Ever since seeing him at SXSW this spring, I've been a big fan of Twin Cities musician Jeremy Messersmith, whose album The Reluctant Graveyard will end up near the top of my Top 10 list of non-kids-music related albums for 2010. And while I haven't had too many chances to mention him here on the site, this video for his song "Tatooine" definitely qualifies. At least, if your kid is at all a Star Wars fanatic. Eric Power sets Messersmith's lovely and lo-fi piano-accompanied Star Wars-inspired tune to the Star Wars Trilogy, illustrated via paper animation. The video justifiably went viral when it was released a couple months ago. Pay what you'd like for the track here (and you can do so for Messersmith's other albums), or simply watch it below.
Jeremy Messersmith - "Tatooine" [YouTube]
Listen To This: "Old MacDonald... Zulu Style" - Ladysmith Black Mambazo
The South African men's vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo is probably most familiar to American ears from their appearance on Paul Simon's Graceland album, but the group founded by Joseph Shabalala has been singing for about fifty years now. Songs from a Zulu Farm is their next album. It's due out next month and it's essentially a kids music album -- stories in songs from the youth of the group's members. This track off the upcoming album is "Old MacDonald... Zulu Style" and, yeah, Old MacDonald has moved his farm to Africa. It's charming.
"Old MacDonald Zulu Style" by Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Photo credit: Luis LealChristmas 2010 Family Music, Part 2
You know, I was going to just update my original Christmas music post, but it's clear that too much stuff is being released as singles or on YouTube -- it'd make that post unwieldy. So here's the second post. (It won't be the last, either -- more stuff is on its way.)
The Hipwaders' Kindie Christmas was one of last year's crop of excellent Christmas CDs. They've made the jangly "Wake Up" a free download for a limited time -- pick it up here. (Remember the video? Good stuff.)
This video from DidiPop is almost ridiculously cute. It's lo-fi animation but in all the right ways.
DidiPop - "Let's Make Santa Happy Tonight" [YouTube]
It's not a Christmas song, but as soon as I saw that Charity and JAMband was giving a song called "Loving Kindness" away as a free download this month, I thought it'd be perfect. It's based on a Buddhist practice, but I think it's totally appropriate for the season. Go here for the song and activities, or just grab the song below.
Putumayo Kids is offering a free download of "Jolly Old St. Nick" from the always interesting Brave Combo for the price of an e-mail address (here). It's from last year's A Family Christmas.
Finally, last week Brooklyn represented for Hanukkah -- this week, they turn their attention to Christmas. Dan Zanes turns in a very peaceful rendition of what he says is his favorite song of the season, "Silent Night." It's a very simple version (and video), but I like how Zanes retains my favorite part of the song when sung at a church service, and that's how the instrumental accompaniment virtually disappears on the last verse.
Dan Zanes - "Silent Night" [YouTube]
The Deedle Deedle Dees' Lloyd Miller also has put up some Christmas-related songs up on YouTube, including "Silent Night" (a little bit faster than Dan's) and "Jingle Bells". But I thought his version of "We Three Kings" on a very fuzzed-out bass was most unique. "Awesome," indeed.
Lloyd Miller - "We Three Kings of Orient Are" [YouTube]
The Hipwaders' Kindie Christmas was one of last year's crop of excellent Christmas CDs. They've made the jangly "Wake Up" a free download for a limited time -- pick it up here. (Remember the video? Good stuff.)
This video from DidiPop is almost ridiculously cute. It's lo-fi animation but in all the right ways.
DidiPop - "Let's Make Santa Happy Tonight" [YouTube]
It's not a Christmas song, but as soon as I saw that Charity and JAMband was giving a song called "Loving Kindness" away as a free download this month, I thought it'd be perfect. It's based on a Buddhist practice, but I think it's totally appropriate for the season. Go here for the song and activities, or just grab the song below.
Putumayo Kids is offering a free download of "Jolly Old St. Nick" from the always interesting Brave Combo for the price of an e-mail address (here). It's from last year's A Family Christmas.
