Itty-Bitty Review: Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock

GY_InfinitySock.jpgI could take a lot of time talking specifically about Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock, the fourth Gustafer Yellowgold DVD/CD set from musician/illustrator Morgan Taylor -- how it's another collection of mellow pop-rock tunes, alternately humorous and wistful, accompanying the slightly surreal adventures of our yellow friend from the sun, Gustafer Yellowgold. Or maybe how it features an honest-to-goodness narrative from start to finish. But what I'd rather do is spend a few words about what Taylor has done with Gustafer, and that's nothing less than create a totally immersive world of characters that Taylor could easily spend another ten, twenty, or thirty years exploring. Just as Dan Zanes has crafted his own niche of family music that never really delves into the specific lives of kids, with Gustafer Yellowgold Taylor has written "kids music" that has (seemingly) nothing to do with the specific lives of kids. After all, on this adventure (featuring Gustafer trying to find the toe-end of the titular sock), Gustafer visits a beehive to see an amazing bee-band ("Beehive") or visits an all-cheese clothing store (the very funny "Wisconsin Poncho"). These are not concerns of your typical 5-year-old. What this story and all the Gustafer Yellowgold stories are is Children's Literature, Fanciful and Fantastic Division. Gustafer is just as much the descendent of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are as it is the descendent of Harry Nilsson's The Point. Which isn't to say that kids might not learn lessons here (the interconnectivity of life, inherent value of all beings, the need to explore), but they're born out of Taylor's basic philosophy, not forced upon the watcher or listener, and they assume that kids are smarter than we often give them credit for. (Which is a pretty good assumption.) This DVD/CD set is appropriate for kids ages 4 through 10. You can watch video clips from the half-hour story here. Visually the DVD, as always, looks great -- minimally animated but distinctive. (The bonus features, including a mockumentary and guitar and drawing lessons, aren't essential but nice to watch at least once.) Current Gustafer Yellowgold fans will enjoy Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock no less than the previous DVDs, and for the rest of you, this is as good a place as any to start. Like the best kids' lit, your kids could still be buying new Gustafer Yellowgold DVDs when they become parents themselves. Definitely recommended. Disclosure: I received a copy of the DVD/CD set for possible review.

Share: "Shoes Had Laces" - Clubbard Clarmac Family Singers

This new Matt Clark song is mostly a lark, but what a fun lark it is. It's called "Shoes Had Laces," and it's an amusing take on the "when I was your age" genre. Leaves out the grumpiness of "I walked uphill both ways, in the snow," leaves in an old guy singing along with a bunch of kids (including Clark's older son) who are unfamiliar with "phones plugged in to the wall." That would be the Clubbard Clarmac Family Singers who are formally credited with the song. The recording's a little ragged vocally, but that just adds to the charm. Pick it up here.

Video: "Mister Rabbit" - Caspar Babypants (w/ Charlie Hope)

I guess I could be sad that Chris Ballew has ditched the homemade DIY aesthetic for this Caspar Babypants video. It's for "Mister Rabbit" off his most recent This Is Fun! album, a song which features Charlie Hope on guest vocals. Or I could be happy because this is so awesome. Animation by Mukpuddy. Caspar Babypants (feat. Charlie Hope) - "Mister Rabbit" [YouTube]

Review: Oh Lucky Day - Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band

OhLuckyDay.jpgLucky Diaz' first album, an EP titled Luckiest Adventure, was a 15-minute blast of folk-pop goodness that immediately caught the ear of all who heard it. As a result, expectations and anticipation for his first full-length disk was high. Today Diaz and his Family Jam Band release Oh Lucky Day and so you're probably wondering, does it fulfill the promise of those first five songs? The answer: for the most part, yes. The new album doesn't tremendously expand Diaz' sound or introduce new styles, but that's OK because his well-produced folk-tinged pop and pop-rock didn't need much expanding to begin with. Diaz clearly thinks the world of his daughter, and many of the songs seem written with her in mind. I love the opening track, the goofy "Say What?," which features some funky scat-and-response between Diaz and his daughter. I am less enamored of "Pretty Princess," a song about, well, being a princess. I guess I just don't need more songs about princesses. A large part of the album borders on the edge of sticky-sweet, and if you are looking for an album with a little more "grit," you may stop listening before you get to the latter part of the album, which is my favorite part. "Race Car" is a, er, revved-up song perfect for car-obsessed preschoolers, while "Gato Astronauto" takes a cat on a New Wave-inspired trip. Following that, "Let's Dance" is for all of you that thought "Video Killed the Radio Star" needed to be turned into a preschool rave-up. (Raises hand.) After all that silliness, the sweet ending track, "Dreamland," a duet with Holly Conlan, puts a pretty little bow on the package. The album is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear one song here and samples here. With Oh Lucky Day, Lucky Diaz has crafted an album of well-written songs and fine arrangements that will satisfy a large percentage of all but the most rambunctious of kid-listeners. It is Diaz' first full-length, but clearly won't be his last. Recommended. I received a copy of the album for possible review. I also ran a contest to win the album.

You Say Kindie, I Say KinDIY, We All Say...

In the wake of Kindiefest, there has been a lot of interest in collaboration, in trying to work together in the kids' music community. Two newly-created entities offer the possibility of both greater information sharing as well as higher visibility. Separated by just a single letter. KMAlogo.gifThe first is the Kindie Music Association, established by Tor Hyams and Kimberly Rowell and first unveiled at Kindiefest. Its purpose is to "promote, support, and recognize family music artists and those individuals directly involved with the kindie community, in an effort to advance the genre and advocate for all its members." Well, when you put it that way, the organization is clearly an attempt to serve as an alternative to the GRAMMY organization, with kids' artists perhaps feeling slighted by the recent decision to merge the two children's GRAMMY awards into one. The structure is similar, with voting members limited to artists, producers, and other creators. Other interested folks (e.g., me) can sign up for Associate membership. At $150 per year for membership, it's not cheap (especially for Associate membership), but the organization may offer some value to artists, depending on what happens with the Kindie Music Awards and product discounts. KinDIYlogo.jpgThe other development sprung out of discussions between Bill Childs and Susie Tennant from Town Hall Seattle at Kindiefest, and it's called KinDIY. Unlike the KMA (which includes the award process), the value of KinDIY will be much more apparent to industry folks than the broad kids music audience. It's a wiki designed to provide information on artists, venues, websites, radio shows, etc. It will allow artists and other folks to provide - and later, find - information that should make it easier for them to find venues to play at, radio shows to play their music, or vice versa. There was always a lot of energy and good vibes coming out of Kindiefest in the past, but this is the first people are leaving the conference with some tangible action occurring as a result. For the moment, it's mostly behind-the-scenes stuff, but it has the potential to have a big impact on the genre.