Review: Odds & Ends - Andrew & Polly

Andrew & Polly - Odds & Ends album cover

Sometimes album titles don't signify much, but in the case of the brand-new album from Los Angeles-based duo Andrew & Polly, I think it's 100% on point.

Just like the random collection of stuff on the shelf on the album cover art, the tracks here are an assortment of tiny treasures and tracks with less heft. Unlike many albums, in an interview with them, the duo noted that the album reflects a collection of songs they've written and recorded over time. Sometimes the results are magical -- "Little Bitta You," a previously-released single, is a zippy and sweet folk-pop song, for example. And their new song "Grapes" is a strong contender for catchiest kindie track of the year, with a singalong chorus filled with "la la las."

At other points, it does feel like one of those "B-Side" collections that your favorite power-pop band might have released after fifteen years together -- your XTCs, your Fountains of Wayne. There are three covers ("Forever Young," "Here Comes the Sun," and my favorite of the three, "Ghostbusters"), for example plus "Critters," their non-religious take on Bill Staines' classic "All's God's Critters" ("got a place in the choir / some sing low / some sing higher...").

Andrew & Polly have been devoting a lot of attention to their podcast for kids Ear Snacks, and some tracks feel very much like excerpts like that. "Ghostbusters," with a lot of kid-interaction, was sort of a prototype for the podcast, while "Fruitphabet" is a playful thing, more sound-and-word-play than pop song. At 28 minutes in length, the album's brevity -- it's barely more than an EP -- is one more thing that makes me think of this as a "B-side" collection.

The album is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 6, and I should make clear that my middle-aged perspective on what an album "is" (or isn't) won't matter to the kids, who will sometimes groove and other times laugh to the folky, smart, and weird stuff on Odds & Ends. Ear Snacks is a genuinely original podcast as well. Andrew & Polly can write such sharp music, that I'm very much looking forward to the next set of songs from the duo, which they say will be a coherent concept album. In the meantime, there are some tiny treasures on this album, and those will do just fine. Recommended.

Note: I was given a copy of the album for possible review.

Review: Home - Tim Kubart

Bless Tim Kubart and his big pop heart. Whether he's playing his heart out as Tambourine Guy for Postmodern Jukebox or playing with Chica on Sprout's Sunny Side Up Show, the musician and actor dedicates himself to entertaining the viewer and listener to an uncommon degree, even for, well, entertainers.

Kubart's previous albums, a self-titled EP with his band Tim and the Space Cadets and a full-length Anthems for Adventure, contained bits of pop goodness and some tracks that begged to be heard in concert, but on his brand new album Home, out this week, Kubart goes the full pop monty. You will not hear a kids' music album this year that tries harder to hit pop heights, where you think repeatedly, "Oh, that would be fun to hear on the radio / in concert / on Friday Night Videos."

Luckily, it usually succeeds. The album title reflects its theme -- songs about life with family and in your home, wherever you and your family call it. "Breakfast Club" is a song celebrating breakfast, and just typing that, I know, it sounds so basic, but it's so poppy -- handclaps, slinky guitar work, and a nifty rap from Sunny Side Up co-star Carly Ciarrocchi -- that you find yourself singing along to a song, well, celebrating breakfast. "Showtime" features "Whoas" and "La la las" and a celebration of dressing up a la the Pop Ups' "Costume Party," albeit more uptempo.

On it goes, from the horn-assisted "Sunday Crafternoon," -- I know, that title -- on which Kubart's occasional fellow Postmodern Jukebox musician Drue Davis offers up another rap that by itself makes the song worth it to "Better," which goes all Lumineers on us and features a duet with kindie superstar Laurie Berkner. I heard echoes of Walk Off the Moon and '80s soundtrack legend Kenny Loggins in "Backyard Swinging," and of Thriller-era Michael Jackson in "Rooms." If Tim Kubart were female, I'm sure I'd be thinking of female pop juggernauts like Taylor Swift or Carly Rae Jepsen instead.

