Review: Pink! - Rocknoceros

I've been listening a lot to Pink, the third album from the DC-area band Rocknoceros, set to be released this week, and it's probably probably appropriate that I've been doing so while giving the upcoming Recess Monkey album a few spins. I've said before that the two bands share similarities in my mind -- besides the obvious fact that they're both trios, they also share a sense of humor, earnestness that isn't cloying, and rabid fanbases in their hometowns. Like Recess Monkey, Rocknoceros also writes some excellent songs, and that continues to be true on this latest release. The album starts with the exuberant title track, perhaps the most hyper song in the band's oeuvre. You're plunged right into the album, kids are shouting the chorus, and you're wondering if maybe the band should cut back to a couple espresso shots a day. But rest assured that sanity returns -- "The Train Song" could've been written 60 years ago in its gentle swing and explanation of the different parts of the train. The fabulous "Playground" is a missing Byrds kids song, and "Big Wheel" is a crunchy Southern rocker with the irresistible refrain "How far can a Big Wheel ride?" Some songs, like "Lucky Lindy" downright take their time getting to where they want to go. (I can do without "Virginia," the song, if not the state, but given how big the band's fanbase is, I'm just waiting for "DC" or "Maryland" on the next album.) Like the previous two Rocknoceros albums, Pink! is geared at primarily a preschool, early-elementary crowd. There is no small amount of advice-giving as on "Put Your Hat On," "Nappin' Time," and (for the parents) "Don't Give Up" but it's put over with such tunefulness that it will stand up to repeated parental listens. The band sounds remarkably full-bodied for being just a trio, and the album sounds great sonically. You can hear that sonic quality throughout the whole album, but especially on the final track "Always Tell Your Grandma," which is every bit as reserved as "Pink" is exuberant. The a capella harmonizing on the 2-minute track of advice-telling (tell you grandma you love her -- tell your parents you love 'em) ends up sounding almost like a hymn. That sounds ponderous and awful, but it's one of my favorite tracks of the year thus far. The album is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 8. You can hear samples from the 39-minute album at its CDBaby page (as well as a few live cuts at Rocknoceros' main page). While there isn't an absolute classic song like "Big Head" or "Pluto" and the band's humor is a little more muted on this offering, Pink! is definitely the band's most consistent and fullest-sounding album yet. It's only a matter of time before the band starts conquering other states besides Virginia -- there are many other states who could use a new state song. Definitely recommended.

Itty-Bitty Review: A Frog Named Sam - Ben Rudnick & Friends

I wouldn't say that Ben Rudnick & Friends march to their own drummer -- their music for kids and families isn't too far out of the mainstream, particularly for those families whose tastes run to the folk/jamband side of the genre. But they seem more than willing to play songs that they want to play, and if they happen to interest the kids, so be it. Their latest album, the recently-released A Frog Named Sam, is almost 2 EPs smooshed together. The first EP, so to speak, the first 6 songs, features songs that would sound more familiar on a typical kids' disk -- the "frog out of water" story "A Frog Named Sam," "Race Car" (which does a good job of conveying the thrill of pre-NASCAR racing), and "I Need A Hand." The last song is recycled from a previous Rudnick album, but who cares, because it's the goofiest track you'll hear all month. The second EP, the last 5 tracks, are where the band pretty much decides they're bored with the kids' stuff and decide instead to record a folk music album; if the kids like it, so much the better. Now, anyone who responds positively to the phrase "Dan Zanes" will recognize the tracks -- "Erie Canal," "Old Joe Clark," even the original "The Santa Fe," written by band member John Zevos. They don't take many chances with the arrangement -- no Father Goose on "Old Joe Clark," for example -- but Rudnick and Friends have the slickest folk sound in the kids music field, so it's certainly a pleasant-enough spin. Kids ages 3 through 7 will enjoy the album most of all; you can listen to samples of the 33-minute album at its CDBaby page. If you're looking for shiny, poppy family music, Ben Rudnick probably isn't your man, but for a more earthy and rootsy take on music new and old, I think you'll like A Frog Named Sam. Recommended.

