Itty-Bitty Review: On the Bright Side - The Bazillions

The Bazillions - On the Bright Side album cover

Minneapolis band The Bazillions have an ear for power-pop hooks. Or, like, 23 ears, because each album of theirs has more hooks than one ear could possibly handle -- even one of those punks' ears with safety pins all over.

Their third album, the recently-released On the Bright Side, does not stint on the hooks. "Superhero Rock Band," which kicks off the album, is like one of those movie pitches ("They're superheroes from DC and Marvel... but they play in a band!") that is so high-concept that song quality would scarcely seem to matter, but luckily for the power-pop enthusiast in the family, it's got crunchy guitars and a catchy singalong chorus, too. That's followed by "Family Tree," a roots-pop song celebrating, well, family -- along with the album closer "Sons and Daughters," it's the first I've really heard the band try for something more emotional.

Of course, at this point, it wouldn't be a Bazillions album without several educational songs, including the jangly "Use a Contraction," the shimmering "Ed (Been There, Done That)," and their first science-related tune, "Water Cycle." Longtime readers will know my general antipathy towards songs that have such an explicit educational bias unless the melodies and lyrics are really tight, but listen to the chorus for "Favorite Book," which is really just a reading-positive song, and tell me it isn't precisely constructed for maximum earworm.

The 37-minute album is most appropriate for kids ages 5 through 10; you can hear three of the tracks from the album here. As with their previous albums, On the Bright Side includes a number of power-pop and jangle-pop melodies that stand up to repeated spins, regardless of whether you need to learn some 2nd grade concept. Whatever educational value they have (and is enhanced by their catchiness) is just a nice bonus. Definitely recommended.

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

Video: "Q and U" - The Bazillions

Quick - I have a question for you.

Has there ever been a band quite as educationally questioning as the Bazillions?

Y'know? Because this is a new video for "Q and U," off their album On The Bright Side? Get it?

Forget this, then. I'm quitting.

The Bazillions - "Q and U" [YouTube]

Review: Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! - Lloyd H. Miller

If I told you that Lloyd Miller recorded an entire album about Civil War characters (in many meanings of that last word), you should not be surprised one bit. This most history-obsessed of kids musicians has been recording songs about the famous and the infamous and those who aren't known well enough to be either from almost the very beginning of his band The Deedle Deedle Dees.

But he's never been as focused on a single period as he is on his new solo album Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!, subtitled An Introduction to the Civil War Era for Kids. It's labeled as Volume 1 of Miller's new Sing-A-long History project, suggesting listeners will get to hear more deep dives into history, which plays into Miller's interest in hearing from all the personalities. One might expect a Civil War-based album to feature lots of songs about Lincoln, but the Great Emancipator is more of a side character -- aside from a setting of Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" (a duet with Marianne Tasick) and a recording of the Gettysburg Address featuring more than a dozen folks, Lincoln doesn't really make an appearance.

Instead, the album is more interested in characters like Baldy, the horse of Union General George Meade, whose head is mounted on the wall in a Philadelphia Museum, who get a song ("Baldy") to themselves. (That one's an old Dees track, re-recorded here.) Or Harriet Jacobs, a slave who escaped from her master, but who lived "Trapped in the Attic" for seven years before making it safely to freedom in the north. (It's an awesome, urgent song.) "Weeksville" introduces listeners to one of the first free black communities in the United States, founded in Brooklyn before the Civil War. It's not that Miller isn't interested in the War itself -- John Brown makes an appearance, as do songs of the time like "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd," "Marching Through Georgia," and "Tenting on the Old Campground." But Miller would rather sing through the voices of the people whose voices haven't been drilled into our brain over the past 150 years, the slaves and soldiers (and, er, the horses), but use more modern sounds -- rock and hip-hop, for example -- to do so.

The 38-minute album will be most appropriate for listeners ages 7 and up. You can listen to four tracks from the album here. I also recommend the curriculum guide (a first draft can be downloaded here), which features lyrics, historical background, and suggestions for classroom activities and further reading.

Because of its slightly narrow focus, Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! won't be to everyone's tastes, certainly all the time. But Miller gets credit for introducing the familiar big picture story of the Civil War through newer, less familiar lenses. His enthusiasm for the material shines through, giving new voices to old voices, which lifts this above many educational albums in terms of appropriateness in a broader context (e.g., the minivan). Highly recommended for the classroom setting, but recommended for all.

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

Video: "The Bossy E" - Mister G

The private eye (private "E"?") who stars in Mister G's latest video has a bit of an attitude. But since he's "The Bossy E," and he even has an entire album named after him (out June 24), I suppose he's entitled to his... entitlement. With the appealingly animated video from Leandro Antolini and Andrea Cingolani, the surf-rock tune conveys just one point -- how the addition of "e" at the end of a word can change its sound. (I'm also amused by how Mister G calls that "e" "bossy" while The Bazillions call it "silent." Perhaps there's some Sheryl Sandberg subtext there?)

Mister G - "The Bossy E" [YouTube]

Video: "Prefix or Suffix?" - The Bazillions

In the name "Kickstarter," identify the prefix and/or the suffix. Go.

This video for "Prefix or Suffix?" is the second one funded via The Bazillions' Kickstarter project to fund a new set of videos from their Heads or Tales? album, following their video for "Silent e." Jangly and educational in all the best ways.

The Bazillions - "Prefix or Suffix?" [Vimeo]

Itty-Bitty Review: Heads or Tales - The Bazillions

I am the record far too much as being opposed to "educational" music. (See here for an extended discussion on the matter.)

So when I spend the next couple hundred words praising the educational merits of Heads or Tales, the latest album from Minnesota band The Bazillions, put it in that context.

It's not that the Bazillions were established to produce songs educational in nature -- it was somewhat accidental. But when the video for "Preposition" became a huge hit (it's at 400,000 views and counting) , lead songwriter Adam Marshall realized that his jangly power-pop songs used for educational concepts might have broader appeal. (Really, as songs, they're waaaay better than most "educational" songs.) I wouldn't oversell the "educational" concept -- like clear inspirations They Might Be Giants and Schoolhouse Rock, these songs are best used as reinforcements for more traditional school-based learning -- but they were crafted with that in mind. This album is nothing but educational songs -- it's 5 tracks out of the dozen here -- which helps offset what might otherwise be too much learnin'. "Similes and Metaphors" is the standout such song here, clearly outlining the concept; I also particularly liked "Silent e." The "non-educational" songs are just as poppy, with "You're Embarrassing Me" (about parents grooving to their own, totally retro hits) and "No Homework" being a couple of the best tracks.

The 35-minute album is most appropriate for kids ages 6 through 10. Don't get the Heads or Tales because it's got songs which will help your local second grader ace her standardized test at school -- get it because it's a dozen nifty pop songs that tell stories, even if one or two of those stories are about - gasp! - math. Recommended.

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