As someone who spent time in North Carolina in the late '80s and early '90s I have a soft spot in my heart for the band The Connells, who turned out a few good albums of jangly power-pop (some of which are still in my collection).
And it seems like these days, if you just wait around long enough, all your favorite bands will turn to kids music, and the Connells are no different, as lead singer Doug MacMillan has formed Mommie. I've known about MacMillan's band for a while now, but I'm spurred to draw attention to them now because they've just posted some new tracks -- "Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Party," "Bubble," and "Carrots Are Crunchy" -- worth a listen. Those are a little slow, with the slightly older track "Bubble" in particular being more atmospheric than most kids' songs. And if those don't tickle your eardrums, at least listen to "Dumptruck," a jangly jewel of a song all the more notable for being written by MacMillan and his son Charlie when Charlie was just 3.
Anyway, for those of you wondering what the Band might have sounded like had they recorded a split kids' music EP with R.E.M., check it out.
