Review: Anthems for Adventure - Tim and the Space Cadets

Tim Kubart, head of Tim and the Space Cadets, left the kindie band The Jimmies nearly years ago because he wanted to write and perform his own kids music.  Along with another Jimmies veteran, Matt Puckett, Kubart released an awesome video and 5-song EP in 2010 and slowly crafted the full-length debut, which gets released next week.

The result, Anthems for Adventure, is a big, sprawling, messy album.  I like to think of it as one of those big arena-ready albums you might have heard released in the '70s.  There are echoes of Elton John and the Eagles, mellow pop-rock for the kindie set, but there are some more indie sounds as well.  ("Bumblebee," for example, could be the shiniest song Clap Your Hands Say Yeah never wrote.)  Hand-claps and sing-along choruses (hi, there, "Superhero!"), it's an album whose songs are meant to be heard in concert.

When I say "messy," I don't mean sloppy.   I really liked the slow-building arrangement of "Endless Summer," about celebrating summer even in the midst of summer.  One of the standouts, "Upbeat/Downbeat," honors its theme of making music with a serious Motown-era groove.  And with more than a couple dozen different musicians making an appearance, there's a lot of musical firepower providing a miniature wall of sound.  My only warning is that the lyrics are very focused on the kids, celebrating their perspective (see, for example, "Double Knot," an emotional ode to an outsized pair of shoes).  Many folks will see this as an good thing -- and who could blame them? -- but if you prefer your kids music to take a more parent-inclusive approach lyrically, this probably isn't your first choice.

The album is most appropriate for kids ages 4 through 8.  You can hear some of the tracks at the band's website.  Anthems for Adventure might be the most apropos kindie album title of the year as it's filled with songs about explorations large and small, songs to be sung along with.  Tim and the Space Cadets wear their corduroy-patched heart on their sleeve; sympathetic adventurers will enjoy this spirited celebration.  Recommended.

[Disclosure: I received a copy of this album for possible review.]

Video: "Winter Beard" - The Pop Ups

Watching the Pop Ups takin' it to the streets in this new video for a brand new song, "Winter Beard," my overriding thought was:

ONLY.  IN.  BROOKLYN.

(Lots of fun, though, for a cold winter's day.)

The Pop Ups - "Winter Beard" [YouTube]

Video: "2nd Grade Show" - Tim and the Space Cadets

I think most observers would agree that Tim and the Space Cadets' "Superhero" video was one of the most stunning debut videos in modern kids music -- excellent tune, great production values, fun video all around.

So I wondered whether or not the long-in-the-making second video from the band for their new song "2nd Grade Show" (off Anthems for Adventure, out January 29th) would even come close to the impact of the first video.

Question answered: yes, mostly.

I think I like "Superhero" the song more than "2nd Grade Show," but in terms of the video itself, its scope and shininess, it's every bit its predecessor's equal.  As someone who never watched the TV series Lost, I'm sure I missed 80% of the references to the show in the video, but I guess I'm proof that you (or your kids) can enjoy it even if you don't know your Hurley from your Smoke Monster.

Tim and the Space Cadets - "2nd Grade Show" [YouTube]

Review: Rabbit Days and Dumplings - Elena Moon Park & Friends

It would be hard for me to review this album without establishing my affinities up front:

1.  I Kickstarted this album.

2.  Our son (AKA Little Boy Blue) was born in Asia (and adopted into our family as an infant).

3.  Dan Zanes has provided a healthy part of our family soundtrack over the past 10+ years.

4.  I love kimchi.

OK, now that we have that out of the way, is it any surprise that I am very charmed by Rabbit Days and Dumplings, the first album from Elena Moon Park?  (No, it shouldn't be.)  Park, the fiddler and instrumentalist from Dan Zanes' band, has taken music from her own Korean (by way of Tennessee) heritage, mixed it with other Asian family-friendly songs, and given the songs a Zanesian flair.  The result is exactly what you'd expect -- songs from a very different culture made accessible to an English-speaking, Western audience and just as importantly, made fun as well.

There are lots of singalong chorsus on the album, starting with the album opener, "Sol Nal."  Park doesn't attempt to provide lyrics for each song in her liner notes; rather, for many songs, she picks out a single phrase as the hook.  So, for "Sol Nal," it's "Sol Nal / Sol Nal / Sol Nal Un Cho Ah Yo," which she translates as 
"New Year / New Year / I like New Year's."  Or, for the train-inspired bluegrass-y "Diu Diu Deng," singing along with "Diu! Diu!," the sound of raindrops is enough.  Language is fluid in the songs, with Park and the other vocalists flowing in and out of the native tongue of each song and English.

Just as with the lyrics, where Park clearly tried to honor the original song and language but didn't feel like she had to sing every word in that original language, the arrangements have been blended into new, often Western forms.  For example, for the Japanese fishing song "Soran Bushi," Park turns it into a rousing sea shanty, "envisioning groups of men on boats singing it," as she puts it in the liner notes.  ("A Dokkoisho!," or "heave, ho!," could be your family's next motivating call.)  The Chinese song "Diu Shou Juan" is performed in New Orleans brass band style.  And as with every Dan Zanes album, Park has recruited a kajillion different musicians (the Kronos Quartet and Wu Man among them) to play along, often letting them take the lead.

With the (partial) language barrier, age is less of an issue with this album than others, but the subjects are often most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7.  As you would expect from the folks at Festival Five, the album packaging is first-rate, but regardless of whether you get the physical copy or order mp3s, you can also download full lyrics, translations, and chords at the album's Songs page.  Listen to a sampler of songs here.

I'm clearly biased, but I think Rabbit Days and Dumplings is a great album.  If you're put off by the description of it as folk and children's music from East Asia, I encourage you to give it a chance, as you'll discover a set of songs from that, in these renditions, are very accessible to Western ears, and even voices.  Elena Moon Park have put together a remarkable album here, one that deserves a larger audience than it might otherwise be consigned to.  Highly recommended.

Video: "40 Things To Do in a Blackout" - The Pop Ups

I don't think write, record, and film a video for a benefit song was one of the 40 things the Pop Ups mention in their new song, "40 Things To Do in a Blackout," but singing along definitely was.  The new track was inspired by (if that's an appropriate phrase) Hurricane Sandy, and all proceeds benefit Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.  (Purchase the track via Bandcamp, Amazon, and -- soon -- iTunes.)  The song takes a while to get a head of steam, but once it does, it's a ton of fun and worth a buck.  The video is just that much more fun.  After all, everything's better with puppets (another suggestion from the band, of course).

The Pop Ups - "40 Things To Do in a Blackout" [YouTube]