The Shins' New Yo Gabba Gabba Video, or, Why Won't Somebody Think of the Mac Users?

Remember I told you about new music from the Shins? Yeah, well Nick Jr. has now posted a sneak peek music video from the band here, no, here.

Great, right?

Yeah, unless you're using a Mac, in which you're screwed because apparently the "technology... to support Parents TV on a Macintosh" is not available.

"So, uh, what do you think?," says this MacBook user.

Review: What Did You Do Today, Stephen Scott Lee? - Steve Lee

Despite the fact that everybody and their drummer is recording kids music these days, it still takes a certain amount of courage for an artist to release a kids' CD as their very first album.

So kudos to Nashville-based Steve Lee, who chose the "release the kids' CD" page in the "Choose Your Own Adventure" book of his life and ended up producing something quite worthwhile. What Did You Do Today, Stephen Scott Lee?, released at the tail-end of 2006, weaves together some top-notch songwriting and playing around a story of an eventful day in Steve Lee's childhood.

The 61-minute starts with a New Age-y "Good Morning," with Lee's voice gently urging the listener to wake up over some gentle piano. From there, Lee alternates between skits in which he plays a young Stephen Scott Lee and songs which provide some moral commentary on the action. Lee gets bullied around, rides the bus to the zoo, gets knocked out, goes to the doctor, watches a movie, and gets ready for bed. I don't think anybody would listen to the CD for the skits (except for those hooked into the Nashville music scene as some of the skits feature cameos by local artists), but they do provide a context for the songs.

Make no mistake, it's the songs that make this CD so worthwhile. The dozen or so music tracks are solid. Some of the tracks ("Wake Up," "Sharing is Caring") sound a little bit like early Wilco. Lee's voice will remind you of one of the singers from Barenaked Ladies and the music does somewhat, too. Many of the tracks give off a very Polyphonic Spree vibe. My favorite track -- definitely on the album, and quite possibly of the year -- is "Grab A Balloon." It takes a minute or so for the track to pick up speed, but when it does, it's accompanied by a heart so big ("Life is your book, it's being written as we speak / But you should know no matter where you go, your heart is your home") that it's impossible to listen without smiling.

Many of the songs have a definite lesson-teaching component -- share stuff ("Sharing is Caring"), be responsible ("Responsibility Song"), take a breath when you're mad ("Count 2 10"). Normally I tend to discount songs that take that sort of approach, but in this case, Lee and his fellow musicians (a whole bunch of Nashville-area artists) are having so much fun with the infectious melodies that my reservations were wiped out. (Besides, Lee isn't above having a little fun undercutting the moral tone, telling people in one of the zoo-related tracks to "watch out for the doo-doo.")

Kids ages 5 through 9 will be most receptive to the lyrics here. You can listen to the entire album at Lee's Virb page. (You're gonna have to go to his Myspace page to buy the album, though.)

With What Did You Do Today, Stephen Scott Lee?, Steve Lee has captured the highs and lows of being a kid, not only from the child's perspective, but also with some adult 20/20 hindsight. All that, and a tasty musical package, too. Definitely recommended.

Review: Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook Vol. 2 & 3 - Various Artists

Can sequels upstage the original?

The Chicago institution Old Town School of Folk Music released its Songbook Volume 1 last year (review), and the title implied that more was on its way. But could what followed surpass that solid collection?

Yes.

Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook Volume 2 & 3, released last week by Bloodshot Records, is its predecessor's equal in every way, and betters it. Over the 2 hours and 20 minutes on the 2-CD set, the School's instructors and friends breathe fresh life into 42 mostly traditional folk songs. These aren't really kids' songs -- they're folk songs (of many sources, from gospel to sailing to bluegrass), written for general audiences. But with few exceptions they're totally OK for kids and families.

In many cases, the artists take a mostly traditional approach, with a healthy dose of banjo, fiddle, and and/or guitar instrumentation. But others take some risks -- the Zincs turn in a spare, quasi-electronica version of the traditional Shaker tune "Simple Gifts," while Scott Besaw engages in some multi-tracking to make his solo recording of "Nine Pound Hammer" sound very full. As sung by Mary Peterson, "Sportin' Life" could easily be a long-lost track from Patsy Cline.

