Itty-Bitty Review Two-Fer: Mr. Leebot and Lloyd Miller

There are pitfalls in trying to be objective in reviewing music, especially in the close-knit world of kindie music, where if everybody doesn't know everybody (yet), the degrees of separation are small enough that it makes Kevin Bacon look like a loner. And while I deal with that constantly here, adding a layer of "good works" on top of it all, well, consider this then your grain of salt for the two albums discussed here.

First off is Austin's Mr. Leebot, whose latest album Erratic Schematic is fundraiser for an orphanage in Ethiopia from which Mr. Leebot (AKA Lee Davila) and his wife recently adopted two babies. As I've previously mentioned, the idea of adoption is important to me, so I was predisposed to like this album from the get-go. While Mr. Leebot's sound -- think of him as DEVO's kids music side project -- may not be for everyone, he's started to ever-so-slightly fill out his sound (I like the New Wave sound of "Cleaning Theme"). As a whole, it's Leebot's best album yet. And the track at the heart of the album -- "Our Family" -- should be heard far and wide. (Listen to it here -- just scroll down the page.)

The album is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. You can listen to samples here.

As for an album geared toward a slightly older crowd, how about Hamlet? That's for high schoolers, right? Well ,The Deedle Deedle Dees' Lloyd Miller would beg to differ, having helped his wife's second grade class to write a musical based on the play. Miller recruited Dog on Fleas' Dean Jones and a couple of the Dees to record the music along with kids in the class. The result, Hamlet: The Album, is alternately rockin' ("Something's Rotten!") and pensive ("Tush, Tush") -- a little bit like the play itself, no? In best Fleas/Dees fashion, the album is ragged around the edges, the Band or the Stones mixed with a Shakespeare and Sesame Street. I'd much rather listen to these kids sing than any number of auto-tuned KidzBoppers.

The album will be most appreciated by kids ages 6 to 11. And if the story behind the album isn't appealing enough, perhaps you'll be heartened to hear that all profits from the album will go to Japan earthquake relief. Listen (or order the album) below.

While neither Erratic Schematic nor Hamlet: The Musical have a broad enough appeal for me to endorse the albums unreservedly for all listeners, both are solid enough albums to merit a listen even without the totally worthy backstories. I think a lot of readers will find a lot to like here. Give 'em a spin, maybe even your ducats. Recommended.

Disclosure: I received a copy of Erratic Schematic for possible review.

Itty-Bitty Review: All I Want! - David Weinstone (Music for Aardvarks)

While David Weinstone has been incredibly successful licensing his Music for Aardvarks classes, he has not done a lot of recording for the general public.

Which is a little bit sad, because Weinstone is a pretty good songwriter. And on his latest album, All I Want!, he has a number of stellar songs. While some of the songs seem like they originated out of his MFA classes, many of the songs (for the most part, my favorites) sound like they were created outside of a class context. Like a number of artists, Weinstone attempts to cover a broad range of musical styles, from old-timey Dixieland ("I Want a Puppy!") to fuzzed-out Guided By Voices-style rock ("Mighty Milo") to a harmonica-accented waltz ("Beach Song"). "All I Want!" thrashes harder than any kids' song you'll all year, and probably most of the adult songs, too. Although the genre-hopping can be head-spinning, Weinstone's adept at all of it, while also channeling a bit of Barry Louis Polisar acerbic-kid humor (sample from "Better Keep Your Eye on Me!": "I like cell phones, they taste good / They're expensive, man they should.")

The album will be most appreciated by kids ages 3 through 6. You can listen to a few songs here. All I Want isn't always an "album" as we might typically think of a coherent set of music, but as a collection of songs, it is a pretty good one. Even families who have never heard of MFA are bound to find a least a couple of songs that will tickle their fancy. Recommended.

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

Review: FLYING! - Recess Monkey

1. There once was a band from Seattle
For whom writing reviews was a battle
So consistently good
That even though I should
Provide insight, my same-ness would prattle.

2. So instead of writing a review
The way that I normally do
I took a new tack
Went down a new track
To talk about this distinguished crew.

3. The band, of course, is Recess Monkey
A trio, a band made up of three
Guys named Jack, Drew and Daron
On this album they're tearin'
Through more songs both peppy and funny.

4. They've released their album called FLYING!
Effortless, like they're not even trying
This album's their seventh
It's still free of bad synth
And features laughter and (appropriate) crying.

