Christmas & Holiday Music 2014

Every year there's an outpouring of holiday-related music spanning all genres, and while kindie's participation in holiday music is down a bit from, say, 2-3 years ago, there are still a handful of new entries. Time's a ticking -- we're in the middle of Hanukkah and Christmas is but 4 days away, so let's jump in.

Albums

Bobs and Lolo: Wave Your Antlers -- My favorite kindie Christmas album of 2014, this is a solid collection of pop originals ("Festive Time of Year" and the catchy-in-spite-of-all-attempts-to-stop-it "Chris Moose") and Christmas classics, including some songs you don't typically get on kids' Christmas albums (I'm looking at you "Dona Nobis Pacem"). Fans of the British Columbia duo will definitely want to pick this up, and most fans of kindie pop will find this a pleasant addition to their holiday rotation.

Farmer Jason: Christmas on the Farm with Farmer Jason -- Jason Ringenberg's kids' music as Farmer Jason has often had the energy of his Jason and the Scorchers work, but totally wholesome. Songs like "All I Want for Christmas (Is a Punk Rock Skunk)" and "Eat Your Fruitcake" blast through the stereo speakers, to be sure. I am usually a big fan of diverse musical approaches on albums, but to me, those songs sat a little uneasily next very sincere renditions of a religious Christmas classic like "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" or a Ringenberg original, "The Animals Sang." Farmer Jason fans will probably like the album, but non-fans may want to give the album samples a few spins to see if the bifurcated approach appeals before committing to the album

Mighty Magic Pants: It Must Be Christmas -- Mike Mennard and his crew offer a mostly irreverent take on Christmas -- titles like "Santa's Stuck in the Chimney," "Rudolph on the Barbecue," and "Grandpa Ate Too Much Again This Christmas" will give you a pretty good sense of the attitude. It's respectful irreverence, to be sure -- "Lay Down Your Drum, Little Drummer Boy" is sung from the point of view of Mary, gently pleading with the Little Drummer Boy to stop his rum-pa-bum-bum-ming so Baby Jesus can get some sleep. There's nothing particularly memorable about the musical settings, but with short poems serving as interstitials between many songs, this is essentially an hour-long Christmas revue musical that will likely provide some chuckles of recognition.

Idina Menzel: Holiday Wishes -- It's not a kindie album, but it's new this year. No, she does not sing "Let It Go," because even though Frozen was released last Christmas, that song -- the song her obituary many years hence will no doubt reference -- has nothing to do with Christmas. She does, however, sing a dozen Christmas-related songs in a perfectly tasteful and enjoyable way. I could do without her duet with Michael Buble' on "Baby It's Cold Outside" (I've come to actively dislike the song for lyrical reasons), but the rest is well-chosen and produced. If it sounds like I'm lukewarm, it's only because there's little here to distinguish it from dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of other Christmas albums from singers with beautiful voices. I'm sure I'll listen in future years, but I doubt it'll become a treasured favorite.

Other Stuff

This year Hanukkah runs almost concurrently with Christmas, and Alison Faith Levy offers up a fun new song titled "All I Want for Chanukah is a Ukulele," strumming on a uke (natch) with fellow Bay Area musician Karla Kane from the Corner Laughers. If only I knew eight chords on my uke.

Speaking of Hanukkah-related duets, Lisa Loeb also has one. Hers, "Light," is a little more serious, but very pretty, and features vocals from Renee Stahl (half of Renee and Jeremy). I can definitely see this becoming part of Chanukah-related playlists in years to come.

With "Got the Spirit," Mista Cookie Jar offers up a super-positive holiday jam (does MCJ do any other kind?) for your favorite nondenominational (or denominational or multidenominational) kid, again infusing his '50s soul with a thoroughly modern attitude. Or is it vice versa?

<a href="http://mistacookiejar.bandcamp.com/track/got-the-spirit">Got the Spirit by Mista Cookie Jar &amp; the Chocolate Chips</a>

Here's a Spotify playlist of kindie holiday songs from this year (including some songs referenced above (go here for link, here if you're in Spotify):

Danny Weinkauf – Wonderful Christmas Day
Farmer Jason – All I Want for Christmas (Is a Punk Rock Skunk)
Bobs & Lolo – Chris Moose
Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips – Got the Spirit
The Wanna Bees – Party On the Rooftop
The Mighty Magic Pants – Pirate's Christmas Eve
The Wanna Bees – Snow Ball Fight

Previously on Zooglobble

The Pop Ups - "Favorite Cousin"

Bobs and LoLo - "Chris Moose"

Note: I received copies of the Bobs & LoLo, Farmer Jason, and Mighty Magic Pants albums for possible review.