DVD/CD Review: Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever

It's a sign, I think, of how popular Gustafer Yellowgold has become that I don't feel the need to spend much time explaining the character or the whole concept in this review. A lot of readers will probably be familiar with Gustafer and his fellow characters and the "moving picture book" style of animation developed by the songwriter and illustrator behind Gustafer, Morgan Taylor. It's actually that familiarity that Taylor uses to his advantage in Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever, his third collection of Gustafer tunes and animated videos. Instead of focusing mostly on Gustafer, some of the songs/videos here focus on other characters, almost to the exclusion of Gustafer. "Sugar Boat" (which features Wilco's John Stirratt and Pat Sansone and a soaring chorus) revolves around Gustafer's biggest fan, Wincey the ferret. Sisson the blue worm is the focus of "Quite Easily Lost," animated to a gentle pop duet between Taylor and Lisa Loeb. It's no longer necessary to have Gustafer be the protagonist all the time. Indeed, the funniest track on the collection, "Panther Stamps Pants" features the pterodactyl Forrest Applecrombie and some excellent whistling. There's also more backstory to Gustafer than we've had before, which provides some of the more moving moments on the disk. "Butter Pond Lake" should've been a hit on AM radio 35 years ago, telling the story of summer family vacations back on the sun. "Sunpod" obliquely tells the story of Gustafer leaving his home on the sun to live on earth, and while it's not depressing, you can't tell a story like that using humor. (And, hey, the tinge of sadness that runs through some of the Gustafer songs is one of the things that sets it apart.) The story of his arrival is carried on in a later video for "Underwater Stars," and it's that unity in the disk (shown also in "Constellation Pies," which is essentially an instrumental recap of the songs that have come before) that make it the most solid disk yet. If there's a downside, it's that I didn't like the songs overall quite as much as I did on Have You Never Been Yellow?. The songs are good, they just had slightly less "oomph" for me overall compared to its predecessor. The disk is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 8. You can watch videos at the Gustafer website or on YouTube. The package includes both a DVD and a music-only CD, so you can whistle along to "Panther Stamps Pants" at work or in the car. The DVD also includes a mockumentary "Looking For... Gustafer Yellowgold" which will completely mystify your kids but bring a chuckle or two to the adults. Three albums in, I think Morgan Taylor is just now scratching the surface of what he can do with Gustafer Yellowgold. Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever is another collection of strong indie-pop songwriting from an increasingly confident storyteller and illustrator. Can't wait for the fourth set. Definitely recommended.

Review: Mommie - Mommie's Dearest

Little Boy Blue is very much in a "big machine" phase. Books about trucks, asking when the recycle truck is going to be here, he's generally nuts about vehicles in a way his big sister Miss Mary Mack never was. This means we also get subjected to some less-than-completely enjoyable soundtracks accompanying the big machine videos on loan from the library. Folks, I have but one simple request -- that Mommie's Dearest, the debut album from the North Carolina band Mommie, be used to score all such future videos. Of the ten songs here, seven of them deal with large vehicles. (If only I'd had this when putting together this list.) All of that would be but a minor side note were it not for two other points of interest. First, the band Mommie is brainchild of Doug MacMillan, lead singer for the Southern power-pop group the Connells, a band which was part of an inescapable background soundtrack to my college days. I still have a couple of their excellent late-80s/early-90s disks and this review should be read with that grain of salt in mind. Second, the songs here were all written by MacMilllan and his son Charlie, who was probably 3 or 4 at the time of writing the songs. So essentially this is sort of a Connells album (yay!) with lyrics by a 4-year-old (hmmmm...), a combination which usually works surprisingly well. The lyrics aren't too complex -- a lot of the songs aren't much more than a (very hummable) single line repeated and elaborated upon. "Dumptruck" is a fine pop tune with a hint of jangle, "Mama's Pajamas" is even janglier, and "Cherrypicker" features MacMillan singing the title word over a soaring chorus. Even at a spare two minutes per track, some of the songs could use lyrics, and there's little lyrically to keep the adults paying attention -- there's little of the humor suggested by the album title. ("Towtruck," however, features a classic line -- "Tow truck, tow truck, tow truck / towed my car / Tow truck, tow truck, tow truck / Took my last 85 dollars" -- that reminds me of Wilco's "Passenger Side" every time I hear it.) The album's a bit short of 23 minutes long and would probably be of most interest to kids ages 3 through 6. You can listen to samples at the album's CD Baby page or some full tracks at Mommie's myspace page. The album was actually recorded more than 5 years ago. MacMillan says that he "dropped the ball" but now with some new folks interested in resurrecting the band (and a scene far more forgiving and interested in kids music) he's doing some more writing. Based on the results in Mommie's Dearest, that's very cool news. Due to the primarily machine-focused subject matter, the album might not be everyone's exact cup of tea, but even kids and families into princesses, math, dinosaurs, or soccer will find at least a couple songs worth spinning regularly. Recommended.

