Review Redux: Meet the Squeegees - The Squeegees

This is probably a Zooglobble first. I've double-dipped reviews before for albums getting re-releases, but this is essentially a triple-dip. It's for the LA band The Squeegees. Their album started out as an EP, then doubled in size and was released in February 2008. Now it's getting exclusive national distribution in Target starting tomorrow and I thought I'd pull up that 2008 review for your pleasure, plus offer a thought on the new track...

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Meet The SqueeGees, the first full-length CD from the Los Angeles-area band The SqueeGees, could offer me a chance to be exceedingly lazy and simply copy the review from their debut EP, The SqueeGees. Well, maybe half the review. Because half of the CD was originally found on that debut EP.

Now, that's not a bad thing, perhaps, because that means the bubbly tiny nugget of a song, "Apples Oranges & Peaches," is back, as is "Nala the Chihuahua," with its snaky melodic line and harmonies. And "The Ol' WWW," which really isn't a kids song (though it's totally kid-safe) is back to amuse the parents.

Just as with the EP, the Squeegees are at their best when they're not as concerned with the point of the song, such as the dreamy "Bubbles." "I-D-E-A," a song encouraging more environmentally conscious thinking, almost overdoes it with the hitting-over-the-head. (More amusing is the Queen-esque breakdown that starts "So you think that you would like to drive a big car? / Have you seen the gas prices today?" and ends, of course, with "I like to ride my bicycle / I like to ride my bike...")

In fact, what struck me the most on listening to the full-length CD is how much care and craft has gone into these tunes, musically speaking. The SqueeGees generally play folk-rock, but there's a lot of interesting bits squeezed in here, like in the song above, or the harmonies in "Nala the Chihuahua." Along with Samantha Tobey's clear voice, they make the most of the songs here.

As for the Target re-release, even though the band itself seems to have gone through some changes (Tobey is still there, she's now joined by Rilo Kiley bassist Pierre de Reeder and Rich Sherwood), the album appears (and sounds) to be identical to the 2008 release except for the new track, "Tweet Tweet Tweet." No, it's not a song about Twitter (which would've made for a nice new verse on "The Ol' WWW"), but a song about birds, with a nice full sound. It's not worth getting the album for that one song alone, but it's definitely a pleasant addition.

I'll peg the album as most appropriate for ages 2 through 7. You can hear some tracks from the CD at the band's Myspace page. There's a lot to recommend in Meet the SqueeGees. I like the quirky ones more than the standard ones, but that might be personal taste. In either case, there's a high attention to sonic detail that kids musicians thinking of recording debuts could do well to emulate. Recommended.

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

KidVid Tournament 2008: The SqueeGees vs. Mr. Richard

In day two of KidVid Tournament 2008 we feature a matchup from the Pete Seeger Region -- the #2 seed "The Elements" from The SqueeGees from their self-titled CD and Meet The SqueeGees EP versus the #3 seed "Cheese" from Mr. Richard (off his Polka Dot Puzzle album).

Vote in the comments below. One per family, please. Play nice. Votes due by 9 PM West Coast time today (Wednesday).

The SqueeGees - "The Elements"

Mr. Richard - "Cheese"

Review: Meet the Squeegees - The Squeegees

Meet The SqueeGees, the first full-length CD from the Los Angeles-area band The SqueeGees, could offer me a chance to be exceedingly lazy and simply copy the review from their debut EP, The SqueeGees. Well, maybe half the review. Because half of the CD was originally found on that debut EP.

Now, that's not a bad thing, perhaps, because that means the bubbly tiny nugget of a song, "Apples Oranges & Peaches," is back, as is "Nala the Chihuahua," with its snaky melodic line and harmonies. And "The Ol' WWW," which really isn't a kids song (though it's totally kid-safe) is back to amuse the parents.

Just as with the EP, the Squeegees are at their best when they're not as concerned with the point of the song, such as the dreamy "Bubbles." "I-D-E-A," a song encouraging more environmentally conscious thinking, almost overdoes it with the hitting-over-the-head. (More amusing is the Queen-esque breakdown that starts "So you think that you would like to drive a big car? / Have you seen the gas prices today?" and ends, of course, with "I like to ride my bicycle / I like to ride my bike...")

