This video from Salteens, with animation for Yo Gabba Gabba! is so cute it makes me want to pinch its cheeks and say, "aaaaawwww, you're so cute! Yes, you are!" Maybe it wasn't quite the Salteens song fans wanted on the first YGG compilation, but the video is ten tons of awesome. (And if you think it starts out too cute, just give it a little time -- it finds a nice balance.)
Salteens - "Be Nice To Animals" (from Yo Gabba Gabba!) [YouTube]
Grammys: Again, This One's for the Musicians
As I noted about 3 months ago, I'm always interested in seeing musicians take more responsibility for the GRAMMY process, and a key deadline is coming up in a couple weeks. October 1st is the last day for musicians (and others in the industry) to join The Academy and receive the first round voting ballot. Lots of really good albums this year deserving of a nomination for Best Recording for Children -- including maybe yours -- so if you've been thinking of joining, now would be a good time, no?
New from Readeez: Folderfuls
You know, I'm a little disappointed with Readeez' Michael Rachap. I mean, he could've recruited NWA's Eazy-E to help him on this new project (I know, he passed away a number of years ago, but work with me here), designed to make learning basic concepts such as basic grammar and how to tell time really easy. He could've called them Eazy-E's Easy-eez.
OK, on second thought, perhaps "Folderfuls" will do. More details forthcoming, but a swell idea for the pedagogically inclined. Update: more details are indeed forthcoming. I don't know, Michael, if The Economist asks to feature Folderfuls, I think you should take them up on it.
Readeez Folderfuls Trailer from Readeez on Vimeo.
Itty-Bitty Review: Take It Outside - The Okee Dokee Brothers
I'll go ahead and say straight out that since I wrote some liner notes for Take It Outside, the second family album from Minnesota's Okee Dokee Brothers, I think you can guess that I like the album. I do, indeed.
It's a big step forward for Justin Lansing and Joe Mailander, who are neither brothers nor from Oklahoma, but who do share a big ol' grin behind their band's genial name. Their first album Kids With Beards was pretty good, but this one is stronger in every way -- musically, lyrically, and sonically. "Neighbors" sounds like they've packed everybody in their neighborhood into the studio for parts of the chorus. "Hero" features a soaring chorus and guitar work from the Honeydogs'/Bunny Clogs' Adam Levy. And midway through the bouncy "Antidisestablishmentarianism," they decide that "now we're going to spell for you / 'Cause that's what kids musicians do" and proceed to do just that. (Their joy mounts as they continue to sing as they provide a frequency distribution, for example, of the letters in the word, capped by the definition and a gleeful "what's that supposed to mean?" followed by "Who caaaaares".) They do reflective OK, as on "What We Got" and "Sweet Dreams," but their strength is silly and/or goofy.
Kids ages 5 through 10 will most appreciate the lyrical themes and humor, while their Americana/bluegrass take on pop-rock, polished to a nice sheen by producer Tor Hyams will have a fairly broad appeal. You can listen to samples at the album's CD Baby page. Take It Outside has an outdoorsy theme, but even more so it speaks to an engagement with the rest of the world. With good humor and heart, the Okee Dokee Brothers have produced a CD for even the most curmudgeonly recluse and the kids who just want them to play a little bit. Definitely recommended.
[Disclosure: I was provided a copy of the album for possible review. Though that's pretty obvious, I think, given this particular album.]Itty-Bitty Review: "Sing A Little Song" - Brian Vogan and his Good Buddies
Seattle's Brian Vogan released his family music debut album Little Songs in 2008; though I never reviewed it here, it was not without its charms. (It also spawned an amazingly cute video for its song "That's How a Pumpkin Grows".) For his follow-up, Vogan recruited a new band, the Good Buddies. The result, Sing a Little Song, is a strong second album, fuller in sound, and more confident in its stories.
The songs here are still somewhat movement-oriented, reflecting Vogan's experience in preschool music programs. But they're more fleshed out here -- the leadoff "How To Fly" starts off as a very simple movement song, but by the time that Visqueen's Rachel Flotard joins in, and then the full band and synthesized strings, it becomes a very catchy movement song. Standard kids music subjects show up here -- counting ("27"), vehicles ("Tow Truck"), dinosaurs (uh, "Dinosaurs") -- but there's enough of a unique take (numbers 1 through 20 get barely cursory notice, for example) to hold the interest of a listener who's heard enough of the standard take. He pulls out a couple long narrative songs (the aforementioned "Dinosaurs" and "Last Thanksgiving," featuring the world's largest turkey). He wraps up everything in an indiepop sheen (I particularly adore "Gray Dog") with enough attention to detail (the car sounds on "Cross the Street") to stand up to repeated spins.
The songs are still targeted mostly at preschoolers, so it's most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear clips at the album's CD Baby page or "How To Fly" at his Facebook page. Sing A Little Song is fun, effectively translating preschool circle-time topics into full-fledged pop-rock for the home or car or, hey, maybe even preschool dance time. Recommended.Austin Kiddie Limits 2010 Schedule Appears To Be Set...
I previously noted that there was one performing slot available at the 2010 edition of the Austin Kiddie Limits stage. The availability would be determined through a Sonicbids submission.
Well, it appears that the winner's been selected -- go here and you can see that joining the Verve Pipe, Elizabeth Mitchell, and many more at the AKL stage will be Oklahoma City's Sugar Free Allstars. A little extra side of funk to go with the folk and rock, apparently.
Full AKL 2010 schedule after the jump...