Itty-Bitty Review: Cave Baby - The Mudcakes

It's pretty easy to think of one kids music band from Australia, but once you get past the multicolored gents in the Wiggles, naming a second gets a lot harder if you're here in the Northern Hemisphere. But Australian Sherry Rich and American-born partner Rick Plant make the case for The Mudcakes being a perfectly acceptable alternative. The two of them lived in Nashville for a while and unsurprisingly their band's sound has a very rootsy, Americana vibe to it. Their second album Cave Baby ranges far along the gamut of Americana, from the shuffling train sound of "Baby's Gonna Crawl" to the roots rock of the title track (with excellent guitar work from Plant) even to a little polka on "Please Don't Polka the Baby." Their rendition of "Shortnin' Bread" might just be my favorite on record. The songs (mostly originals from Rich) are mostly geared at ages 2 through 6, but the melodies and arrangements will appeal to a broader range of folks. You can hear samples of tracks from the 40-minute album at its CDBaby page or a few tracks at their Myspace page. It might not reach the inspired heights of The Bottle Let Me Down or Session Americana's Table Top People Vol. 1 and 2, but Cave Baby will fit the bill for a sweet little set of Americana. Who would've thought the best kids Americana album in recent memory would come out of Australia? Recommended.

Review: The Welcome Table: Songs of Inspiration, Mystery, and Good Times - Dan Zanes and Friends

However you feel about Dan Zanes' music, it's hard to say that he hasn't managed to follow his muse in his career as family troubadour. Interspersed with excellent albums designed for the whole family, he recorded excellent albums covering songs from Carl Sandburg's American Songbag and sea tunes. And then he recorded an entire album in Spanish. Really, the fact that Zanes' latest album is a bunch of gospel and gospel-inspired tunes with the slightly ponderous title The Welcome Table: Songs of Inspiration, Mystery, and Good Times should come as no surprise to any long-term listener of Zanes' music. The biggest risk Zanes takes in recording this album is alienating a portion of his audience who will be disinterested in the Christian worldview. Or, rather, that's how it might appear to someone who hasn't heard the album. Because if there's one constant thread running through all of Zanes' albums it's a sense of tolerance and equality, and this album is no different. Yes, it's an album that mentions big-G God several repeatedly. And just as Nueva York! may not have been as easy for a listener to "get" if they didn't speak Spanish, if a listener doesn't speak the particular language of the gospel songs, they may find this album more difficult to grasp. (I personally had that problem with Nueva but don't really with this album.) But it's also an album that includes a Jewish song, readings of biblical passages in foreign languages, and several songs that don't mention a higher power at all. It is, in short, a Dan Zanes gospel album in every sense of the phrase. There are, as best I can tell, 5 previously-released songs here including the title track with the Blind Boys of Alabama, leaving 10 new songs for your listening pleasure. Lots of traditional gospel tunes reworked in Zanes' Americana/folk/rock style, with particular highlights being "Jesus on the Mainline," "Up Above My Head," and "Home In That Rock." I also really liked the Spanish hymn "Himno Guadalupano." They're all lots of fun -- mostly "good times" with only a little bit of "mystery" thrown in. But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my favorite track here, the album closer "We've Been Down This Road Before," a song about working together through tough times that Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger would be proud to have written. Once again, a Dan Zanes album makes a mockery of my insistence of putting age ranges on album reviews, but I think kids ages 5 and up will more easily grasp the social justice (or spiritual) messages here. You can listen to the songs at Zanes' page here. I should also note that the album is a benefit for the New Sanctuary Movement, an organization which "protects immigration workers and families from unjust deportation." Zanes' passion in his music has always been community -- our "common welfare as human beings," as Zanes puts it in his liner notes. The Welcome Table is another solid album in his musical argument in favor of community and equality. Even if you're not sure the album is for you, if you're a Dan Zanes fan, you're going to find it worth your time. Definitely recommended.