In fact, what struck me the most on listening to the full-length CD is how much care and craft has gone into these tunes, musically speaking. The SqueeGees generally play folk-rock, but there's a lot of interesting bits squeezed in here, like in the song above, or the harmonies in "Nala the Chihuahua." Along with Samantha Tobey's clear voice, they make the most of the songs here.

I'll peg the album as most appropriate for ages 2 through 7. You can hear some tracks from the CD at the band's Myspace page.

There's a lot to recommend in Meet the SqueeGees. I like the quirky ones more than the standard ones, but that might be personal taste. In either case, there's a high attention to sonic detail that kids musicians thinking of recording debuts could do well to emulate. Recommended.

Everyone Who Likes Preschool Fundraisers, Raise Their Hand

Thought so.

Since before we joined it, our kids' co-operative preschool has eschewed a yearly fundraiser for a flat "fundraiser fee." Now, why they just don't increase the actual tuition by 10 bucks a month is beyond me, but that's probably just a clear indication of why I don't have a bright future in sales.

And given the virtual 24/7 fundraising our daughter is now asked to participate in through her (public school) kindergarten ("Mom, they say we need to order pizza tonight or they can't keep our music teacher"), I can assure you that the simple check-writing the preschool approach entails is a vastly superior approach. (Again. Not a retailer.)

Having said that, if my neighborhood preschool actually put together a spring fair that included, among other things, sets from The Hollow Trees, the Squeegees, and Ellen & Matt, I'd probably go. Which means, if I lived in Silver Lake and my kid(s) attended the Neighborhood Nursery School, I'd probably attend their Spring Fair on Saturday May 19.

As a side note, the "about" section for the fair says "No Bounce Houses, no corporate sponsors and no plastic bottles." Now, I'm with 'em on the plastic bottles, but why does NNS hate bounce houses so much? Bounce houses rule.

Also, "no corporate sponsors?" Does that mean there are preschool fundraisers in LA that have corporate sponsors? Do companies fight to sponsor the pony rides?

Like I said, Not. A. Retailer.

Review: The SqueeGees - The SqueeGees

The advantage to the reviewer of an 18-minute CD, such as the 2006 self-titled debut from Southern California-based duo The SqueeGees, is that you can listen to the album a lot before putting fingers to keyboard to write a review.

The result of those repeated plays, however, is that some of the odd edges of this CD get rubbed away. Which is too bad, because it's those odd edges that help the CD stand out. Take "Ivan the Terrible," for example, which leads off with the lyrics "His beard is long, his eyes are wild / He terrorizes the town." It encourages the listener to growl. But after hearing it eight, ten times, it no longer seems so outlandish (even for a song in which we find out Ivan is not quite so terrible). Too bad, really. In fact, it's the conventional lyrics here that are sort of dry -- it's when co-singer/songwriters Samantha Tobey and Roman Bluem don't worry about the "point" of the song that the songs are at their most vibrant (the listing of fruits in "Apples, Oranges, & Peaches," all the different sounds in "The Elements").

Musically, the duo pack a lot into what is pretty basic folk-rock. A lot of this has to do with the vocals -- Tobey has a clear and distinct voice that is very inviting, while Bluem has a dry vocal sensibility. (That sensibility fits perfectly with "The Ol' WWW" -- "Saw a picture of a jet on the internet / The ol' WWW / Bid on a Chia pet on the internet / The ol' WWW" -- which will probably go way over the head of the target audience but will amuse their parents.) But they also craft some nice melodies --- "Nala the Chihuahua" is particularly ear-wormy.

Despite the claim on the CD cover that the CD is for "ages 0 - adult," I think kids ages 2 through 6 are most likely to enjoy it. You can download a couple tracks and listen to samples of others here, and there's always their Myspace page or CD Baby album page.

The SqueeGees is an album which takes a slightly skewed approach to fairly typical children's music material. The album is sadly too brief, but it does make me curious as to what they will come up with next. I hope it's even odder than this CD.