Monday Morning Smile: "Unpack Your Adjectives" - The Corner Laughers

Anything from Schoolhouse Rock is probably the prototypical Monday Morning Smile, something geared to both parents and adults. So when the Hipwaders' Tito Uquillas mentioned to me that he really liked a version of "Unpack Your Adjectives" by the Bay Area not-specifically-for-kids band The Corner Laughers, I knew I had to check it out. Sure enough, this live version of the classic SR track is sweet, highlighted by Karla Kane's vocals.

The Corner Laughers sometimes back up fellow Bay Area musician Alison Faith Levy, so they're no strangers to kindie, and while they're not writing kids music per se, most of their jangly indie pop would pass kindie muster, lyrically too, if not necessarily as verbose as George Newall's "Adjectives"...

The Corner Laughers - "Unpack Your Adjectives" (from Schoolhouse Rock) [YouTube]

Weekly Summary (1/20/14 - 2/2/14)

So this is really a bi-weekly summary… that first week, oof, not much done on the website.

How I Got Here: Alison Faith Levy (The Who: Tommy)

Alison Faith Levy first came to attention of the kids music world as one of the members of the Bay Area band The Sippy Cups, which started out as a '60s-inspired band and eventually incorporated that sound into a big circus-like stage show and pulling in inspirations from the '70s and even the '80s.

The Sippys are on hiatus, but Levy has started her own solo kids music career, releasing the fine debut World of Wonder a couple years ago. Now she's working on a stage musical based on the album, a musical she hopes will be ready for the world next year.

So perhaps it's fitting that for Levy's entry in my "How I Got Here" series, in which kindie artists talk about albums that influenced them as musicians, she talks about The Who's Tommy, which could be considered the first "rock opera." The double album was eventually presented on stage and screen (and then stage again, this time on Broadway). I'm guessing that Levy's light show won't be as impressive as that Broadway production from 20 years ago, but you never know...

When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to have access to an incredible record collection – my parents’. They were still in college when I was born, and were always very progressive, artsy and culturally curious– my dad played piano and had been a radio DJ, my mom was an artist. They were, and still are, huge influences in my creative life and very cool people.

Their album collection was a treasure trove of '60s and '70s gems, which they played around the house all the time. The Beatles, Moody Blues, Donovan, Elton John, Simon and Garfunkel… but the first album that I remember becoming completely obsessed with was Tommy by The Who. This was the original studio album, not the movie soundtrack, and once I found this on my parents’ record shelf, my life would never be the same.

Although I had always loved music and been captivated by everything I heard on the radio and around the house, Tommy hit me in a way that I had never experienced before. I must have been in 4th or 5th grade when I found it (the album had been out for many years), and when I discovered it I was completely obsessed.

It was the first time I had heard something that was a complete piece, from start to finish – like a Broadway show, but with the visceral intensity of rock n’ roll. I could not get enough of it. The music was so complicated and beautiful, the feelings so intense – it bowled me over. I would come home from school and listen to it from start to finish, over and over, obsessing over the spooky cover with the blue latticework design and weird surreal photo collage art in the booklet. I would pore over the lyrics, trying to make sense of it and put the story together. I would bring my friends over after school to listen to it with me, and try to explain what was going on, even though the lyrical content and sophisticated subject matter were clearly beyond my scope of understanding. When it became clear that my friends would rather play with Barbies or watch TV, I got the hint that maybe this was a little beyond what they could handle. I then knew this would be the story of my life.

During this time, I would sing and act out songs from Tommy to entertain myself and my friends. I remember clearly that at one lunch recess, I jumped up on a bench on the playground at school and sang “Acid Queen” from start to finish for my bewildered classmates. They must have thought I was insane. I didn’t even know what it meant – I just thought the dramatic nature of the song was so amazing I couldn’t contain myself!

When I finally saw the movie, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. It didn’t sound right to me, the music had changed, different people were singing the songs besides my beloved Roger and Pete (and a little bit of Keith). But I grew to appreciate some aspects of it, especially Elton John as the Pinball Wizard, who was my other big hero at the time.

Tommy ignited in me a lifelong love of the concept album. From there it was Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Dark Side of the Moon, and Born to Run. Then moving forward into artists like David Bowie, Tom Waits, and Elvis Costello – artists with albums that felt like complete works – that take you on a journey and pull you under their spell. I have always tried to create that in my work, even as a children’s artist – to take the listener somewhere that feels intentional, and meaningful, and dreamlike. So I have Pete, Roger, John and Keith to thank for that. The Sippy Cups even performed “Christmas” from Tommy in one of our winter spectaculars several years ago, complete with a snow machine – that was a pretty amazing moment for me. Tommy still gives me goosebumps whenever I hear anything from it, and that’s how an album should be.

