing shows at local branches. Yay libraries! Yay music at libraries! Yay tricycles at libraries! (OK, I'm still working on that last one.)

Review: My Trampoline - Peter Himmelman

As this Kids New Wave enters its second decade, long-time practitioners have matured in their songwriting. Peter Himmelman is no different. His initial albums, mostly fanciful and Roald-Dahl-like in their oddness, have given way to being grounded more (though not completely) in reality, and he's written more sharply-crafted (and well-produced) pop and rock songs. My Trampoline starts off with a bang, with three great songs -- the skittering keyboards of "Imagination"; the rocking "King Ferdinand," about Himmelman's turtle, fueled by an infectious guitar riff; and "My Trampoline," a bluesy rocker with a horn section. Himmelman sounds very comfortable singing about these very familiar situations, but he hasn't completely shed the fanciful diversions that dominated his earlier work for kids. Once again he rattles off a bunch of facts with a high truthiness quotient in "Statistical Factoids" and dreams of grass singing in the orchestral "Ten Billion Blades of Grass." His best work, though, is grounded in reality with just a touch of fantasy mixed in -- on the country "Main Dish," Himmelman sings "Does the relish ever want to be the hot dog / Does the pickle ever want to be the bun?" His use of food as a metaphor for figuring out one's role or place in life and being comfortable with your own self is genius. Himmelman is confident enough to throw in a gratuitous "Fiddler on the Roof" reference on the title track (or a Charlie Pride reference in "Main Dish"). Even more confident is his decision to reveal the story's point in narration at the end of "Pin Head" rather than the beginning. The 42-minute album is most appropriate for kids ages 5 through 10. You can hear samples from the album here. Order the album there or through the Minivan Productions website. Right now, Peter Himmelman is writing songs with the energy of a man who's figured out what he wants to say and how he wants to say it. My Trampoline is a strong collection of songs and stories in song for imaginative kids -- it's definitely a worthy musical companion for fans of Roald Dahl, Shel Silverstein, and good family music. Highly recommended.

Video: "Among the Green Leaves" - Kesang Marstrand

I'll have more to say about Kesang Marstrand's lullaby album Hello Night shortly, but for now I'll leave you with this video for the album's "Among the Green Leaves." After you watch for twenty seconds or so, you ask yourself, "Is anything going to happen here?" SPOILER ALERT! (The answer is no.) But it's a calming lullaby song -- who's to say that anything should happen? Kesang Marstrand - "Among the Green Leaves" [YouTube]

Finally. Los Lobos Goes Disney

Well, it wasn't September 1, as I mentioned earlier, but we have proof that the Los Lobos album of Disney covers not only exists, but will be sprung upon the population this month. Los Lobos Goes Disney is the title (check out that awesome cover art to the left), and it's being released September 22 as an Amazon exclusive. [Update: For a limited time, go here and listen to the whole thing.] The tracklisting -- a mix of stuff obvious and not (yay! it includes a song from Toy Story that isn't "You've Got a Friend in Me") after the jump.

Itty-Bitty Review: Homemade Fun - Keith Munslow

A small delight. I've been a big fan of Rhode Island storyteller and songwriter Keith Munslow for awhile now. His last album of songs, Accidentally (on purpose) (review) was a well-crafted collection of children's pop, and his Dressed Up for the Party -- two stories, two songs -- is a popular request in our house. His new album Homemade Fun is even better. As you might expect from a storyteller and improv performer, Munslow spends a lot of time thinking about kids' lives and the importance of imagination in those lives. So on the funky horn-tinged "Every Day Is A Summer Day," he sings about picturing summer in the midst of winter (and sounds like a bit like Stan Ridgway on "Mexican Radio"). The silly "The Leftovers" describes an army of left-too-much-overs marching through the house. And on the '80s pop homage "Watchin' All the Cars Go By," the narrator sees freeway traffic and sings "Every one has a place to be / every one has a story for me / They just keep comin' / and I wonder why..." The humor in a lot of the songs is definitely not subtle (you neither expect nor receive any subtlety on a song title "Code Id By Doze"), which is fine -- kids'll eat it up. But parents (and kids paying close attention) will probably howl most at the denouement of "Dust Bunny," about a kid who chooses a dust bunny to be his pet. And the near-instrumental surf-rock of "Spork," featuring awesome tenor saxophone work by Gordon Beadle, is the best dance song of the year. The 34-minute album is most likely going to be appreciated by kids ages 5 through 9. You can read lyrics to the album and hear a few samples here. Homemade Fun is a sweet nugget of an album and what a lot of kids' music should be -- great music well-played and with lyrics that touch upon kids' experiences. Parents will like; kids will love. Definitely recommended.