5. In time these three fine young fellows
Have matured, though they've not yet quite mellowed
They write short, sharp pop ditties
For elementary kiddies
With lyrics that quite easily flow [Ed.: Better than this, to be sure.]

6. At this point the band writes succinctly
And perhaps a little distinctly
There's almost no fluff
Or extraneous stuff
The melodies simply just hit me.

7. Tor Hyams produced this new disk
And sonically the sound is quite brisk.
Played piano, too
Acting as the glue
That kept the band sounding their best.

8. Beyond that, there are other guest stars
Like Chris Wiser from Sugar Free Allstars [Ed.: "stars"? "Allstars"? that's stretching it.]
Dean Jones, Chris Ballew,
Justin Lansing and Tom Baisden, too
A duet with Molly Ledford, and Johnny Bregar.

9. Most all of their lyrics are great
Heroes big and small predominate.
A kid's life is his "Day Job,"
"Toolbox"'s tender but odd,
And "Flapjacks" spells out what's on your plate.

10. My favorite songs this time around
Are "Toolbox," with lots of quaint tool sounds.
"Super Stuffies" is epic
"Your Favorite Book" ranks to me second
"Bunk Bed" is a Phil Spector track re-found. [Ed.: "Re-found?" Really? Sigh.]

12. The ages of kids who'll think it's most great
Would be between that of four and of eight.
To listen to songs
You won't be steered wrong
By going here, don't hesitate.

13. As always I would be remiss,
If the artwork I did not address.
Jarrett Krosoczka's
Comics make the most of
The theme the album does possess.

14. So I hope that you're not too offended
By how rhyming this review I've amended
But Recess Monkey is fab
and you prob'ly should grab
FLYING!, highly recommended.

Book/CD Review: Two Albums from Mr. and Mrs. Muffins

Some artists are busy recording music for already-written books, while plenty of other artists write their own books to go along with their music. The Seattle duo Mr. and Mrs. Muffins are charting a third, less-traveled course in the family music world -- writing books that serve as the basis for new music.

Late last year they released a couple book/CD collections -- The Adventures of Ms. Rabbit and Mr. Carrot and The Striped Ladybird. "Book" is probably a bit strong of a word for those families still strongly in the physical object camp, as the only book available is a PDF document. But the books look pretty nice on an iPad while following along to the mp3s.

Musically, both albums are a throwback to a good fifty years or so in the past, with Ladybird offering up some bossa nova and other laid-back Brazilian sounds and chamber pop (even a little Beach Boys), while Ms. Rabbit provides more of a Parisian vibe (dig the accordion). Each album features musical interudes interspersed with narration of the story. The stories themselves are gently moralistic fables, teaching lessons (Ms. Rabbit: making friends is a good thing; Ladybird: it's OK to be different). The concept of the interaction between the book and the music doesn't work perfectly as there isn't enough visually in the book between the narrative to hold the attention of the reader for most of the musical interludes. But the art direction is pretty, especially for Ms. Rabbit.

The stories are most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. You can stream both albums below, or, go here to stream just the music from both disks (a
"best of" which, thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, will be pressed on vinyl). If you're choosing, I'd go with The Adventures of Ms. Rabbit and Mr. Carrot for the art direction and The Striped Ladybird for the music. Recommended for fans of dreamy stories and sounds for a rainy day -- I hope this is just the beginning...

Disclosure: None! I bought these e-books myself.

Itty-Bitty Review: Dandelion - Steve Weeks

Freed from his devotion to the alphabet (see: A-H, I-Q, and R-Z), Colorado's Steve Weeks is back with Dandelion, an album lacking an obvious organizational hook.

But what hasn't changed with this new album is Weeks' affinity for tall tales rooted in decency. Songs like the rock-folk "Bartelby Finkleton Will Not Take a Bath," the gentle "My Dog Ate My House," and "The Blizzard of '78" are a blend of Shel Silverstein and Keller Williams. (There is a reason Weeks also a song titled "I Might Be Lying" on this album.) While these songs will sound familiar to fans of Weeks' earlier work, he branches out a bit -- "Birdsong" is a list of well over a hundred different birds over a driving beat, while "Why" features kids asking a bunch of legitimate questions over Weeks' nifty acoustic guitar playing. And the title track is Weeks' finest song yet, a subtly metaphorical look at the usefulness of a dandelion, reminiscent of and as good as Justin Roberts' best work.

The album is most appropriate for kids ages 5 through 9. You can hear samples from the album here. Dandelion is a good album for a sunny day, and for a history-making snowy day, too. There are tall tales here, but some truths, too. Recommended.