And some of the tracks are just luminous. Laura Doherty's rendition of Donovan Leitch's "Colours" is simple and sweet. "Lonesome Road," as performed by Back Off the Hammer, would fit right in on a Gillian Welch/David Rawlings disk. Cat Edgerton's "Water is Wide" should find its way onto many a lullaby mixtape. If I had to pick a single track from the bounty here, though, it'd be Jacob Sweet's take on Stephen Foster's "Hard Times." The timeless melody and lyrics, combined with Sweet's voice and the harmonies, are enough to give the listener goosebumps. There are a few tracks I'll skip over because I don't like the vocal style, but those are definitely the exception, not the rule.

Even more so than the original, this collection is appropriate for kids, with very little in the way of subject material parents might object to. Call it appropriate for kids ages 4 on up. You can download Nora O'Connor's excellent recording of "Home on the Range" here, and listen to samples elsewhere on this fabulous thing called the Internet, about which you won't hear a single song here. I'd also note that you can get this album for less than $15 in most places. It's a great deal.

Songbook Vol. 2 & 3 is chock-full of renditions of classic songs that are part of the American song DNA that will please many an ear. If this is how good the sequel is, then Volumes 4 & 5 had darn well better be in the works. Highly recommended.

More New Music from Lunch Money: "Tiny Dinosaurs" and "Somehow a Frog Finds a Pond"

When I posted that song from Lunch Money the other day, I knew that there was more good stuff on its way, and now it's here, courtesy of the Tricycle Music Fest's blog. Y'know, for a first year of a music festival, the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County done good.

The first track is another great uptempo track in the vein of "Cookie As Big As My Head," except this one features dinosaurs, so it's bound to be a massive hit.

Lunch Money - "Tiny Dinosaurs"

The other new track posted is a slower song featuring a "ribbit, ribbit" singalong chorus. It's more of a story song than I'm used to hearing from the band, but it's still a sweet listen.

Lunch Money - "Somehow a Frog Finds a Pond"

Kids' Compilation of the Year Race Heats Up: For The Kids 3 To Be Released Oct. 2nd

OK, you already know how great I think the DeSoto kids' comp Play is.

But Pitchfork reports today that Nettwerk, headquartered in Canada, and who've already released a couple decent kids music comps in their For The Kids series, is compiling a third installment, to be released October 2nd. The original Billboard.com article has the track listing, which would have to put it in competition with Play on the basis of the artist listing alone: Blitzen Trapper, Mates of State, Hem, Jolie Holland, and others. Of Montreal strikes me as either an inspired or an insane choice -- we shall see. The album nicks the Great Lake Swimmers' awesome "See You On the Moon," from the 2006 Paper Bag Records kids comp of the same name (that would be last year's Canadian kids comp).

These compilations have never really depended heavily on artists working primarily in the kids' music genre for material, and this edition is no exception. The sole kids' music group? The Sippy Cups, who lend their version of "I'm A Believer" off of their Kids Rock For Peas! for the CD.

Tracklisting after the jump. (Yeah, I'm gonna make you click. I'm so mean.)
Of Montreal: "I Want to Have Fun"
Great Lake Swimmers: "See You on the Moon"
Over the Rhine: "The Poopsmith Song"
Rogue Wave: "My Little Bird"
O.A.R.: "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
Barenaked Ladies: "The Other Day I Met a Bear"
Dar Williams: "The Babysitter Song"
The Sippy Cups: "I'm a Believer"
Anathallo: "If You're Happy and You Know It"
The Format: "Does Your Cat Have a Mustache"
Moby: "Very Long"
The Submarines: "My Darling Clementine"
Kyle Andrews: "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round"
Blitzen Trapper: "New Shows"
P:ano: "Sunny"
Mates of State: "Jellyman Kelly"
Hem: "No Hiding"
MC Lars: "The Lint Song"
Jolie Holland: "Pure Imagination"
Rosie Thomas and Damien Jurado: "As Small as Me"