I can't say that I found the three "Job at the House" interludes -- which sound like commercial jingles for, well, household chores -- very engaging. And as always been Kubart's wont, his songs (written with longtime musical partner and fellow ex-Jimmies bandmate Matt Puckett) are super-focused on the kids lyrically, with less for the adults to latch onto. (That's not a criticism, but some families -- i.e., parents -- dig it, and others, less so.) Having said that, the album opener and closer, "Last Turn Home" and "Moving Day," which both ape fun.'s soaring singalong chorus style, attempt a more emotional approach to the subject of home and where it is and are definitely the two tracks that might appeal equally to a much broader audience on a topical level.

The 37-minute album is most appropriate for listeners 4 through 7, but its modern pop sounds are crafted to have a much broader appeal sonically. While I've always thought Kubart's music had their share of pop hooks, Home is bursting at the seams with them and is his best effort yet. As I said, bless Tim Kubart and his big pop heart. Definitely recommended.

Note: I received a copy of the album for possible review.

Radio Playlist: New Music September 2015

This is the busiest time of the year for releases in the kids music world -- I would've held a couple of these back just to make the list a little shorter... but next month's will probably be just as long. If you want to catch my list from August you can see that playlist here.

As always, it's limited in that if an artist hasn't chosen to post a song on Spotify, I can't put it on the list, nor can I feature songs from as-yet-unreleased albums. But I'm always keeping stuff in reserve for the next Spotify playlist.

Check out the list here.

**** New Music September 2015 (September 2015 Kindie Playlist) ****

"Sloop John B. (feat. Jesse Wagner)" - Josh and the Jamtones

"Cardboard Box" - Play Date

"Kitty Wampus" - Duke Otherwise

"Pancakes for Breakfast" - Ginalina

"Olly Ollie Oxen Free" - Pete Sinjin

"20 More Dollars" - Chibi Kodama

"I Like to Potty" - Danimal

"Cakenstein" - Gustafer Yellowgold

"Keely's Song" - Dan Schteingart

"Saying I Love You" - Vivi Melody

"Alligator Noodles" - Rainbow Rock

"Hello, Goodbye, Shalom" - Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights

"George the Duck" - Rap Club

"Everybody Get Movin'" - Mr. Steve & Miss Katie

"Alastair Frump" - Seanster and the Monsters

"You Were Meant To Be" - Renee and Friends (feat. Glen Phillips)

Smithsonian Folkways Recording logo

Intro to Kindie: Dr. Patricia Shehan Campbell (University of Washington, Smithsonian Folkways)

Smithsonian Folkways Recording logo

It's safe to say that the single biggest label for kids music is Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Oh, sure, perhaps your Disneys and KidzBops might have more in terms of total sales, but for sheer breadth of its offerings made over more than a half-century since Moses Asch founded Folkways Records in 1948 (it was acquired by the Smithsonian in 1987), no other label comes close.

They continue to release kids music regularly -- later this month they release ¡Come Bien! by José-Luis Orozco, the first Smithsonian Folkways release for the longtime bilingual educator. It's a rich tradition, the Folkways kids music oeuvre, numbering in the hundreds of albums and thousands of tracks.

So I was really hoping that I'd get someone associated with the Smithsonian to pen an entry in my "Intro to Kindie" series, featuring kids music experts listing tracks designed to, well, introduce a listener to kids music, knowing that there would be more than enough to make a list with only Folkways tracks.

And they said yes!

These songs were selected by Dr. Patricia Shehan Campbell, who teaches courses in children’s music and “the ethnomusicology of children” at the University of Washington. With a lifetime of singing experience, she has a long experience in sharing songs and singing games with children and their teachers, and is author of Music in Childhood, Songs in Their Heads: Music and Its Meaning in Children’s Lives, Musician and Teacher, and editor of The Oxford Handbook of Children’s Musical Cultures. She is also currently the Chair of the Board of Smithsonian Folkways.

In other words, there are few if any people in the world who would know better the breadth of the Folkways collection, especially in kids music, and I'm honored to present her list.

On a related note, one of the biggest thrills I've had in reviewing and discussing kids music is the opportunity to write liner notes for a Smithsonian Folkways release, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Family's Go Waggaloo. So you can imagine that I was happy when they asked if I'd be interested in writing an entry in their "People's Picks" series talking about favorite Smithsonian Folkways songs at the same time I was asking if they'd be interested in writing something for "Intro to Kindie." (Great minds, etc. etc.) So please head over there and read about (and listen to) the 20 great kids music tracks (mostly kids music, anyway) I chose. (Me! In amongst Valerie June, Jonathan Lethem, Warren Defever, and more!)