My Favorite (Best?) Kids Music of 2012

While the posting date on this says 2012, I have to tell you the truth. I am totally back-dating this thing. I am writing this at the end of October 2013 in preparation of writing my Top 10 lists for 2013.

You see, my secret shame is that I never published my list(s) of my favorite kids music of 2012.

Oh, the shame, it burns...

Now, it's not like I didn't seriously think about this subject last year. Besides co-coordinating the 2012 Fids and Kamily Awards, I also voted in them, and the top 10 albums below reflect my vote in the awards. But I do receive far more great kids music than I can fit into my ten-slot F&K ballot, so this is my opportunity to give some shout-outs to some artists. Looking at this list, there are easily 6 or 7 of those albums on the list from #s 11 through 25 that could easily be swapped into the Top 10 list.

So in order not to make this already more embarrassing or major-movie-romantic-comedy-like, without further ado (or, frankly, comment), here are my lists of the best (or at least favorite) in kids music, circa 2012. (If you define, as I do, 2012 as being Nov. 1, 2011 through Oct. 31, 2012.)

Top Kids Music Albums

1. The Okee Dokee Brothers - Can You Canoe?

2. Elizabeth Mitchell - Blue Clouds

3. The Board of Education - Binary

4. Dog on Fleas - Invisible Friends

5. Johnny Bregar - My Neighborhood

6. Lunch Money - Spicy Kid

7. Recess Monkey - In Tents

8. Various Artists - Science Fair

9. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - Make Believers

10. Various Artists (Matt Wilson) - WeBop: A Family Jazz Party

Albums 11-25 (unranked, shown in alphabetical order)

Caspar Babypants - Hot Dog!

Coal Train Railroad - Swings!

Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band - A Potluck

Duke Otherwise - Creepy Crawly Love

Elska - Middle of Nowhere

Jennifer Gasoi - Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well

Jumping Through Hoops - Rockin' to the Fiddle

Randy Kaplan - Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie

Kori Pop - Songs for Little Bean

Elizabeth Mitchell - Little Seed

Elena Moon Park - Rabbit Days & Dumplings

The Pop Ups - Radio Jungle

Renee & Jeremy - A Little Love

They Might Be Giants - No! (Deluxe Reissue)

Laura Veirs - Tumble Bee

A special shout-out here to Adventures of Chicken Weebus , which isn't really kids music so I didn't really consider it for this list, but based on pure entertainment value definitely ranks in our Top 25.

Top Kids Music Debut Albums (listed alphabetically)

Duke Otherwise - Creepy Crawly Love

Elska - Middle of Nowhere

Kepi Ghoulie - Kepi for Kids

Jumping Through Hoops - Rockin' to the Fiddle

Kori Pop - Songs for Little Bean

Alison Faith Levy - World of Wonder (I know, not quite fair given her history with the Sippy Cups, but still...)

Elena Moon Park - Rabbit Days & Dumplings

Play Date - Imagination

Laura Veirs - Tumble Bee

Various Artists (Matt Wilson) - WeBop: A Family Jazz Party

Itty-Bitty Review: "World of Wonder" - Alison Faith Levy

San Francisco's Sippy Cups were one of the first new (21st-century) acts to attract a lot of attention in the wake of the kids music explosion of circa 2006. They had a big, '60s-inspired sound and look (though they weren't limited by that era), and despite their large size, toured quite a bit. The band is on hiatus - maybe permanently - but some of the members of the band are making music for kids again.

One of those members, Alison Faith Levy, has a new album, World of Wonder, which will please fans of the Sippies and their psychedelic sounds. It's targeted more at the preschool demographic that the band had somewhat moved past by the time they went on hiatus, but the sounds are classic Sippy Cup. The Wall-of-Sound production on "Itsy Bitsy Spider" drew the attention of Greil Marcus, but will still draw in the youngster set. "Like a Spinning Top" is an energetic movement song that will sound just fine even if you're buckled into a car seat. And I must admit to adoring the goofy "Baby Anteater" almost as much the song's narrator adores its subject.

Levy's powerful voice and Allen Clapp's production give the "big" songs the oomph they need while giving each song their own personality. While the sounds and some of the songs (like the title track) may target older kids, the album's greatest appeal is to kids ages 2 through 6. You can listen to some tracks here.

With World of Wonder, Alison Faith Levy gives her Sippy Cups fans -- and new ones -- a solid collection of songs that will definitely please preschoolers without being too cutesy for those preschoolers' older siblings. I miss the Sippy Cups, but this will do quite nicely. Recommended.