Are You Listening? - The Not-Its

Are You Listening? cover

Artist: The Not-Its!

Album: Are You LIstening?

Age Range: 5-9

Review: The Seattle quintet has proven to be a consistently entertaining band over their past five albums.  Their sixth album is another solid effort, a half-hour's worth of pop-rock Pop Rocks, fizzy and playful.  The band is still willing to take a silly, cartoonish route on songs like "Granddad Is a Spy" and "Done With the Science Fair," and parents are more likely than the kids to appreciate the metal thrash of "Don't Fear the Dentist."  But they know their way around (slightly) more mature subject matters -- "Washington, DC" deftly slides from travelogue to encouragement of political engagement, "Bird on a Wire" features an ode to a bird and some killer harmonies, and leadoff track "Dance With Me" includes the best guitar solo you'll ever hear on a basic movement song.  (Stream the album here to listen to these and more.)

With Sarah Shannon's voice as powerful and the band as tight as ever, the band's kinetic energy and occasionally-acerbic-but-never-cynical lyrics continue to keep them in the forefront of modern kindie pop.  It's ear candy for your favorite first-grader.  Definitely recommended.

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

BVGB - Brian Vogan and his Good Buddies

Brian Vogan and his Good Buddies BVGB cover

Artist: Brian Vogan and his Good Buddies

Album: BVGB

Age Range: 2 through 6

Description: With relatively little fanfare nationally, Seattle-based Vogan has released six albums (including this latest one) targeted at the older preschool/kindergarten set over the past seven years.  All of them have had some good songs to recommend them, and BVGB is no exception.  "Big Bad Dump Truck" is a shuffling rocker with, appropriately enough, a hint of dirt to it.  "Dinosaur in My Drawer" features some nifty guitar work and some "la la las."  "Marla Has Two Moms" will help fill out your family diversity playlist, while "Presidents' Day" celebrates even the least celebrated chief executives.  Even the songs I didn't hear saying much new say them with obvious thought as to how to convey the lyrics (like the rough sound of "I'm a Nasty Cavity").

At barely 25 minutes in length, the album almost feels like an extended EP than a full album.  But for those families looking for an artist that might complement artists like Laurie Berkner to serve their favorite four-year-old, this is a good introduction to an artist who might fit that bill.  Recommended.

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

Wired - Recess Monkey

Artist: Recess Monkey

Album: Wired

Age Range: 5 through 9

Description: I'll let my NPR review of the album do most of the talking: "With so many opportunities for kids to stare at screens - big and small - it can be work to get them to use their creativity and make things with their own hands... On their new album, Seattle trio Recess Monkey celebrates makers with songs about school dioramas, duct tape and Legos... The band started out with a heavy Beatles influence. But over the course of 11 albums in just nine years, they've also mixed in a bit of a pop punk sound.  Appropriately for an album about playing off of the grid, the band recorded this new album on tape" with John Vanderslice, a musician with whom the band has long been obsessed.  I think there have been other Recess Monkey albums with catchier songs overall and so it wouldn't be the single album I'd recommend to a newbie (there's a tough decision to make), but it's certainly another solid album from the Seattle band.  Definitely recommended.

Augie to Zebra (An Alphabet Book): Kate Endle & Caspar Babypants

Artist: Kate Endle & Caspar Babypants

Book: Augie to Zebra (An Alphabet Book!)

Age Range: 3 through 6

Description: The title of the third book from wife-and-husband team of Kate Endle and Chris Ballew pretty much says it all.  Alliterative activities featuring kids playing with animals, highlighted by Endle's delightful collage-work (among my favorites, the feline jug band featured in "Josie jams with jaguars.").  And, as you may surmise from that example, besides the repeating letters, 4-through-6-year-olds will have fun finding other items in each illustration that also start with the relevant letter.  The accompanying free mp3 for the book (available here) is nice, but tied as it is to the non-story (but literal) text, isn't particularly exciting.  In any case, fans of the previous two books from the duo will likely be pleased with this new entry.

My Neighborhood - Johnny Bregar

Artist: Johnny Bregar

Album: My Neighborhood

Age Range: 4-9

Description:  "He [has] brought enough guests to his Bainbridge Island studio to make his rootsy Americana with a hint of bluegrass seem like a small party.  There's a mellow, soulful vibe to the album's best tracks, even a bit of wistfulness at points... Highly recommended. " / Full review / Listen