Enough about me: on to the list!

Children are wired to make music, to listen intently to music, and to understand their world through music. Children’s song-singers know the powerful ways that melodies, rhythms and words can convey messages to children, awaken their imaginations, and inspire them to think, feel, and do. Children’s own songs are filled with sounds of joy and wonder, even as adult singers express the best of children’s playful selves in the music they sing and play.

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, is a veritable treasury of “people’s music” from everywhere in the world, and the music of, by, and for the little people—children’s music—is a meaningful component of the collection. This twenty-song playlist samples several generations of singing children and children’s song-singers. Featured are musical glimpses of legendary musician Woody Guthrie and his granddaughter, Sarah Lee Guthrie, notable “folk-songsters” Pete Seeger, Lead Belly, and Elizabeth Cotten, and highly acclaimed singers like Ella Jenkins, Suni Paz, Tom Glazer, and Elizabeth Mitchell who have dedicated their lives to singing for and with children. Several selections feature children themselves in full vocal exuberance, singing to amuse and communicate with friends.

Altogether, these children’s songs represent historic renderings and contemporary expressions at the core of a vast collection of musical traditions collected, preserved, and readily available onsite of the vast and varied archive of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

1. “Little Bird, Little Bird” by Elizabeth Mitchell from You Are My Little Bird (2006)

2. “Go Waggaloo” by Sarah Lee Guthrie & Family from Go Waggaloo (2009)

3. “On Top of Spaghetti” by Tom Glazer from Tom Glazer Sings Honk-Hiss-Tweet-GGGGGGGGGG and Other Children's Favorites (2008)

4. “Bought Me a Cat” by Pete Seeger from American Folk, Game and Activity Songs (2000)

5. “Did You Feed My Cow?” by Ella Jenkins from You'll Sing a Song and I'll Sing a Song (1992)

6. “Freight Train” by Elizabeth Cotten from Freight Train and Other North Carolina Folk Songs and Tunes (1989)

7. “Why, Oh Why?” by Woody Guthrie from Songs to Grow on for Mother and Child (1991)

8. “Jambo” by Ella Jenkins from Jambo and Other Call and Response Songs and Chants (1996)

9. “Matarile” by Suni Paz from Alerta Sings and Songs for the Playground/ Canciones Para el Recreo (2000)

10. “Grey Goose” by Lead Belly from Lead Belly Sings for Children (1999)

11. “Camp Songs” by Tony Schwartz from 1, 2, 3 and a Zing Zing Zing (1953)

12. “Loop de Loo” by Lilly’s Chapel School (Ala.) from Ring Games: Line Games and Play Party Songs of Alabama (1953)

13. “Shoo Lie Loo” by Elizabeth Mitchell from Sunny Day (2010)

14. “Go In and Out the Window” by Jean Ritchie from Children's Songs and Games from the Southern Mountains (1957)

15. “Little Liza Jane” by Elizabeth Mitchell from You Are My Little Bird (2006)

16. “¡Que llueva! (Let it rain!)”by Suni Paz from Alerta Sings and Songs for the Playground/ Canciones Para el Recreo (2000)

17. “Jump Rope” by Tony Schwartz from 1, 2, 3 and a Zing Zing Zing (1953)

18. “All Around the Kitchen” by Pete Seeger from American Folk, Game and Activity Songs (2000)

19. “Charlie Over the Ocean” by East York School (Ala.) from Ring Games: Line Games and Play Party Songs of Alabama (1953)

20. “Golden Kids’ Rules” by Chip Taylor & The Grandkids from Golden Kids Rules (2011)

Dr. Patricia Shehan Campbell playing with children in Singapore

Review: Meshugana - Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights

Joanie Leeds and the NIghtlights Meshugana album cover

With Christianity still the majority religion in the United States, most of those with a different or no religion still probably get a pretty good idea of the basic contours of the Christian rituals, at least Christmas and Easter, even if only through music. But what about those other religions? Where are the songs that might share those rituals with a wider audience?