Finally, last week Brooklyn represented for Hanukkah -- this week, they turn their attention to Christmas. Dan Zanes turns in a very peaceful rendition of what he says is his favorite song of the season, "Silent Night." It's a very simple version (and video), but I like how Zanes retains my favorite part of the song when sung at a church service, and that's how the instrumental accompaniment virtually disappears on the last verse.
Dan Zanes - "Silent Night" [YouTube]
The Deedle Deedle Dees' Lloyd Miller also has put up some Christmas-related songs up on YouTube, including "Silent Night" (a little bit faster than Dan's) and "Jingle Bells". But I thought his version of "We Three Kings" on a very fuzzed-out bass was most unique. "Awesome," indeed.
Lloyd Miller - "We Three Kings of Orient Are" [YouTube]
Best Kids Music 2010: Top 20 Albums
My final entry in my list of the best kids music of 2010 is my list of my favorite kids music albums of the year. (And by "year," again, I mean Nov. 1, 2009 through Oct. 31, 2010 release dates available to the general public.)
I do use the word "favorite" advisedly. I get what I'm guessing is close to 300 family music albums every year. I review maybe 20% of those (if that much), even picking out 20 means that some albums in my top 10% of favorite albums don't get listed. (No Ralph's World? No Moona Luna? No Essie Jain or Keller Williams? Albums I genuinely liked considerably? That's how hard it is at this point.) So the difference between what goes in this list and what stays off is as much about personal preferences as it is about "objective" quality. (That's why I came up with the idea for Fids and Kamily, thinking that the personal preferences of many folks would be a much better approximation of "best.")
In any case, here are those albums, ranked from most favorite to a little less most favorite, that I (and we) most appreciated this year. (The top 10 reflects my Fids and Kamily ballot.)
1. Justin Roberts - Jungle Gym (review): Justin Roberts is starting to make family music reviewers look bad because his continued excellence leaves us scrambling to find new ways to write the same old thing -- how do we talk about his songcraft without repeating ourselves or draining all the enjoyment out of his music? How about this, then? Roberts is our generation's finest family music songwriter and Jungle Gym, his best album yet, is my favorite kids music album of the year.
1. Justin Roberts - Jungle Gym (review): Justin Roberts is starting to make family music reviewers look bad because his continued excellence leaves us scrambling to find new ways to write the same old thing -- how do we talk about his songcraft without repeating ourselves or draining all the enjoyment out of his music? How about this, then? Roberts is our generation's finest family music songwriter and Jungle Gym, his best album yet, is my favorite kids music album of the year.Video: "Wiggle Your La-De-Dah" - Ralph's World
The latest Ralph's World isn't terribly complicated or all that different from a lot of his other videos -- Ralph goofs, smiles, and sings while young kids goof, smile, and sing. And for those of us who prefer Ralph's songs geared at a slightly older audience, this song, a return to his early Ralph's World (and even perhaps his Wiggleworms) days, isn't our favorite off of All Around Ralph's World. But as a movement song for preschoolers, it's pretty great, and the country-tinged song features some nifty guitar work...
Ralph's World - "Wiggle Your La-De-Dah" [YouTube]
Share: Free Music from the Que Pastas
With everybody and their dentist starting up a family music side project these days, how can a new artist distinguish themselves? Well, I can think of two primary ways:
1) Write good music.
2) Give away music for free.
Enter The Que Pastas, a new kids music outfit from Denver, who are taking approach #2 and mostly hitting #1 while they're at it. While Colorado has a few kids musicians -- hi, Sue!, hi, Steve! -- Denver's been sort of bare. The only band I know of were the Hobo Nickels, and they're now defunct. So songwriter Gene Davis has stepped into the gap and along with some fellow musicians recorded a 4-track EP. A little bit alt-country, a little indie-pop, I personally most like "Common Denominator," which I think is probably is a poor base for actual math knowledge, but fun nonetheless. The whole thing is definitely promising.
Download the album for free here. They're accepting donations, so if your family grooves to the songs, drop 'em a buck or two.