There are a number of artists who've recorded albums that present Jewish culture and traditions for a kid-centered audience, so Joanie Leeds is hardly the first. In fact, her latest album, Meshugana, isn't even her first attempt at an album celebrating those Jewish rituals (though it is her first with her band The Nightlights).

It is, however, one of the most successful I've heard as a non-Jewish listener at conveying that culture both 1) with a modern sound, and 2) in a way that might bring those Gentiles like me a little bit closer. About half of the songs are tied to specific Jewish holidays, but the rest are more applicable year-round. The album's strongest track, the tender "Hello, Goodbye, Shalom," neatly weaves together the Hebrew word "Shalom" (meaning "hello," "goodbye," and "peace") into a gentle Beatles tribute that succeeds on every level. "PJ Party" celebrates reading with a soaring sing-along chorus and just a handful of Hebrew words mixed in. And the title track is about as revved up and mixed-up as you might expect a song about a "crazy person" (the meaning of "meshugana") might be.

As a non-Jewish listener, the songs that are more tied to specific holidays were not as compelling to me, but Leeds definitely tried to keep them accessible -- "Honey and Apples," tied to a ritual for Rosh Hashana, was my favorite of these. As with the rest of Leeds' work, the songs (all original -- even "Wade in the Water" gets a Passover reworking) are mostly funny, occasionally tender, and feature a range of rock styles from folk-rock to indie-pop, even a hint of country.

The 35-minute album will be most appropriate for kids ages 4 through 9. You can stream the album here. For those of you wanting lyrics, yes, the physical copy includes those in the liner notes.

We're not Jewish, so I can't see our family breaking out this CD often, but I could certainly envision spinning selected songs in playlists throughout the year. And for those families (or classrooms) who want to share a little more about the Jewish culture and faith -- or for those families who want to celebrate their faith with some 21st-century pop sounds -- Meshugana will make for a nice addition to their collections. Recommended.

Note: I was given a copy of the album for possible review.

Andrew & Polly with accordion and ukulele

Interview: Andrew Barkan and Polly Hall (Andrew & Polly)

Like most working musicians, Andrew Barkan and Polly Hall -- the married couple best known to the sippy cup set as Andrew and Polly -- wear many hats. They're kids musicians, sure, but also children's show music writers, commercial jingle writers, and more. And this month, while the Los Angeles-based duo release their second full-length kids' album Odds and Ends, they're also continuing to release episodes of their brand new podcast for kids, Ear Snacks. (Appropriately enough for these multi-hat musicians, Episode 2 is all about hats.)

I chatted with them by phone last week about how they met, how they found their way to kids music, their new releases, and the birthday party that spurred the release of Odds and Ends.

Zooglobble: What are your earliest musical memories?

Polly Hall: When I was very little, my next-door neighbor took violin lessons. I was two years old, and I asked to play the violin "just like Mary Beth." So at three, I got a violin and started taking lessons. I took lessons using the Suzuki method, and when you practice violin, you stand on this mat with an outline of feet... I remember singing with my family on holidays -- I grew up in a Jewish family and music was really important. My mom would sing, and we sang in groups, singing about the history.

Andrew Barkan: I remember my dad making up songs in the car to keep us from destroying the car. Mom sang, too, but Dad was the chief song-maker-upper.... I remember visiting this huge cathedral in San Francisco called Grace Cathedral and hearing music there. It's seven, eight stories high -- it's cavernous, and sounds take seven seconds to fade away.

How did you meet?

Polly: We met in college -- both of us sang in a cappella groups. Andrew played the piano. At 16, I had got a guitar, and at 19 I was writing folk songs and wanted to make a record. A mutual friend introduced us.

As a violinist you play melody, but in college I studied theory. I got interested in electronic and computer music, and production. So I went to grad school for [electronic and computer music]. Andrew went to grad school for film scoring.

Andrew: I taught for a while...

Polly: We both taught.

Andrew: I was teaching and being in the studio. I realized that being in the studio for eight to ten hours -- I could do that.

Besides writing kids' music, we write commercials and other things. We get to write in many different genres, it's a mind challenge.

How did Andrew & Polly come about?

Polly: In 2006 we were living in Providence, finished with grad school, and were stuck there for a couple weeks. We're always singing together and could sing in harmony. We had lots of friends with kids, my sister, so we made a recording that we gave to friends. They'd say that they couldn't get through car rides without it, or they'd listen before bed. These were all covers, but we began writing songs. I [Polly] was co-owner of a music studio at the time, and so we moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2010, and released our album (Up and At 'Em) right then.

We decided to play some shows.... Los Angeles has a great scene for kids and families -- they like being in a place with music. It was liberating to find joy in performing.

Andrew: Life on the road, playing... the west side of Los Angeles is not that. It was a break from the studio to play in front of a hundred kids, it let us reflect on what we were doing.

Polly: How did it begin?... In college, I did a radio show, and my co-host babysat in Manhattan. My mom constantly resourced awesome children's music. There was this one guy from Kentucky named Joe Wise...

Andrew: He was folky and smart and weird. He told stories, too.

Polly: Even just a little story that went nowhere. He had a lovely song called "Show Me Your Smile."

Andrew: No AutoTuning.

So Odds and Ends -- it's folky and smart and weird, by the way -- is the title significant in that it signifies that these are random songs written through the years, or was it recorded with the specific album in mind?

Polly: Somewhere in the middle. After we won the Joe Raposo Children's Music Award in 2012 and Sirius-XM radio started playing our music, we wrote and recorded "Little Bitta You" in a flash of inspiration. Mindy Thomas at Sirius-XM loved it. So we'd write and record and ask ourselves, "Should we wait?" And we'd say, "No, let's release it now." The downside is we wouldn't have the content for a full-length album. But the upside is there's new content all the time.

Andrew: So we'd get the next one out when it was ready.

Polly: Children get obsessed for periods of time, so the singles do well.

Andrew: We do it in our home studio.

Polly: Here's the reason we finally had to do a full album. [In 2013], we played a birthday party for one-year-olds in San Francisco, and as a party favor, all five families hosting gave copies of Up and At 'Em. Two years later [this spring], the five families had us back for the three-year-old birthday party, and we couldn't not have a new CD for them.

Andrew: We had to create the CDs before the tracks were done.

Polly: We created the test run for them -- gave them 80 copies, and the other 70 we sold at shows.

Andrew: Polly does all the artwork.

Polly: We added a couple tracks, reworked some songs. We're reaching a new audience and we're really pleased.

How come you wanted to create Ear Snacks?

Andrew: We love podcasts. I in particular -- listen while walking the dog, and so on.

Polly: Andrew is also legally blind, he reads with his ears.

Andrew: We have a son who's 18 months old. Knows about headphones, but the TV is off. He knows we play shows and with kids, we do things with imagination.

Polly: We hope we're writing songs that are folky, smart, and weird. We can sing loud in the car, but don't they also deserve more fundamental, thoughtful things of their own?

Andrew: I had Fisher-Price "American Revolution" tapes and Polly had "Little Thinker Tapes," with a host who'd say things like, "let's go to Mars!"

Polly: They were lots of character-based stuff. We wanted something that was more based on our relationships, something that honored that [type of recording].

Andrew: "Ghostbusters" [from Odds and Ends] was more of an Ear Snacks prototype.

Polly: You know, the podcast is not wholly different from five families asking us to do an album. We made two episodes, but families wrote us asking to be in the show. [Episode 3 is now out.] It's like doing a half-album every month. We have high standards.

Andrew: The only thing close in the category is Story Pirates.

Polly: The top podcasts list is a very confusing place. Sesame Street, lots of parenting podcasts. Some are original, but there are also podcasts that are rebroadcasts of Nick[elodeon] and Disney shows. I understand why that is...

I don't really know what the end goal is. It's really fun for kids -- some of them are conducting the interviews with parents. And if that's all, that's great. We hope we make it a year.

What's next?

Polly: We want to finish the season, and we're recording the next album -- we're not going to wait five years.

Andrew: This will be a coherent concept album.

Polly: We're having lots of fun with it... Digital projects with Nick in the next year or two. Shows booked through the end of the year.

Andrew: And swimming lessons.

Photo credits: Josh Piha